Our last week of summer

Ahhh, summer. It makes me so happy. And tired.

A little snapshot of our last week of summer:

The girls and I went swimming at the YMCA pool. They had a blast and we were able to enjoy it all morning before a ginormous storm came in the afternoon!

On his way to the airport, Mike met us for lunch. We love how he'll squeeze in time with us any chance he can. The girls picked Chick-fila, which of course meant ice cream cones.

One of our summer goals was to do weekly service. And we made it a goal because it brought some accountability and awareness into making it happen. And gosh, I feel like opportunities and moments came - so much of it was small and simple, but those seem to be the ones that I want to hold on to. They are the ones I want woven into the kids minds and hearts.

This last week, our service was centered on letting go. We cleaned out closets, passed down clothes from one sister to the next, and picked up some new items to fill in the gaps for school uniforms this year. Then we took a couple bags of too small clothes and shoes to the recycling bin at the school. It's so cool how choosing to let go can create space for the next chapter and fill needed space in other ways.

I saw lots of this. She loves practicing and I think I hear it any spare moment in the day. Love it!


Tayler is starting up a dual language program at school and to catch her up a bit (the kiddos typically start this in kindergarten so she's jumping in a year later) she's been watching el monosilabo on you tube and having fun with duolingo. Abigail loves being her sidekick.


We headed to the library. I still can't get over how amazingly beautiful it is here. Of course, we were dripping in sweat with this walk over to the fountain, but they were good sports, and knew we were headed to the pool later that day. And I want to remember the heavy library bags and armfuls of books.


Where's Max in all these photos?! This kid soaked in his last week of summer at a basketball camp at the high school. He loved every minute. He was up and ready to go early and walked out every day with a huge smile. It has been so fun to support him in something he loves and to see him develop new skills.


Lots of arts and crafts. Alexis taught the girls how to make turtles out of paper plates. In other news, I may need to start buying scotch tape in bulk. And we have spots of dried sparkly glue all over the floor a week later, but it's all good.


The kiddos wrapped up golf lessons for the summer. This is another place I pinch myself looking around. It's beautiful. And we feel so grateful to experience it. Abigail and I get to hang out under trees like these.


Lots of this around the house. Sometimes they'd choose the most random places to sit and read together. I was in the middle of prepping for dinner and moving onto the next thing when I turned the corner and just smiled. I love listening to her read.


This guy and I went to his open house for 7th (!) grade together. So grateful Mike was able to hang out with the girls while we went. His middle school is ginormous and it would have been brutal taking the girls along with us. And dare I say awkward for the tween? Who knew we'd be entering that chapter!? Anyway, knowing the crazy crowds, we opted to ride our bikes to and from. And loved popping in and out of that place in a jiffy. So excited for him.


We went on one last Saturday afternoon summer family adventure together. I'll write more about it later, but some of the crowd loved the outdoor wall art and some of the crowd, well, didn't.


The kiddos and I went to our favorite museum for our last outing of summer together. And these photos are so much sweeter because we really almost didn't go. It had been a rough morning in the motherhood world - dragging feet, eye rolling, lack of motivation to do much of anything and I almost threw in the towel. But I took a few moments to re-center, prayed for guidance and took some one-on-one time with a couple of the kiddos. In all those conversations, I realized I had a clear choice. I could hold a grudge and be grumpy and angry over actions of others, or I could own the real truth that the actions of others are...actions. This parenting journey is full of crazy learning. As much as we can influence and help them problem solve their own problems, allow space for logical consequences, some days there will be bumps, a whole lotta crazy, and some potential slamming of doors. And sometimes actions are the result of worry/anxiousness/nerves/fear and maybe we just need a big dose of grace. And as we all get to start fresh, learn from mistakes, and keep moving forward, we get to teach that process to our kiddos through living that principle rather than just trying to explain it. And sometimes the action of that principle has a way of influencing others to reframe too.

Having this outing together where we laughed, learned, walked all over the place, had some great conversation and listened to a couple of fun podcasts in the car, made the moments that much sweeter knowing they might not have happened had I/we chosen to stay stuck in frustration or disappointment.

The Frost science/aquarium/I-don't-even-know-what-to-call-it-other-than-amazing museum is incredibly beautiful. These photos are of the fourth floor - which is this amazing outdoor/indoor space with incredible views of Miami, the ocean and the cruise ship port.




We were going to eat at a spot on the main floor, but then Max noticed these picnic tables totally empty. We couldn't think of a better view for peanut butter sandwiches!

Hanging out on the main floor after going through a "poison" exhibit.

