Summer is over and we are back at it. I can't say I don't love the quiet house now.
My brother and his fam came into town and we got a bonus summer visit with cousins. My lovely Aunt hosted a nice little get-together.
We went to a birthday party with a bouncy water slide. The kids were in heaven and I tried to get good shots of them coming down the slide. Addie was the winner.
My high school class is pretty unique. I still see half of them on a regular basis. One of my favorites passed away after a decade-long battle with cancer. It was nice to see some people I haven't seen in 20 years at his service. I know that we are all better people for knowing Bryan and experiencing firsthand what a positive attitude can do for those around you.
Addie's reading because we got new library books but also because she's grounded (not allowed on the computer or TV).
Angus is going through a ninja phase.
"Mom, can you see me?"
A ninja marker weapon.
Winter: Oooh I have black clothes! I'll be a ninja too.
Angus: I don't know, Winter. How sneaky are you?
Mya joined the fun but quickly got kicked out for exposing her arms.
Too much ninja-ing.
Back to school shopping in the plus size section. This girl. Never serious.
They were playing Jenga. Otter came over, knocked it over with her tail and sat down to be pet.
A typical breakfast around here...
Practicing packing her lunch a week before school started.
I always find them like this in the morning. Snuggle bunnies.
I'm LOVING my new hobby of biking. I'm a legit bike-riding chick. I even have padded pants to avoid bruising. They totally work. My bike gears and I are not BFFs yet but we're close. And I can even grab my water bottle while I'm riding but I struggle to put it back in the holder below me. This is my favorite place to ride. Puddingstone reservoir. It's about 6.5 miles around it supposedly but maybe more because I get lost sometimes. If anyone wants to join me I'd be happy to have a riding buddy. It's half trail and half road so you do need a mountain bike.
Mya has been coming with me...
Angus fell asleep in church again. He always falls asleep in church like an old man. My friend Darla (his favorite person) sat next to him per his request and was there to prevent him from falling over in church and causing a giant distraction and possibly getting a concussion. Thanks, friend!
I don't even remember taking this but it's a good one.
Angus joins me for 30-minute bike rides up the canyon sometimes. He wants to go on the big ride with me and Mya but he's not quite there yet.
Summer slumber parties because they don't see each other enough.
Usually, where you find Winter you will find Addie. I'm pretty sure God created Winter for Addie mostly.
And Addie is so loyal that when I punish Winter, Addie gets mad at me. It's fine. I find it cute and amusing.
We didn't spend as much time in the pool as we usually do in the summer but we went enough to get some tan lines.
I took a pic of Dan's impressive plate. And it's not a kid-sized plate. It's a big one. Just too much good stuff I guess =)
We paid a visit to our fabulous Baker fam in Santa Barbara.
Winter was mad about something but faked a smile anyway.
They have the best backyard ever, complete with a giant trampoline, a hammock, a fire pit, and a babbling brook. It's kind of ridiculous how lovely it is.
Mya turned 13! It's not that shocking actually since I think of her as a 16 or 17-year-old. But still, our first teenager. She made a birthday wish list on Amazon to ensure she received the correct gifts. She was really happy to get these packing cubes. (Suitcase organizers) Though she doesn't travel much, she was super excited about them.
Not loving our happy birthday harmony...
It was a bit difficult to get work done with all the kids in the house all summer. This one is chatting away while I reconcile Quickbooks. And Addie, true to form, rarely had any dirty laundry because she lived in her underwear most days which I appreciate and encourage.
But the 1st day of school came quick and the house is quiet again until 3 or so when chaos bursts through the door. I made the kids pick out their back-to-school outfits the day before and get their backpacks all ready to go. And yet, the morning of, Addie came down in a different outfit, a dress two sizes too big. Angus, who has been wearing crocs every single day for the last two years, rain or shine, decided that they are not going to work for school this year because he tends to get wood chips in them whilst playing on the playground. So we dug up some old shoes for him to wear. Mya informed me, the morning of, that none of her shoes fit her. She settled on some boots that are small but work.
I'm not going to talk about how many times I asked the kids what they needed and went through shirts, shorts, pants, underwear, socks, and shoes and asked them all if they had everything they needed after shopping on Amazon, Old Navy & Target and they all said yes many times. Not going to talk about that. Soooooo, I guess we'll be getting Mya and Angus some new shoes at some point in the near future. Winter now wears my size in shoes so I gave her free reign of my closet in lieu of buying new shoes she'll grow out of in a few months.
This was after these two endured their first day of Jr. High. They dumped out the lego box and built a lego mansion. I love that they still play. Some say that playing is something that happy, healthy adults do. Well, Brene Brown says that anyway.
Mya wanted me to get a pic of her 2nd-day of school outfit as well because it was "just too adorable."
Recommendations -
If you haven't seen Thirteen Lives on Amazon yet, you need to. It's family-friendly and an amazing true story directed and produced by Ron Howard. I've watched it twice because I skipped some of the underwater cave parts the first time because they were stressing me out. Once I saw the end, I was able to go back and watch it again with less stress.
That's all I got. Happy Saturday!
