summer snapshots

Time to look back over summer, since blogging has certainly taken a back seat lately! Summer didn't exactly go quickly since time seems to stand still when I'm pregnant, but at the same time I feel surprised that its essentially over at this point. We've had a few cool, rainy days and this weekend is the last days of 80 degrees in the forecast, so I think summer is wrapping up.

So many mornings started out with Jake loading up Reid's crib with all of the pillows from his room and the guest room. Quite the wake up for Reidles!

Maybe the biggest milestone this summer was Jake learning to ride his two-wheeler! He'd been practicing every so often on a balance bike but hadn't shown much interest in trying to learn. Then one afternoon (while Deric was at CIY, of course!), we were outside playing and I turned to see Jake attempting to ride his two-wheeler. It was a wobbly start but he was determined to try and he started to make progress! I was so excited for him. He spent every possible minute that week practicing on his bike and by the time Deric got home at the end of the week, Jake could successfully ride the length of a few houses! 

One evening we felt confident enough that he could hold his own on the greenway so we took off in the direction of Dairy Queen-- about two miles down the greenway-- and figured we'd just see how far he could get on his own. He made it to DQ with no problem at all, down some big hills and everything! 

Just a typical afternoon folding laundry, but now I'll never forget it. Reid jammed his pj shorts onto his head and had no idea why it was so funny, but Jake and I were both crying from laughing so hard. That furrowed brow and the turned-down ears!

The boys spent so many hours putting around the backyard! They love to play golf both on the golf course with Grandpa and in the backyard with practice balls.

Plenty of time swimming in the pool in the backyard too! The boys would run circles down the slide, into the pool and back to the slide. 

Swimsuit or no swimsuit, when there's no shade in the backyard we're bound to get wet when we're outside! 

A friend gave us a maple tree he'd planted last year as our first attempt to get some shade in the backyard! Why are trees so expensive?! Assuming we keep the tree alive, it'll be fun to see if the boys or the tree grows faster!

I had planned on daily morning walks but they didn't quite happen *daily*....we did get out on the greenway every so often though! The boys prefer bike rides over stroller rides so I didn't have this view very often of their brown and blonde heads playing "good guys" (as Reid calls his Superman) or reading books together.

This kid, always taking things up a notch! Jumping in the puddle turned into "wimmin!" in no time.

The boys and I spent a warm morning splashing in the river with friends, and it was so fun! The water temperature was perfect for playing (basically swimming!) in and the river was great for exploring.

Deric and I got in a couple date nights! On this particular night we headed into downtown Indy to explore the Canal, which I had never been to. We had plans to bring the boys to see it but haven't made it yet. Maybe soon in the cooler weather!

Speaking of dates, Deric sent Jake and I on a date to see The Incredibles 2 on Father's Day. So selfless of him...but then again, he got to take a two-hour nap while we were gone and Reid was snoozing, so it was a win-win. Also, kinda tricky to get a photo when we've just walked out of the theater back into the sunshine!

Learning new tricks at the Chick-fil-a play place! This particular morning was the last morning before Deric got back from the second of two weeklong trips with the youth group and I was *done*. It was rough keeping things going at home while pregnancy made me just want to sleep all the time! These boys were troopers though and Chick-fil-a was a treat for all of us at the end of a long week without Dad. 

Oh look, more Chick-fil-a photos! We've never done the Cow Appreciation day (when dressing like a cow gets you a free entree...but you have to brave an incredibly crowded restaurant!) but when Cow Day falls on a night Deric's gone and means free dinner + entertainment while making costumes, we were all in! And now I want to go every year just because these two make some cute cows. Jake did the headbands all on his own!

Family trip to the zoo!

Most afternoons you could find us on the front porch, where this *is* some shade. Reid figured out quick that the porch = popsicles, but when popsicles are leftover smoothies everyone wins!

Towards the end of August we got a couple blissfully cool mornings so after breakfast, the boys and I would spend an hour or two in the backyard. They would play together on the playset, usually climbing up the slide and then pushing their bubble lawn mower down the slide, while I read my Bible and a slow start to the day. And usually our time outside ended looking like this, which is the sign of a good morning!

And to cap off an entire summer recap (whew!), Deric came home from Lowe's one day with 100 feet of tarp for a slip-n-slide. You better believe all three guys loved it! Jake did end up with a rash all over his face for a few days from one night of slip-n-sliding which we can't figure out-- maybe he didn't get all the baby soap rinsed off that time?! I think he'd say it was still worth it though, especially when they figured out how to have Deric spin them as they slid down!

Look at those expressions!

So there's summer at a glance, but I've got more photos of Port Hope to finally post, as well as a day hike at Turkey Run that was so memorable it deserves its own post!