and the summer days go by...

Today, out and about with Sonja K., Kathryn Grace, Evelyn Joy, Suzanne Eleanor, and Camille and Charlotte Claire.

Camille and Char....

Miss Cam begged for these heels. She did not get them.

She did get a china tea set, a pretty dress to play dress-up in, and a doll high chair. Evelyn and I found two pair of Birkenstock shoes for $2.49 each, and yes, they fit! She also found pink Timberland boots. They found t-shirts to DIY (Do It Yourself), jeans to cut into shorts. I don't know if they realize the racket they make, laughing about 80's shirts and trying to put pink camo sweatpants and Rudolph overalls into my cart.

The grocery store is always fun with these girls. I have been threatening to get Emily an ugly yard ornament now that she has a nice yard, and today I found one! It is a snail with a solar light! It was 75% off....I just had to. So I did.

The pool was wonderfully warm when we finally got in it this afternoon. We had to put away the groceries, and I had to switch laundry, and clean up a thing or two....

Mali came over for a visit, she started her first official job as a registered nurse. She is still in orientation, but she really likes the hospital.

The older kids went to play practice, the younger girls are here reading their American Girl books and eating Cheese Nips. I have been looking at vacuum cleaners on ebay. My Dyson has a broken hose, and ouch, the genuine parts are so expensive! I bought a Shark canister vac for $89 a few months ago, it is junk. The hose broke after two weeks, and yeah, I lost the receipt. I bought a Eureka last week at Walmart for $72, and it stopped working already. Just turned off when Marg was vacuuming the stairs. I could not figure out why, nothing is stuck in it or anything. Anyway, I want my Dyson back, all these junky vacuums just don't work.

Summer time is unbelievably wonderful. I love the unstructure of it. What?! Unstructure is not a word? Hmpph. It should be. Anyway, I love that I can be home with these guys and talk and listen and just spend the days with them. We clean up, we float in the pool, we make meals, we read books, they play games and watch movies and mow the lawn and weed the garden, and float in the pool again.

Tomorrow I am going on an adventure!!! An overnight getaway with some of my church friends, ladies whom have been my dearest and closet friends for years and years and years. We have a suite booked at a hotel in the city, which includes an evening reception with snacks, and a full made-to-order breakfast and buffet. We go in the hot tub, and swim a bit, and of course we will behave ourselves, but we will certainly have fun!

Then Friday, another baseball game for me to work. Saturday, we are going to the beach!

Sometimes I re-read my posts and think What A Lovely Life. It's true, I have been blessed. But. I have teenagers who know much more than I do, a house that never gets spotless, and countless things on my to-do list. Vehicles that need inspections, windows that need replacing, phone calls and things that need to be organized. I have filed my intent to homeschool next year, and sent out the kids' report cards for their last quarter. But, I have to get busy with their IHIPs, and and and. There is much to do, and life is busy. Just so you know:)