Summer is flying by, and we have kept very busy. We bought a cheap blow-up swimming pool for the kids, and who knew that it would be such a hit. Hours of entertainment, all for about 25 bucks! It has sprung a few leaks, so now we have to keep the air pump handy and help it out when it goes flat. All of the kids love swimming and stick their heads right under the water...even Christian. I think that he actually stays down the longest of all 3 (enough to scare me sometimes!)
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| Sun-bathing! |
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| In the blow-up swimming pool |
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| All ready to go to church...now try not to get dirty!! |
We took a little mini-vacation in the beginning of July and rented a cabin for a few nights. We took the kids fishing, swimming (of course!), and our cabin had bunk-beds and a pull out sofa bed. The biggest hit of the trip turned out to be searching for and catching crayfish. Who would have known? It was our first over-night adventure away from home since we came home in March, so it was kind of a big experiment. The kids did very well, and we hope that this is the first of many camping trips to come.
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| Christian's first smore |
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| Fishing on "Secret" Lake |
After we got home from camping, I (Nicole) became very sick...fever up to 103 degrees, chills, muscle aches, headache, the pits. Turns out I was bitten by a tick infected with ehrlichiosis, and came down with the nasty bug myself. We are so fortunate and grateful that my mom was able to come up at the drop of a hat to help out with the kids. I got some antibiotics, stayed in bed for a couple of days and made a very slow rebound. I think that I ate only crackers and tea for about 2 weeks. Just today, the kids congratulated me on being able to eat a "normal" lunch and dinner. Good grief!
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| Helping Abuela look beautiful |
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| I am cute! |
The gardens are growing like crazy, as are the ninos. The kids are so excited to help out in the garden, and we have all learned the saying "don't step in it". Of course this comes in handy for vegetables, as well as poop. For some strange reason, the kids love looking around the yard for poop...dog-poop, chicken-poop, deer-poop, rabbit-poop, you name it. They then stand next to the pile and say "Poop! Poop! Don't step in it!"
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| The potato garden |
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| Me: "Christian, where are you going?" Christian: "Booper Bun!" (Super One, our favorite grocery store) |
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| In the garden...don't step in it! |
My mom got me back on my feet, and headed back for home. A few short days later, we traveled to my parents' cottage for another mini-vacation. The kids got to visit with Abuelo and Abuela, Tia Vicki, Tia Chrissy and Tio Roberto (Rob, for those of you who know him...but we had to give him a Latin flair for the kids!).
Santiago found a little stray kitten that had been roaming the neighborhood, and worked his magic. He is so patient, and spent a very long time coaxing the kitten to come out of hiding and trust him. After only one day, Santiago was able to carry the kitten around like a little baby. The kitten (he named her Jesse) let Santiago carry her around for hours and she was just loving it. Jesse liked Santiago so much that she wouldn't leave, and spent the whole trip following him around. It was very hard for Santi to say goodbye to his new little friend, but we were so happy to find out that she has found a family to live with.
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| Santiago, taming the wild kitten at my parents cottage |
Since we were all together, we decided to celebrate Juan's 7th birthday. His birthday isn't for a few weeks, but we all love an excuse to have a party and eat cake...right?! The party was a surprise, and Juan was so excited to about his cake and to open presents. The surprise (and the extra sugar) took their toll though, as we ended up with 3 over-stimulated, over-tired-but-jacked-up-on-frosting little boys. We have always known that routine is good for our kids, but it still amazes us how much the kids behavior can change when too many new and exciting things are going on around them. An early bed-time and a nap the following day did wonders to get us back on the right track though. One very encouraging aspect about these kind of situations though, is that now we know our boys well enough to spot when they need to have some quiet time, and we are experienced enough now to know when to pull the plug on all of the excitement. Thank God for progress!!
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| Juan with his birthday cake |
Summer is flying by, and the kids are getting very excited to start school in the fall. We will probably try to pack in a few more fun excursions before then though.
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