Summertime!

This summer has been one of my favorites ever. I think it feels different now that Paxton is officially in school...it feels like a break from the hustle of busy school mornings and since Lincoln isn't a newborn, we are free to do pretty much anything! 

Some of our favorite things this summer have been:

T-ball games! Jared coached Paxton's team this year and since Granny V offered to help with Porter and Lincoln during games and practices, I got to help! It was so fun to watch the kids make gigantic improvements and just hear all of the funny things they said. It was really sweet that they got to share this and I'm looking forward to lots more seasons of co-coaching!

Peach picking! We met Harrison and his mom at Wind Rush Orchards and picked peaches! It was sweaty and dirty but we filled two sacks with the juiciest peaches and Paxton and Lincoln and I enjoyed them for several days! Porter and Jared couldn't handle the velvetiness of the skin so they missed out on eating them. 

Lake trips! We have been three times already and I think these are what the boys will miss the most when summer ends. They love everything about the lake: the boat, swimming, jumping off anything you tell them to into the water, eating at Soda Steve's and sharing the pullout couch. Two of the three times, we have gone with family which makes it even better!

The Sam Noble Museum. We tried this out with our friends that have boys Paxton and Porter's age (and one that will be a year younger than Lincoln when he's born!) and had an awesome day. 

All things water related. Between our inflatable back yard pool, our neighborhood pool, a week of swimming lessons, the splash pad, sprinkler and slip and slide nights and playing in the fountain downtown, their swimsuits have seen more action than their clothes! Both boys are swimming independently this summer! Paxton learned to dive and can do a pretty adorable dive about half the time. Porter finally mastered coming up for a breath so he is feeling like a rockstar swimming with no floatie!

Dodgers games! We went to a game with Jared's work and the boys loved it. They mostly loved the Dippin' Dots and the cotton candy and the playground and the girl with glow sticks and the tickles from Dusky (their second favorite guy at Daddy's office), but Paxton got a game ball and snuggled in my lap for half of an inning and actually watched the game and that was the highlight for me. 

Pretty much anything with the cousins. Between the pool and the park and the Omniplex and whatever else we come up with, these six have spent a ton of time together this summer and they LOVE IT! The bonds they are forming are indescribable and I love it so much. 

The zoo! This is our first time to have a zoo pass and we're loving it. We haven't been a lot because it's so so hot, but all three boys love seeing the different animals and playing in the water there. 

Just regular lazy days! These are my favorites. They aren't glamorous. We usually all stay in our pajamas for way too long. The boys destroy the play room and fight over toys and draw the cutest pictures of our family and track in grass and lick each other's popsicles, but these are the days that I think of when I think of summer vacation. There is merit in the business. They love the days where we leave the house first thing in the morning and only stop back by for a quick rest, and because they love it, I have filled their summer with those days! But for me, those days make me really appreciate these stay-at-home and snuggle days.