Sweet Summertime

I thought about going back to my last blog and reading what I wrote so that I could catch the 28 of you up - but that would waste about 20 minutes which is my allotted time for blogging.  And generally I blog with my calendar in front of me so that I can try to remember our comings and goings, but that's not happening either.  But you know what is coming HManifold??? A home tour!!  Sort of...you'll get pictures of the rooms I have taken pictures of.  It is taking a while, because lets be honest, who in the world has a clean house all at one time?? Certainly not us.

But first...confessions.  And bullet lists.  Why not?

• On occasion BML is out of town, or has meetings in the evening that turn into happy hours that go well into the night - and while I miss him... I really love catching up on my liberal talk shows. Oh how I love The Rachel Maddow show.  It's true.  Sorry to disappoint some of you, but I just can't hold it in any longer.  I watched the one with Wendy Davis in Texas and the recent Supreme Court rulings.  I even shed a tear or two.  It was awesome.

• The kids carseats are disgusting.  How do they even get so gross?? What happens back there?  Most of the time I really don't think I want to know, and I know that it's my fault for basically throwing things back there at them so they won't fight each other.  And it doesn't help that everyone brings something into the car and I am the only one that takes anything out.

• Recently, lots of my people have been going on trips.  Which meant a couple weeks ago I headed to and from the airport kind of a lot.  I actually found myself really enjoying the trip - particularly the picking people up part - I love living in Florida for that reason, that I get to be my people's airport pickups instead of them always picking me up.  Plus the cell phone isn't a bad place to spend a quiet 20 minutes.  Once though I drove Aunt T's car and she had an Avett brothers CD in there - I am so rarely in tune with good music these days so P and I enjoyed the new tunes.

• We have been swimming A LOT.  My parents have a salt water pool now which I am pretty thankful for, otherwise my kids would have completely green hair.  And even little L is learning to swim...as in she jumps in by herself or just launches herself off of the steps so you better be ready to catch her - and P since he usually comes barreling in right behind her.  It's the only way to spend the hot hot afternoons this summer.  And popsicles - we eat a lot of popsicles.

• I recently read a book I think titled The Year of Biblical Womanhood - which I thought was pretty funny most of the time but it made several mentioned of another book Radical Homemaking.  This book was on my to-read list on my phone that I never access so I checked it out of the library one time. I returned it without coming even close to finishing it because I quickly realized that since I couldn't sew, didn't have the time, patience, or energy to grow all of my own food and then can it - among other things.  I did however, start making my own laundry detergent which mostly cleans our clothes when I remember to put them in the dryer (or else we walk around all week smelling of mildew...this has happened several times, its disgusting).  But I'm having a stain problem with the kids clothes...back to the drawing board....which means buying stain remover.  No biggie.  Trying to cut down on the budget you know.  

• I think little L would prefer to be raised by her Yay Yay.  She was most distraught when Yay Yay and Granddad were on vacation for a couple of weeks and were no where to be found when we went swimming.  When we picked them up from the airport both kids insisted Yay Yay sit in between their carseats and L hung on for dear life the whole ride home.  For the next several days she was hysterical whenever Yay Yay would leave...Don't go again Yay Yay! She's just getting used to having you back in town!

• I love summer.  Love summer.  I love the 4th of July.  I hope that FTD might blog a little about it - because while I can find the pictures, it'll take me forever but I'll try to include some here.  We are carrying on the neighborhood tradition of a parade - bring your own decorated float which consisted this year of strollers, radio flyers, bikes, & wagons.  We had grandparents, parents, kids, neighbors, aunts, & dogs all stopping traffic around the lake.  We ended the parade with popcorn, popsicles & capri suns - it was awesome.  It also was a looooooong time until fireworks.  Sweet L fell asleep in my arms that night which has never happened in her life.  Good times.

Thats all I have from here friends!  Just kidding.  I'm pregnant.  Yep, baby #3 is on the way!  Most of the 18 of you knew this already I think.  I'm due Jan. 2nd which makes me 16 weeks today I am pretty sure!  Yikes, its hard to keep track.  So probably the guest room which I will show you in a minute will give way to a new baby room, but for now we'll plan on keeping the little one in with us for a bit and then decide if the kids will share a room or if we'll wait on that for a little while.  I'm feeling pretty good these days, tired, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Everytime I ask P if he wants a brother or a sister he responds with "What's a brother?" and "Two, there's two of them!"  Needless to say, we are also now in the market for a new car....BML can't wait to be a minivan family.  I'm in denial about it - but come December I am sure there will be one in our driveway.

Lastly, pictures...because I am too tired to put them next to their bullet point and some may have nothing to do with this post at all...it is what it is...my babes and our house :)  Until next time...in September :)

The house:

Lovely Lucy's room:

Precious Peter's room:

The kitchen:

Living Room / TV / Playroom:

Desk wall :) :

"Sitting room" --> P calls it the talking place, just inside the front door

Kids bathroom:

Clearly we are missing the laundry room, guest room, master bed and bath.  Whoops.  Thought I took pictures, but I didn't.

And now pictures of what we have been up to the last few months!

L finding it difficult to ride in the grass that P pushed her into

7:15am.  It has been raining for 7 days.

T and P on a toddler walk

L being L

P loves water / sand  toys

P leading L gently through the overpass at the science center

silly face

loving our new sunglasses at yay yay and granddads

The last few are some of my favorites since they are of Uncle RBDIII visiting us in his helicopter!  Awesome adventure.

pictures from my phone:

L and her favorite friend Pax

Mr. Conductor is pumped about his train and the forest he built.

The water is freezing, but L will not be deterred.  We're at the Pancake House at Deleon Springs.

This is not a bad way to spend your afternoon.  

This, on the otherhand, is more strenuous.

and here, I've have basically given up for the day.  Look at how much fun they are having!

Some friends invited us to the beach for the day - it was overcast the whole time, but the kids didn't care a bit.

Pool time at the beach.

She does whatever he does - no matter what it is.

Hooray for the 4th of July!

Until next time!  But I promise, at least 2 more times before the baby arrives! :)  Side note: This actually did take me all day to write - so like all of my posts, I am not editing.  At all.  So there.