Start of Summer

 Lots of time on the playset.  I snuck this photo of Mike up there while they were telling each other spooky stories.

 Homemade goo, or glop.  Hard and soft at the same time.  Definitely best outside!

Trips and adventures around town.  We love the zoo, children's museum, and the library.  Our friends introduced us to the metal slides in downtown Omaha.  I first took Alexis and Tayler while Max was at school.  It was so fun.  Tayler couldn't get enough of me holding her down them.  I couldn't wait to get him back.  I talked about them all week, and really built up some excitement.  It was completely anti-climatic once we got there.  The really big trees that keep it nice and shady were dropping stuff like crazy, and covered the slides.  They were so sticky, the kids could hardly make it down.  It's back on the bucket list to try again - this time with wax paper!

One of my favorite parts about the start of summer was this robin who decided to build a nest in the tree just outside our front window.  I never knew they worked so hard and fast to build them.  We caught her starting it on Saturday, and by the time we checked again on Sunday afternoon, she was laying the mud inside the nest!  We had a great time watching the process - from the nesting, to the eggs, to the hatching, to the feeding.  It was the best spot because we could watch everything from our window without disturbing her, or trying to climb and lift everyone up all the time to get to it.  Her constant efforts to prepare, then feed and provide were endless.  I felt like she and I could really relate.  Then, within a couple weeks, they were gone and grown.  I no longer felt like we could relate as much.