Y’all. It is hard to come back from vacation. This week has been hard. HARD. We jumped right into summer camps and appointments and stuff. So much stuff. We have 27 more days of summer vacation. I plan to make the best of them. 

1. We spent most of last weekend at the pool in between thunder storms. I’m so impressed with how well Zoey has been swimming this summer. She used a puddle jumper float last summer even though technically she could swim- she just wasn’t comfortable enough to swim without it all the time. This year she has turned into a little fish. She can swim the entire length of the pool by herself and is counting down the days until she’s age eligible for swim team next summer. Mason is going to do swim team with her next year so that will be fun! 

2. One of the biggest blessings that came from Tyler getting into his charter school last year has been the friends I have made. One of those friends happens to be the music teacher for the elementary grades and her daughter is Zoey’s best friend. So she took Zoey with her to the piano lab camp and the show choir camp at the school this week. Zoey has had the best time. She can already play a couple of songs on the piano! Plus she got to make some new friends before school starts!

3. Speaking of charter schools, we finally got the call that Maia has a confirmed spot with the other kids. I’ll have all 4 kids in one school next year. I’m still in shock! We are the only family to get 3 kids in to the school via the sibling lottery in years. We totally should play the mega millions! So I washed all of her uniforms from her old charter school and got them sold this week so I can order her new uniforms for her new school. This week has been a whirlwind. I had to get Maia signed up for volleyball skills camp because tryouts are the first week of August! I had her sports physical scheduled that week but had to get it moved up. It’s been pure crazy. But so worth it!

4. We also went for Maia’s third orthodontist consult this week. She gets braces started on August 3rd. We loved this office and decided to go ahead with his plan. Maia has severe crowding with a crossbite on one side that is affecting the alignment of her jaw. She’ll be in braces for 3 years and we’re going to be poor. But this office does 0% financing for 20 months with a $800 down payment making it only $168 per month. I downloaded a 25 meals to make with ramen noodles cookbook in preparation. Ha! 

5. With our week being so busy we didn’t get to spend long hours at the pool so I settled for long soaks in the hot tub during the day. But I had to cool it down because hello 98 degrees outside. So it’s more like a lukewarm tub right now….feels just like the pool water. 

We had a great week celebrating the 4th of July! Matt was home for most of the week due to the holiday and because we’re getting ready to go on vacation. Actually by the time you’re reading this we’ll be halfway to our destination…hopefully!

1. We spent pretty much the entire weekend at the pool. Matt swam with the kids, I read books, and occasionally got in to cool down. The best part about having big kids? They don’t want to be entertained in the pool. They entertain each other. Other than the occasional “hey mom, watch this” they pretty much ignore me. It’s awesome. 

2. Maia wants to be a vet when she grows up and she has a real touch with animals. These geese love her. They follow her from one end of the pool deck to the other everytime we are there. This time one of the geese was doing some weird yoga poses on one leg and every time it raised it’s leg the goose next to it knocked it over. It was hilarious! We had way too much fun watching those geese. 

3. We had a fantastic 4th of July! We swam at the pool, we grilled delicious food, we watched a movie, we lounged in the hot tub, and then watched fireworks before the storms rolled in. It was just a fun family day. 

4. It stormed nearly every afternoon this week so we had to hit the pool in between the storms. You can see the storm clouds rolling in the sky in this picture. I think we heard thunder about 3.4 seconds after these two hit the water. But this is what summer should be- long days at the pool with no plans and no schedules. Perfection. 

5. I spent the week packing for our trip. We’re heading to New York for 4 days for a family reunion and it takes some serious planning to pack for 6 people. All the laundry, the outfit planning, the extra stuff…it takes work. But I managed to condense all of our stuff into 2 suitcases. So basically I’m a superhero. 

Hope you all had a great holiday week with family and friends!

I can’t believe that tomorrow is the first day of July. NO WAY! Slow down summer! I need it to last longer! I’m not ready to do back to the real world with alarm clocks, and schedules, and homework. I’m not ready! I need summer to last at least 4 months. Can we make that happen, people? We should start a petition. I’ll get right on that….as soon as I get back from the pool and finish my margarita. 

