Summer

Oh my dear blog... are you afraid I've forgotten you? I am! So many memories made that I want to record and process and remember for years to come.

I don't think there's been a season in the history of the world that has gone as quickly as this summer. Time flies when you're in the middle of a renovation, right? Uh, I mean when you've got three kids... er uh... ok, so we had a lot of fun too! Seriously, though... we are just at a new level of fullness that makes the weeks fly!

One thing that has been harder going from two to three kids is taking pictures with a real camera. My hands seem to be always full! Thank goodness for the camera on my phone, though! This summer wasn't completely undocumented. So here's some of what we did this summer - in absolutely no order.

In August, for the first time in almost four years, my oldest, bestest friends and I managed to get a picture of all of our children (not including the two joining this crazy crew in October!) Seeing our kiddos enjoy each other is seriously special.

The girls had several daddy/daughter dates, including when Daniel and Elli went to see a local production of Aladdin.

And after a goofy ice cream sundae date, they went to see How To Train Your Dragon 2. Seriously... he's the best daddy ever.

We got to try out my parents' kayak fishing boat. Now I want to live on a lake. :)

We spent lot of fun time hanging out with our cousins:

Including Malachi, whom we've been so excited to meet!

These two even got to do their first CYT camp together! Elli was really nervous about it but keeps asking me to go again, even three months later. She was one of the youngest and was super nervous about the performance, but she did awesome, smiling the WHOLE time she was on stage and delivering her one line, "All this talk is starting to dry my bones." (don't ask...) like a pro!

Elli flew her first kite with Grandpa and Mia. They said she was a natural.

Uncle Ryan and Aunt Madeleine, who are now the only family far away, came to visit! Elli showed them how to play Old Maid our way, which involves a possum dance.  :)

This summer, while very busy, was also a lot of me learning how to juggle three girls at home. Three schedules, three different life stages, three different voices and needs. I'm learning so much about the big girls' love languages and personalities. I'm also learning a lot about myself... I'm so thankful for God's covering grace, because there are so many moments and opportunities I've messed up or missed out on. This season is so challenging, but also incredibly rich and full.

In July, we traveled to Colorado to see family and friends. It was a quick weekend, but we managed to see everyone we wanted to! Some friendships are just natural and sweet and easy to pick up right where we left off. Of course, the view is pretty incomparable as well.

For Daniel's birthday, we had a water gun fight surprise. What was funny was that I bought a three pack of "better" guns and a dollar spot one for myself... mine ended up having the longest range, so I think I won. :)

My mom and I threw a baby shower for my brother and sister-in-law, who just moved to Kansas from Washington DC.  We had a blast planning the vintage baseball theme.

With all the changes over the past year, we were a little behind on our preschool work. Elli and I focused in this summer on getting ready for kindergarten.

We picked blueberries with my mom at the patch where I worked in high school. It was raining off and on the whole time, but it only made the time more memorable.

The girls were obsessed with Singing in the Rain this summer (a happy relief from Frozen!), so they often asked to watch the video of "Make 'Em Laugh."