aaaahhhh summer.....aaaacccchh summer

Summer is half over and I have mixed feelings. Summertime (in my idealistic memory) was always a time for extra fun and treats, fun projects, and moving slow in the heat. This summer has had a lot of those wonderful things so we'll start there. We've done a lot of crafts, watched some good movies, finished our library reading program (we got a movie theater gift card as a reward for everyone in the house completing the program), went to the Lake for two weeks, hung the best tire swing in the world from our back yard tree, joined three different CSA's so we're eating lots of yummy food, and finished up a week of VBS. Each and every one of those things were super fun and enjoyable...and each one of these things has a dark side. I feel like I'm about to write a blog about Star Wars. Probably the closest I'll ever get.

First of all, our vacation at the Lake. Jedi Good Side. Amazing time with family, both immediate and extended. The first day was just the Fays and we made the most of it by paddleboating to Pokagon (all five of us) and playing on the beach. It was great fun even though the headwind on the way back made us think that we might possibly never reach Weller Inn. Nana and Papa and Brad and Susan arrived the next day (I think Pootie was there the whole time too, but she can be elusive). We spent 5 days with just our Schmidts and Schaefers. It was a blast. Nice lake days and plenty of help with the kids. Iris slept through the night every night but one. June learned to swim with a life jacket on and Ruben was content to play in the water. The next week brought at least 13 kid cousins and countless adult cousins and aunts and uncles. June, Vera, Addi, Chloe, and Lizzy played all day every day. Once Levi showed up later in the week, we were reminded how adding two 2-year old boys together somehow or other makes each one 4 times more work. And then Finn joined in the fun and I lost track of all mathematical equations. Iris even bonded with Aldo, her elder cousin by 11 days. Ruben also developed a newfound love for his cousin Matthew who was amazingly patient with what could have been a very annoying 2 year old cousin. We late night bonfires with plenty of singing, jigsaw puzzles that Susan completed way too fast, and even managed to catch a few games of cards. Overall, a pretty snazzy trip to the Lake.

 

  Now let's move on to the Dark
Side of our Lake vacation. On the sixth day of our vacation, we got a text from church telling us that our basement was flooded. Our amazing neighbors had noticed that our basement was flooding, called the fire department to turn off the gas, called the church to try to get ahold of us, and started pumping our the water from the driveway. All in all about 12 different neighbors helped pump and cart buckets and trashcans full of water out of our driveway (it's the lowest point so they were really saving our basement). So here we are on a perfect vacation the morning after a wonderful anniversary date without kids, and Karl has to pack a suitcase and head back to Palatine to figure out what kind of damage we're facing. Thankfully, Dad volunteered to join him and although I'm sure they didn't have as much fun as they'd have at the Lake, they made the most of slopping out the basement for the next two days. Karl had to stay in Palatine for a wedding and weekend worship services and was able to catch a ride back with the Hookers the following Tuesday. The kids and I continued to have fun at the Lake but even with so many extra hands, I found that I wasn't really able to relax as much as I would have liked, but what does relax really mean when you have three kids under five.

Back to Luke Skywalker, et al.
VBS was great! June and Vera were in the same traveling group and spent the week holding hands and doing crafts. Nora and Vera even came over two different days after VBS to just hang out and play for a few hours. The amazing swing in the backyard helps that. Ruben and Iris spent quality time in the nursery with Miss Dawn and I led the Preschool Bible Adventures. Super Fun and...

Darth Vader jumps in. I'm really not capable of nursing a 3 month old, leading 4 classes of preschoolers through a Bible story, and carting everyone back and forth from the house (I really mean just Ruben...that kid will not put on shoes). By Wednesday I was exhausted. Plus I had a two hour Praise Team practice to get our feet wet for the August 3rd weekend. Not the optimal day to access the part of my brain that stores piano chords and harmony singing. Let's just say I'll plan better next year. The other problem with Ruben spending lots of time in the nursery every morning is that he wastes all of his self restraint on those three hours of the day and comes home completely unable to control his body at all. Poor Nova is a popular target for his abuse when Iris is out of reach. I can't figure out if June was just extra whiney because she was tired or if Ruben was also being extra hard on her. Did I mention that I was tired after all those preschoolers? Because I was, and didn't have the extra energy available to manage Ruben's extra uncontrolled energy.

Princess Leiah (I have no idea how to spell that). We put up a huge, amazing, awesome swing that seats four kids at a time in our back yard.

Death Star. I'm pretty sure the tree is an Ash tree and we're going to have to try to save it before the Emerald Ash Bore kills the tree.

Those adorable little bear things. We get a half bushel of fresh, organic veggies each week and right now are in our first week of four to receive 5 lbs of blueberries each week. Starting late August we'll start with 75 lbs of organic apples. Oh, and did I mention that the pick up location is closer than the grocery store and I don't have to leave our subdivision. It's easier than grocery shopping. I paid online and I essentially go through a drive through to pick up my food (I park on the street and leave the kids in the car and pick up on a front porch). We've tried some great food. My new favorite dark green is swiss chard.

Another darkside creature.  Fennel.