Max spotted this tiny portion of a rainbow surrounded by clouds on the drive home. It was as if the rainbow was on the other side of the clouds. Hard to see the colors as well as they were in the sky, but they were so bold and bright. And then surrounded by white clouds and a blue sky. 

And on our last literal day of summer we pulled out the file boxes and added the paperwork that had been sitting in a pile for over a month. These boxes have been such great tools for keeping kiddos papers organized. One folder for each grade - and one box for all the grades. There will definitely be some downsizing in future years, but the process has been so helpful - especially as a way to journal and simplify as we've moved from place to place!

And we kept with our tradition of Mike giving a "Father's Blessing" before the start of school. He gave me one along with the kiddos and while the details are saved for the crew that was there together, I will say this: the feeling of love and light was abundant in the room. I don't remember where I heard this, but one thing I've tried to make a habit of is to take a few moments shortly afterward (relatively - in this instance it was after everyone went to bed) to write down the experience and any thoughts that come to mind. So much wisdom to bottle up.

Love you, summer!

Summer Recap

Man.  Summer.  Flew.  By.  

I've posted about our summer trips (which were fantastic!).  But, for my own memories and reflection, I'm posting on the rest of the time.

Sure, I have those times (usually at the grocery store, or when the house feels like it needs nothing more than a good cleaning when things are chaotically spread everywhere!) where I'm mentally excited for the back to school schedule.  But, admittedly, I try to squeeze out as much as I can with these guys.

I posted what the plan for summer was here.

Taking Trips:

With the adventures, we did lots of trips that I realized I never took pictures of.  At the time, I really wanted to just be present and enjoy the moment.  Their smiling faces, little voices, and oodles of questions about it all was enough.  

Like our trips to the children's museum where the kids held pray mantis, beetles, and stick bugs.  Learned about rockets, ginormous bubbles and lightning.  Or when they threw paint all over the paper like Jackson Pollock.  Tayler couldn't get enough of the pipe-air-ball exhibit.  Or pushing the little grocery cart around the store.  I loved it.  

Or the trips to the zoo where the animals were super LOUD.  Or our impromptu guided tour through the dinosaur exhibit by a local expert who was so happy to share all he knew about the unique dinosaurs.  Or when Alexis was so excited when we finally rode the train (she loves trains!).  

Or the trips to the library.  And how Tayler refused the stroller and decided it was a better idea to take all the books of the shelves as fast as possible.  Crazy?  Yes, but so funny to watch her effort.

Or the pool.  And how much they love the water.  And how much I love the water (especially when it is hot and humid.  Oh wait, it's like that every day!).  

Daily Routine:

It was great having a morning routine.  Where they'd get their "morning work" (reading, writing, math) done first thing.  How lots of reminders the first couple of weeks trickled into a sense of routine for them a couple weeks later, and then progressed into a flow.  How Max is completely motivated by charts and big goals while Alexis is so happy just to have a chance to practice writing.  So funny.

The summer goals.  Fun to see the overall progress.  Did they do everything?  Nope.  But they made progress and were able feel the sense of accomplishment for the ones they did cross off.

One of my favorite parts of the day (sorry Tayler) was right after I put Tayler down for a nap.  Sitting on the couch and reading.  Sure, it was often just 15 minutes where I'd get to listen to Max read to me and his sister (sometimes 20 if I was lucky), but it turned into one of the favorite parts of the day.

Oodles of bike rides and evening walks.  I loved the summer experiments at home, like making tornados, or volcanoes.  

My summer goals:

Getting the kids to actually help me organize a few things around the house was definitely a slower process than what I'd expected.  At the beginning of summer, I had a list of organizing projects I wanted to get through at home.  We didn't even get through half.  But, hey, I do feel good that we made the progress we did (in lieu of nothing!).

I think I try to cherish these moments so much because I know all of my kids still really enjoy them.  I hate to think of when they will "outgrow" these things, or want to hang with friends instead of their mom.  Of course, all times and seasons come, but man, I wish I could hold onto this one a bit longer sometimes!

There's a quote that I heard in a yoga training once (I have no idea who originally said it!), but I use it often when teaching:

"Don't waste this moment thinking about the next one."

It's simple, but I think totally applies to how I tried to keep things in perspective this summer.  Sure, I felt tired, exhausted and completely behind in pretty much every aspect of my life.  And sure, I had plenty of moments where I thought "I can't wait until..."or "this would be easier if they could..." or moments where I just wanted to fly off the handle.  

