Never Forget Your Summertimes, My Dears

Parker and I are reading Stuart Little at bedtime, and tonight I came across a passage that sums up how I'm feeling these days.

"Summertime is important. It's like a shaft of sunlight," replied Stuart, quietly.
"Or a note in music," said Elizabeth Acheson.
"Or the way the back of a baby's neck smells if its mother keeps it tidy," said Marilyn Roberts.
Stuart sighed.
"Never forget your summertimes, my dears," he said.

Parker starts kindergarten in two weeks. I'm holding on to the summertime.

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Beachside

We spent all last week on beach time, listening to the waves and basking in a schedule-less existence.

Stay tuned for more photos ...

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Our First Tee Ball Season

Tee ball, that rite of passage, has been a fun new adventure for us this summer. Parker really enjoyed the (very hot) practices, and he learned some things. He also spent some time drawing pictures in the dirt with his bat, wandering around in the outfield and - once during the final "game" - chasing the runner around the bases with the ball. They all received medals last week after the last practice. Lots of fun and no pressure. Like sports at this age should be.

Parker is the one in the red hat below, and in the black and yellow hat in the other pics.
Sawyer hung out with us on the sidelines, although he made a beeline for the infield a couple times ...

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Our Fourth of July Weekend in 10 Photos

Friday night we did the sparkler thing with our favorite neighbors (Amanda shown here) ...

We joined in the neighborhood children's parade Saturday morning ...
The parade ended at the pool, so we swam and stayed for the cookout (keg beer at noon? yes, please) ...

We made the trek downtown for the fireworks Saturday afternoon ...

But we didn't bring umbrellas ...

Thankfully, we planned to watch the display from our friends' condo on the riverfront - a perfect view. (Thanks, Kim and Betsy.) We arrived way early - and just before the downpour began - so we stayed warm and dry, watching Scooby Doo while we waited for a break in the rain ...

We ate at a nearby Mexican restaurant (complete chaos), and got back just in time to watch the fireworks, which started early because of the weather. The show was amazing...
The kids loved it ... and we got completely drenched walking back to the car...

The next morning we headed back to the trail ...

Then we rented some classic Scooby Doo (inspired by the night before) and took it easy.

Hope your weekend was a great one!

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You Gotta Love Sparklers

Remember playing with sparklers on the Fourth of July at dusk when you were a kid? I have great memories of those days - humid summer evenings, fireflies, sparklers, sweet tea. It's fun to see our kids making some great memories, too. Last night we had an impromptu pre-Fourth celebration with our neighbors. Here are some shots of Parker, Ethan and Amanda experimenting with sparklers. Also a shot of our "fountain" firework called Keg Party, which was actually pretty spectacular for 8 bucks.

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Haircuts

So I finally booked haircuts for the boys. And while I love, love, love the gossamer blond curls that spring up on Sawyer's head on the most humid days ...

This is more the norm ...

So, after a very successful trip to Miss Angie (the lollipop helped a lot), Sawyer sports this look ...

Then it was Parker's turn ...

And ... wala!

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