stuff and nonsense

My parents left. I'm sad. It was fun to have them here, to say the least. We've missed them!

One of the many things we did with my parents was go to the zoo. The kids love feeding the fish/ducks the very most. Carson cheers for the fish every time he tosses a piece of food into the water. Layla's convinced that all sunglasses help her to see underwater (thanks to Paul's teaching her about polarized shades), so she had to borrow mine (which are not polarized, but that didn't matter to her). Addie just reached her arm through the chain link fence and dropped handfuls of the food on the dirt, not even getting it close to the water.

 Layla generously (seriously...it was adorable) shared every last one of her many dimes with her brother and sister to fund Operation: Feed the (apparently) Starving Fish & Ducks. And...Nothing beats a picnic in the shade on a beautiful summer day.

Carson and my dad were special buddies--dad taught him how to fix a flat bike tire (or two), and they learned all about how dogs/coyotes/wolves point their tails differently when they run. Carson's very excited to know this. Because you just never know if your friend's family has been duped and their family pet is actually a WOLF...

We didn't do anything over-the-top crazy with my parents. But it was glorious to have them here for 3-4 days regardless. It's the little things that make a difference. Like my dad cleaning out our garage and van and mowing our lawn and planning our backyard makeover, my mom cutting out millions of denim squares so I can make picnic blankets and cleaning my washer/dryer and doing other stuff that I probably won't even realize but that make my life easier.

Love having the parentals back!! Thanks, dad & mom. Come again. :)

Also this summer, we've spent lots of time just hanging out. And eating peanut butter spoons. And sleeping in the tent in the backyard. And reading on a picnic blanket during naptime. And making deliciously imaginative messes in the basement. Life is crazy and tantrum-laden these days, but it is glorious.

Today, a very excited Addie announced, "Mom! I found an owie for my bandaid!!" Bandaids are hot commodities around here. I used to be a bandaid nazi and would only let my kids put them on if I saw blood. Is it a sign that I'm getting old and lazy that bandaid use is currently so frequent that they've become like accessories to the girls' daily ensembles? Yes? Okay. So be it. 

Man, I love summer.