Summer Sampler

I feel like I've lost my bloggy indentity. Am I funny blogger? Spiritual blogger? Inspiring blogger? Blogger with cute kids? I'm just not feeling very bloggy at all, actually. It seems like there's not much point, but I can't bear to ditch something I've put so much time into and had such hopes for. So I'll press on...

Summer is in full swing here. We pretty much have the best summers ever since Chris is a teacher. My kids just can't get it through their heads that some people still have to go to work, even in the summer. I'm so spoiled having Chris here day in and day out and I find myself dreading the day when he actually has to go to a real job and I'm left here to try and figure out how to get my hair washed and get somewhere on time with two little ones all by myself. Spoiled.

There have been so many things going on around here, I'm going to have to make a list. It's the only way my brain can handle it all.

1. Sam is a baby on the go. My sweet, snuggly, put him in one spot and he doesn't move baby is GONE. How is it possible for them to go from tiny, helpless newborn to watch out world, wild man is here overnight? And how do they instinctively know what they shouldn't mess with? Shall I play with the 1.3 million toys available to me throughout the house or the electrical cord to the cordless phone? I'll take option #2, please. My life has been reduced to chasing around this very wobbly yet fearless kid while trying to get something done in between his antics. Needless to say, I'm getting nothing done.

2. We went to our vacation home over the Fourth of July weekend. Oh, you didn't know we had a lake house? Chris' parents are just nice enough to live there and take care of it for us while we're here living our busy lives. My parents and brother and sis-in-law came up as well, and we ate and swam and jet-skied until the cows came home. My mother-in-law spoils us like crazy. It's easy to see why we could spend 57 days there, and my kids still wouldn't want to leave. Boat, jet-ski, badminton, swimming, rope swing, endless food and candy, games, movies. It's a kid's version of heaven on earth. What am I saying? It's most people's version of heaven on earth...except for the people who actually live there and have to clean up our mess after we leave. I'm pretty sure it's worth it to them, too, though. Pictures to follow. Because I love to make people jealous.

3. Last week, the electricity to our deep freezer messed up and we came home to gobs of thawed meat. I was pretty upset about it until the timing belt on Chris's truck broke which, for all of you non-car people, is a big deal. The $25 worth of chicken didn't seem so bad. And just when I was regaining my perspective on the whole car situation, we realized there was a slow leak under our toilet. And it was the water leaving the toilet. Disgusting. So, we have new chicken, a new timing belt (but thank the Lord, not a new engine), and a new tile floor and hopefully non-leaking toilet in the kids' bathroom. What's not to love about new? Oh, right. The bill.

4. Maddie is heading to church camp on Sunday. Did I just really type that sentence? How old am I? This is her first time to go to camp, and she would totally back out of it if I'd let her. She's worried about getting homesick. I keep brushing it off and telling her she's being silly and this will be the most awesome time ever. I haven't felt it necessary to share with her that I never would have gone to camp because I would have balled my eyes out and made my parents come get me. And I have this thing with sheets and bathrooms that aren't my own. But I'm sure she'll have the time of her life, right?

5. Speaking of balling my eyes out, I balled my eyes out last week. For me, that's news, because it just doesn't happen that often. I'm a yeller, not a cryer, but my emotions and hormones got the best of me. What could possibly have happened to send me into such an emotional tailspin, you ask? The death of a loved one? The plight of orphans? The melting polar icecaps? A week at summer camp? No, my friends. It was much bigger than that. It could be nothing other than lactation problems. Hey, when your last baby goes straight from infant to crazy almost-toddler in a week, gets four new teeth, and starts doing algebra, you tend to get a little nostalgic. Then when you wake up one morning and it seems the only thing you have left as mommy of a little baby is drying up on you, things can get a little teary. But just when I'd come close to peace about the whole thing and vowed to move on with my milkless life, it reappeared. We're back in business, and now all of you can rest easy. Or at least Sam can.

6. We got our first sunburns of the season yesterday after spending five hours at the pool. Yes, Sam now has a tan. If you're wondering, babies look weird with a tan. This has taught me one thing. When we go to the beach in a few weeks, I'm going to have to make a chart to keep up with all of our sunscreen application and reapplication needs. It's a good thing Sam's doing algebra now. We're going to need all the help we can get figuring this out. Cause if there's one memory that's seared into my brain, it's the sunburn I had a few years ago at the beach. The nausea and hours spent lying in bed all night dealing with the certainty that my legs were actually on fire is something I never want to relive. So, I will be going by the name Sunscreen Nazi during our entire trip. If any of you want to come along and be in charge of the screening from the sun, you can have the sleeper sofa.

I am now going to go and attempt to reclaim my title as Yahtzee Champion which Chris stole from me last night with a Yahtzee followed by a Yahtzee bonus. The agony of defeat is still fresh, but I must persevere. No matter the outcome, though, there is really good cake in my future...a girly lunch tomorrow at a place with fabulous cake and then a wedding on Saturday. So, whether I'm using the cake to celebrate victory or drown my sorrows, it'll all be good. I'll have my cake, and I'll definitely eat it, too!