Although it's not officially summer until tomorrow, we've fallen into our slow and sweet summertime routine pretty easy around here. I love our rhythm so much. I've been running in the early morning hours and have found so much joy in starting my day that way. We get our morning jobs done early, gather for breakfast around the island at 8, then do chores together after that. Even that has been fun having my little sidekicks around to help! Mila is especially enjoying being mommy's little helper lately and it's so fun to do these often mundane tasks with her. From cleaning the bathroom to vacuuming underneath the couch cushions, she's pretty much game for anything. We've visited the library more than anywhere, but we have beat this heat streak with some long afternoons at the Falls. The cul de sac is bustling with kids every day, the garden is thriving more than any summer yet, I've got a freezer full of fresh strawberry jam for the year, and we've eaten our fair share of freezy pops, quite a few of them on the trampoline. And today, we're getting a new basketball hoop, a big purchase Cruz kid is very excited about, especially before his very first sleepover tomorrow night!
This summer has brought a slower pace and so many opportunities to sit back and enjoy this stage of life, but the past two weeks have brought a lot of yuck, too. I attended the visitation of a young six year old boy last night, have been praying for a young family battling a hard cancer diagnosis, and we've spent a good amount of time in the dentist office after discovering Mila's front tooth will likely have to be pulled. These things bring about feelings that can easily surface for me, fear and worry and doubt, and it's easy to let them consume me. But that is not how God desires for me to respond. He wants me to feel, yes, but he wants me to see and respond and love people through it. I'm reminded in times like these that we were put on this earth for others - to be light and love well right where we're planted, and then to trust God with the rest. And when I truly lean in to that truth, that's when I feel the most free.
And when you feel free, everything carries an extra spark of beauty it seems. We left the funeral home last night and the biggest, brightest rainbow I've ever seen was painted in the sky right above that little town. And as we drove west on Hwy. 20, it looked like Heaven was literally bursting open in the sky. I got home and the kids were at the kitchen table drawing pictures with Beau, Mila in her purple flowered nightgown and Cruz drawing a new character, "Dude" to add to he and Beau's comic. I crawled in Cruz's bed, read him Harry Potter, and then he asked me to clip his toenails. From the big, beautiful signs of creation, to the smallest of tasks that remind me who I am and who I'm called to be, God works through the big and small, the sunshine and the rainstorms, to reveal His good to us.
Some good things I've recorded this month...
697. A night with the Waterloo Bucks. It was a school night, so Beau and I did not have intentions of staying through the game. Cruz thought otherwise and put up a fight when we tried to leave after the 7th inning stretch. He had brought a baseball along and was looking forward to getting some autographs and running the bases after the game. So Beau took him and Mila down to the bullpen and nudged them to go ask the pitchers for theirs. It was the cutest thing watching them sign his ball, lean back to talk to them, and give high fives or fist bumps as they passed. And even cuter to see how speechless and nervous my outgoing little fans were!
698. The last week of school walks to the bus. We walked to the bus stop every day the last week of school and the weather was just beautiful. Looking forward to lots more walks next year, only this time right up to school!
699. A few special days with just Mila. She was done with her school year before her brother, and it was fun to have some one-on-one time with just her. We ate lunch on the porch, ran lots of errands, and played pretend in the fairy garden on the back deck.
700. National Donut Day, aka, any excuse to buy a box of donuts.
701. This cul de sac full of kids has been such a blessing. They're the boys of summer - they live outside without shirts on, bounce from the trampoline to the basketball hoop to some nerf gun escapade, and they mostly get along great. Cruz loves nothing more than being outside with his gang and I know these easy days will be some of the best memories of his growing up years. And porch margaritas with their mamas will be some of mine. :)
702. My little chore helper. A year ago, when I asked Mila to help with anything a fit would ensue, but this summer she's proven to be my best little helper. She asked to help me clean the bathroom the other day, and yesterday, she watered all the plants, even cleaning up overspills with a big roll of paper towels she got herself. Just think how much we'll be able to get accomplished when they're teenagers!
703. Summer days at the library. I love this year's summer reading program theme and our weekly trips to the library. For every fifteen minutes they read, they color in one music note on a bookmark we keep on the fridge. Then every week, they turn in their bookmark and earn little colored beads to string on a chain. They earn charms for each visit, and get to pick out free books after their third and sixth visit. We do a different craft each week, Mila always finds quite the ensemble in the dress up corner, and then we retreat to a quiet space and read together.
This particular day, I caught Mila reading with some glasses she had brought along in her purse. She looked like a little librarian sitting there so proper!
704. A fun night at My Waterloo Days. We spread out a blanket, ate carnival food, and listened to Brad and Kate with some of our favorite girls. The kids were entertained for an hour thanks to some staff from the Waterloo Youth Pavilion, and we had a great time enjoying a beautiful summer night.
705. But my favorite part of the night was when Cruz and Mila decided to venture to the mosh pit to get up close with the Brazilian Twins. They shook their little hips, and giggled and bounced and had the time of their lives up there. And then they filed into a large train and Beau and I jumped in on the action, too!
706. The start of my summer blooms. I've got daisies coming out of my ears right now, and I'm convinced they really are the happiest of flowers.
707. One of my favorite afternoons of summer. We had spent a long and hot afternoon at the pool and all came home tired after a busy week. I sent the kids downstairs with a pile of books and got them all snuggled in our reading nook. And you know what I did? I snuggled upstairs on the porch and read my book for an hour in a quiet house. And thinking I had likely missed something adorable by then, I went downstairs to check and Cruz said Mila had fallen asleep and just woke up! No wonder they were so quiet!
708. An afternoon downtown, peeking in some shops, trying out new flavors of Scratch's edible cookie dough, and stopping traffic with our wild and silly ways.
709. A rainy morning and some imaginative play. When I organized my craft closet this spring, I labeled a box "Creativity Box" and used it to house lots of random things that didn't have a place anywhere else. Small puzzles, games, and art supplies, random sticker sheets, all those little odds and ends the kids bring home in party favor bags, etc. The kids were entertained for over an hour!
710. And another afternoon of Kiwi Crate fun. This little garden kit and barn with finger puppets was one of my favorite kits yet. And Cruz's stomp rocket was nearly as good as the Amazon kind!
711. A slow Sabbath Sunday right in the middle of a fantastic sermon series on rest. I took a nap on the front porch and came inside to this little scene. Beau wanted chocolate chip cookies and had an eager little sous chef.
712. Father's Day at Singlespeed in Waterloo. I love everything about this place. I love the old historical charm of this renovated Wonder Bread factory, the family-centered places to gather together, the constant collaborations with the community (like a beer and succulent-making night I can't wait to attend on Monday!), and of course, the food and beer selection. My big family gathered her for Father's Day and then let the kids run wild at the splash pad afterwards. We spent Mother's Day and Father's Day here this year!
Happy Thursday!
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