One of the best things about summer for me are the slower mornings, time to just linger. And cuddle. :)
We celebrated Ethan's 19th birthday all weekend long, as has become something of a fun tradition. Having a summer birthday definitely makes this easier, and I feel a little bad for the others with winter and early spring birthdays where our outdoor options are pretty limited.
We surprised him at work with goodies - cannoli!!- and some cupcakes for his coworkers. That was a lot of fun...and it was HOT! So we went straight from there to the beach!
Hola from the ocean!
Witnessing this little boy turn into a full fledged toddler right before my eyes. His vocabulary is limitless, which is awesome EXCEPT when big brothers think they're sooo hilarious getting him to mimic naughty words. He loves to swing, jump- even though his little feet don't quite leave the ground-, read stories, and dance. His obsession with all things trucks and tractors grows by the day. One of my very favorite things was when he started grabbing a bag to carry, would start to leave the room and turn around to call out to me, " Bye bye, Mama. Have a good day. See you ya-ter. Have good day at workin'." Oh this boy.
Levi loves checking on garden progress with me. Sometimes clothed, sometimes not, ha ha ha.
Beach days! Well you really can't get any better than beach days, right? This summer was SO (too) hot, we had more than our fair share of fun in the sun.
Family fun days...okay, so maybe that is my VERY favorite. With Ethan about to leave for college, we have been super intentional about our remaining days together. This past week and weekend were jam-packed. They deserve a post all their own. :)
I don't think I'm surprising anybody when I say that motherhood is hard. It is hard. But those precious moments when you overhear one sibling encouraging another, or a big brother or sister stopping everything to let Levi climb in their lap and read a story, or walking into the kitchen and seeing Levi on a chair by the counter with Ethan right beside him, cooking up something yummy, big grown up boys who would never admit to laying around on the couch with their legs draped over Isabelle so she can scratch or rub them...all these things and more I'm trying to store up in my heart and mind.
Edited to add: of course, right at this exact moment, Levi just started screeching after yet another 45-minute nap. Awesome. He is not definitely NOT ready to give up naps, and I am definitely not ready, either.
Aaaand it's early the next morning, ha! Admittedly, I've got lots more photos still on my phone, so I'll add those in later, or write a separate post, but it feels good to finally record
something on here again. :) Have the best day! I'll post some pics on IG if you want to see what we're up to today, and then the BIG day is tomorrow!!
