Random photos from a busy summer

 

We made art with frozen cubes of paint in the backyard. Butterfly wings, just because.

Baby K observes, ping pong ball in hand (and mouth).

Ta-dah!

We created some chalk roads for a town made up of buildings that Fletcher made at camp.

Here you can see Mama Hedgehog driving her minivan to the Frost building. The hedgehogs do enjoy their outings.

 

And then on to the capitol!

Cute baby in a rainbow outfit. Why not?

And more.



Big brother, way back when.

Still cute, still happy.

 
This happened at naptime one day. It's a phenomenon called "Car World". No, not a lot of napping happened that day.

Terriers are a girl's best friend

The best thing ever found on the internet: ivory soap in the microwave, at full power for three minutes. It's like a puffy, scented cloud that you can hold.

Awe-some!

Louisa and her pal Thatcher (five months her junior) size each other up

Louisa vs Thatcher,  Round 1

I think we know who won this one, don't we?

 We took G-Doll to Boggy Creek Farm.

We were chased away from (okay, "encouraged to leave") the tractors right after this, but it was so worth it.

We've had weekly "ride around the park until you collapse in exhaustion" dates with a good friend. These wear Fletcher out so thoroughly that he once asked me, as we drove home afterwards: "Mama, does it look like it's getting dark to you? I think it must be almost
 time for bed." It was noon.
 Please take a moment to admire Fletcher's bike. We've tricked it out with a bell on one handlebar and a sparkly streamer on the other.

Louisa vs Thatcher, Round Two

We decided that it was stripey shirt day.

Happy Stripey Shirt Day, everyone!

Swinging at the Park

We had a cold snap today (90 degrees and cloudy!), so the kids and I went to the park in the afternoon, which we haven't done in months.

This baby loves to swing.

Better than just plain swinging? Swinging while watching Brother....

...as he runs in imaginary races, trying to feel his own heartbeat.

Hooray for cool(er) weather!

At Swim School

This summer, Fletcher attended the same swim school that he did last year - the one that disappointed him by not having a school bus. He loves everything else about it, so I guess it worked out well in the end.

Doing "spider walk", a safety drill.

Telling his teacher a story while preparing for "humpty dumpty" diving practice.

Finding toys at Froggy's house.

He is always first on the slide - always.

 "Did you see me fly through the air, Mama?".

Meanwhile, Loulou and I hang out in the yard and try to keep cool. It's been in the low 100's this week. You can watch the swimmers from behind a fence, but baby sister likes to chew on the splintery wood more than I would like her to, so we spend most of our time in the shade, sweating.

 

 

Sipping ice water helps.

 

Don't all swim schools have tree houses?

Don't all swim schools have jerry-rigged, very high slides?

A medal! Another participation medal for his collection, and eventually, for the Christmas tree. And of course: The Tootsie Pop.

"This lollipop is my friend. Until I eat it."

Fletcher loved swim school so much and made such great progress that we signed him up for another two week session. That means we had two more weeks of...

...underwater swimming (or as they call it at school, "hiding from the flying monkeys")...

... "diving"...

...and sliding, this time off the big slide.

It also means two more weeks of keeping Louisa cool in the yard....

...and most important, a new medal!!!

Ha. Yeah, just kidding. It's all about the Tootsie Pop.

 It's giant.

And it's sugary.

It's not something Mama and Daddy usually allow.

Did I mention that this particular Tootsie Pop was chocolate flavored?

And that it has chocolate inside?

Yes, sir, it was a fine Tootsie Pop indeed.