A summation of summer

We've worked really hard this summer to get out and have fun. Drove to Utah, where we did boating and swimming; stayed at the coast; swam at the city pool; kayaked on Lake Washington; hiked to Scout Lake; visited the library; played at Grasslawn and other parks; had outdoor barbecues by a mountain lake; drove to Pullman for grandparent time; and saw all the extended family here when my sister got married.

So what does my six-year-old say when we're writing her talk about family fun and I ask her what fun thing we did together as a family this summer?

"We saw a movie."

The book you can't put down

What is my nine year old reading under the covers by flashlight at 10:30 pm? The exciting final chapter of the Not So Big House!

beach "trip"

I figured out a way to enjoy the beach and the heat in a way that even my dermatologist sister would approve of--take your family swimming at sunset! (Because it takes a lot longer to finish the laundry than you thought it would.)

But don't trip on the dock and split open your eyebrow like my son did.

Who's the boss?

Telling my six year old daughter to get dressed has led to her sobbing in the bathroom because, she says, "It feels like you're bossing me around!"

Heel

I slammed the screen door on my heel right before church today, which hurt like the dickens when I put on my organ shoes. (The F to B flat jump in The Day Dawn is Breaking was especially bad, with me cringing at every high B flat.) We should have been singing Come, Come Ye Saints--I was really feeling today for the footsore pioneers, some of whom probably walked 1200 miles barefoot, and sure that sacrificing my heel for the cause was almost as much effort.

Chairs

Since it's been so hot here, I bought the children some bungee chairs to use downstairs in our book room. I envisioned three children, peacefully lying back on their chairs to read (after all their piano and chores were done). Instead, what I ended up with that very night was a fort! Sometimes I just don't have the vision.