But, looking back, I really had (and have) so much gratitude for it all.  The ups and the downs.  Because taking time to reflect on what really did happen solidifies yet another moment of progress.  

While I don't have many pictures to show for it, I do have moments that were enjoyed.  And that's what matters most.

                                               

Summer Has Arrived

And we're in full swing.  I'd love to write more about these awesome links below, but today time just won't allow it.  In short, a couple summers ago, I had a vision in my head of what I wanted summer to feel like for me and the kids.  And I tried to create it.  A couple weeks into it, I was burnt out trying to come up with everything and new ideas all on my own.

I needed to simplify. And do what is so handy in this day and age - to look online to see if someone else had the same vision, and explained what worked for them.

While I'd love to take credit for thinking up something cool, I have nothing to own.  All I can offer is it made last summer super fun, and the two weeks that we are into this one are going well too.  They feel like they have direction.  I feel like I have direction.  It's so nice.

Since this has been the topic of conversation with a few moms and myself around here, I thought I'd share them on one spot.  If you're interested, or have more questions, feel free to comment or email me and I'll give you more info.  Maybe someday I'll post about it too.  But for now, at least you have the links.

Summer Learning Adventure Camp Kit

This will be our third summer with this link below, and it's been fun!

Summer Goals

And, I'd love to hear what you do.  Anything you love?!?

Trip Prep

Our summer vacation this year was a trip to Utah. It was our first time going back in a little over a year, and were excited to see family. This trip took a lot of prep work on my end, as we decided to d.r.i.v.e. with the kids and Kermit, 20 hours each way (splitting up into 2 10's) for a variety of reasons:

1- We wanted to take Kermit
2- I needed my brake rotors and pads replaced. Mike's dad has ALL of the tools to do this at home, and we knew we'd save a huge chunk of change if the two of them could crank it out one night.
3- Did a cost comparison and not only would we save on #2, realized we'd save more than a bundle if we didn't board the dog and didn't fly.
4- The reflective-looking-for-teaching-opportunities-parent in me thought it'd be a good chance for the kids to realize that things don't just immediately appear. What better way to instill the lesson of patience than to buckle them in their car seats for two days. Of course, the deal-with-the-reality-parent in me really wondered how this would actually turn out.
5- We're a bit crazy.

So funny to hear people's reactions when I'd mention that we were planning to drive to Utah. I'd get strong opinions that it wasn't possible to expect a 5 year old and 2 year old to handle life in the car for 2 entire days (4 if you add in the drive back). Or, I'd get the complete opposite from other people who do the same thing for the same reasons, and actually find it pretty doable (okay, most of those people are in our ward. And, they were all pretty much making the same drive. to Utah. Oddly, either the same time frame or overlapping the same time we were going.)

This was our first time doing the long car trip thing with the kids. Put together all kinds of games, books, snacks, what to pack, etc. I made too many lists, thought of way too many scenarios, and overall probably just spent too much time on the prep work. Probably because I was expecting the worst, and was, for the most part, dreading the unknown. Oh, and maybe I dreaded it because of the constant pit of nausea I'd knew I'd have the whole drive.

But, in the course of the prep work, I decided to create a teaching opportunity for Max. He's been talking about how he wants a transformer for AGES. And, we're pretty big sticklers on the nothing new unless it's your birthday or Christmas kind of thing, so I'd just been telling him he'd have to put it on his Christmas list for ages.

But then I thought this would be a great opportunity for him to earn his own toy. Wanting to avoid allowance, and scheduled "give me money because I did what I always do" entitlement attitude, I found this great idea on another blog to have him earn his money one extra chore at a time. Combined it with another great idea I heard from another mom, and voila he was on his way to earning himself a new toy for the drive to Utah.

So, just like you'd have someone earn extra credit in school, or give salespeople opportunities to add onto their base salary via commission, Max had the chance to earn his way to the transformer. All of his regular chores would not count towards anything. Those are things to do because things just need to get done. But, for every "extra" job he'd earn one box. One box = 10 cents. Maximum number of boxes to earn would give him a full $20 to spend, just about what he'd need for the transformer he'd had his eye on.

He'd have a little over a month, and I told him that when the month was up, he could take whatever he earned and head to the store with it. If he worked hard, we'd head to the store with transformers. If he didn't work hard, we'd go to the dollar store.

Talk about motivation for this kid. He worked his tail off, and was so happy to earn this. On his own. Fulfilling for me to have the "see how much work it takes to get something" talk, and for him to actually understand what I was saying.
Alexis even caught the action and earned herself a beautiful bracelet.