1. We’ve had about 12 days straight of rain, rain, rain and thunderstorms. So we didn’t get to go to the pool very much. The kids have made up for it by swimming in the hot tub in between the rain and storms. These two have had the best time together- playing games and pretending to snorkel for plastic fish. I love the relationship they’re developing together as they get older. 

2. Well it was bound to happen. Tyler had his first incident in his car. He was coming home from basketball practice and a tire fell off the back of the truck in front of him. He couldn’t stop in time and couldn’t swerve into the other lane because of an oncoming car. So he had to swerve off the side of the road and he hit a recycling bin. The recycling bin did not survive. The car isn’t too badly damaged- a few dents, the headlight cover is cracked, and the fog light is messed up. But it could’ve been worse. And other than being a little shaken up, Tyler is fine. Lessons learned. 

3. Zoey got to have a fun playdate with her bestie this week at our local children’s play museum. She loves this place so much. They spent hours pretending to drive race cars, ride whales, shop the supermarket, and make art creations. This place is amazing and they could’ve spent hours longer there if they hadn’t gotten hungry. Ha! I love watching her play with her friends. They’re so cute together. 

4. Maia had her consult with the orthodontist this week. She needs a lot of work. She has a crossbite with crowding and it’s going to take some serious work to get her teeth fixed. And to make it more fun- apparently our orthodontic insurance coverage lapsed on 12/31/16 according to the insurance company. But we’re still paying it every month like we have for the last 10 years. Why? Why does this happen to me? I put Matt in charge of figuring that crap out because I have neither the time nor the patience to deal with those idiots. I’m going to be seriously angry if we have to wait a whole year before getting her started with braces. Insert mad face emoji here. 

5. The rain finally cleared up mid-week and we were able to hit the pool again. The kids jumped into that water like it had been a year away from it. Ha! They love to swim. I love to lounge pool side in the sunshine and sip a margarita while reading a new book. This is my happy place. Please slow down summer. I love you so much. 

Have I mentioned a time or twelve that I love summer? Because I really really love summer. I joked on Instagram earlier that most of my images will consist of the same scene- me sitting at the pool with a book while my kids swim. We had a very laid back relaxing week, which is exactly what summer should be in my opinion. 

1. My sister brought my adorable nephew over to swim and we had a blast. Well, most of us had a blast. Mason was less than pleased that he had to hang out around the steps to play because my nephew cannot swim yet and he’s over the weight limit for his puddle jumper. Ha! But it was a good time and I got to hang out with my sister and talk to an actual adult!

2. There wasn’t anything specific that Matt wanted to do for Fathers Day this year. He didn’t want to go anywhere and he didn’t want any gifts. He really just wanted a relaxing day. So that’s what we did. We let him sleep in, then we spent hours at the pool, then lounged in the hot tub before Matt grilled delicious pork chops for dinner. Then we did more nighttime hot tub lounging with wine and binge watched Beachfront Bargain Hunt. Our dream is to one day live on the beach so this show is our jam. It was a great day.

3. Tyler just started his very last month of Accutane! He had bloodwork done earlier in the week and saw his dermatologist a couple of days later. She is so pleased with his progress and he probably will not need to do another 6 month course. He is so ready to be done with this journey. He has a lot of scarring on his back so we’ll go back in 6 months to talk about how/when/if to do anything about it. I happened to catch him mid-yawn at the dermatologist office. Ha! He had a friend sleep over the night before and they played video games until 5am, then he had to leave for morning football at 7am so he got no sleep at all before his appointment. Then he had to go back for afternoon football practice. He was TIRED and CRANKY when he got home. Teenagers. 

4. I don’t know why I make rules around here. I have a strict no dogs on the furniture policy and that includes the brand new outdoor furniture. Nobody listens. I find dogs on the furniture all the time now. Blatant disrespect. But they’re so cute, how do you say no and shoo them back to the floor? I just can’t do it. 

5. I made the best 7 layer taco salad for dinner the other night. I’d been craving taco salad and I finally made one. It was delicious and I’ll be sharing the recipe soon because it is too good not to be shared. The kids, who normally grumble about why can’t I just make tacos without the salad part, ate every single bite! 

We had a busy, fun week. I can’t believe we’re already done with week 2 of summer break. NOOOOOO! Slow down time, slow down!