It's been a pretty great summer, despite the pandemic. I'm glad everyone is still on speaking terms after SO MUCH quality time together. We have to be doing okay if they need sleepovers on top of full days of playing together.
And we were so excited to have two of my sister's boys visit! We hadn't seen them in six years. The kids had a blast on our Finn morning.
He was the only child who wasn't afraid of the OranguTwang game.
And he and Bradley formed a no shirts club.
We gave him his first piano lesson via Hoffman Academy.
No shirt club was very proud of themselves.
And next we had Emmett over for a morning! He and Juliet were great buddies.
We made cupcakes.
Good news, I'm told they were yum.
Eleanor had been begging for cupcakes for the past few days so this was a well-timed visit on Emmett's part.
And both boys were fans of our platform swing.
Nathan gave both Emmett and Finn the ride of their lives on the swing when they came over for dinner the next day. They really liked that they could grab leaves off the trees.
Group picture! Not too bad for six kids.
How the four kids eat cupcakes. What a cute crew.
The next two pictures are so Bradley and Patrick this summer.
So many piggie back rides. Bradley knows he has an instant happy Patrick whenever he does this for him.
I took the kids out for donuts and it turned into a follow the leader session with Juliet in the lead. I was cracking up watching her lead them around the big pavilion area.
And then Patrick climbed on a bike rack and his two older siblings immediately told him how wrong and terrible that was so he was very proud of himself.
But then it looked like too much fun so Eleanor had to do it too. Bradley eventually did it as well. Patrick was oh so pleased with himself.
Patrick and Eleanor had their second and final neighborhood dance class.
And we went back out to the lake! Juliet notified us that she is a big girl now and prefers big kid swings.
She also likes climbing up where the big kids go and giving her mommy heart attacks.
Here's what our RV looks like! It's a big one, 36 feet.
And the view from the RV out to the water. So pretty.
We've been getting new lake toys and the stand up paddle board is a hit with everyone.
Our friends the Rutherfords came out and camped at our lake lot with us our second weekend of going down there. How many kids can you fit on a paddleboard?
It got tipped over a lot.
They also brought special jumbo square marshmallows for 'smores and we were big fans.
Movie night in the RV after dinner!
Nathan getting a little help putting together the fishing poles for the first time.
Fishing crew! We use hot dogs for bait which everyone agrees is infinitely superior to worms.
Back to the sandy area!
We also have a floatie crocodile as part of our lake gear. The kids seem to prefer it to the inflatable kayak.
Olivia was Juliet's special buddy for the whole weekend. They were so cozy cute together.
Juliet after they left. Apparently this is what happens when you tire a baby out too much with your lake adventures.
The drive home.
Juliet has this thing now where she likes to steal other people's underwear and put it on herself. Here she's pulled an extra pair of pajama pants halfway up and then stolen three pairs of Eleanor's underwear and put them on top of that.
Cozy times with my girls. I love this cuddly bunch.
It's Meadomere Park over in Grandview, MO. It's pretty fantastic. We took Patrick's friend Mabel along with us.
Juliet likes to follow the big kids around and try to copy them which can be an issue at times.
Valley View Park in Grandview the next day. We had a nice week with cool mornings so we took advantage!
Valley View Park is the best park ever for kids who live to climb things.
This Merry-Go-Round climber thing is probably the best thing about the park.
Meadowbrook Park in Prairie Village later in the week. It was fun but packed - we're sticking with the Missouri parks for the rest of the summer.
Grandma sat and read this entire book to the kids one afternoon while I had to run around and go to some meetings and run errands. What a wonderful grandma!
We've discovered that Juliet is perhaps not the best at sharing. Too bad for her because I mostly laugh when she hollers at the big kids and I tell them to take their turn.
She practiced her baseball skills with Addison.
The kids discovered there were some amazing animal/bracelet toys in the clearance aisle at Walmart and there was a rush to go and spend their allowance money on them. They're pretty cute, I don't blame them for being obsessed. Allowance money is the best, it's exactly for these types of situations where there's no way I would buy these for the kids but they're welcome to spend their own money on new toys.
Nathan likes having the kids walk on his back and no one is more enthusiastic about this than Juliet.
She's enthusiastic about a lot of things. 18 month old Juliet is quite the powerhouse of fun and attitude.
She'll bring stools over by the counter to get what she wants. She is rather terrifying at times.
Back at the lake with the crew!
Juliet is naked a fair amount at the lake. We all find this hilarious, until she pooped and stepped in it. I've started being a little better about putting a diaper on a baby upon occasion.
The big kids are just so precious with Juliet. There's always an eager hand willing to help her out. It's great except when they fight over who gets to get her out of her crib.
We got a new lily pad for our 3rd weekend out at the lake! It's the best kid purchase we've made by far.
Everyone loves it, even Juliet.
So with the kids not using the paddleboard as a toy to jump off of, I actually got to do some stand up paddleboarding!
My folks came down to visit for the afternoon and I gave my dad a tour of the lake.
Playing at the beach after they left. Patrick took a break to snuggle me and have a nice chat. It's been a little stressful at times getting things at home to the point where we can leave it all and have a nice weekend away at the lake but it's pretty great once we get down there.
Sand boy!
Swing girl!
The playground by the beach area is our favorite.
We love it in no small part to the deadly play equipment from the 90's they still have hanging around. Old school merry-go-round. All I have to do is tell my children that something is actually really and truly dangerous and they go nuts for it. It's kind of like how they are excellent readers because they have a non-stop stream of books that we check out from the library and I'll say things like "I don't know if this graphic novel is appropriate or not, if you get to a point where someone is murdering someone else or if it's too scary please give it back to me and I'll hide it from you." Fun fact, they've never given me a book back.
This video has an amazing end surprise when Nathan turned to reveal Juliet who had gone too fast done the slide and fallen in mud.
Patrick's break dancing skills are on point.
This was our first weekend with the paddleboard and no adult really got to use it, it was mostly a jumping off point for children.
It's a short drive over to the sandy beach area. We've discovered the kids like swimming okay over here but they're mostly excited about sand and the playground toys.
Another day, another park. Bradley got injured three times on this teeter totter, I'm trying to let the children make good decisions for their own safety and well-being but it seems that fun outweighs safety every time.
Patrick's job is to get the mail from the mailbox every day, which he often forgets. So he went out the other day and came back into the house with a whole pile of mail. We said good job and moved on with our morning - until we got a knock on the door. A nice person going for a walk nearby had scooped up all the stray pieces of mail he had dropped while walking back to our house and brought them to our door. We're working on quality control around here. And we suggested to him maybe checking more often and not running while coming home.
She was displeased.
We hung clothes to dry and when the big kids were seeing if they could jump and reach them Juliet had to see if she could too.
She's lucky she has such helpful siblings.
Some of our favorite time at the lake is sitting and doing puzzles on rainy mornings.
Puzzle complete!
Juliet ... is so naughty.
We came home from the lake and wouldn't you know it, cub scouts was having a fishing derby. Bradley shares my general opinion of fishing but he was a good sport and went and caught a fish which he refused to touch (wise child).
Patrick went too and caught a fish except he loved it and has become obsessed with fishing when we're down at the lake now.
The kids came home and I had cut up a couple of peaches for everyone to eat, which Juliet was delighted about at first until I started giving peaches to other children! Wrong! Bad! No!
The peach stealing children. We probably shouldn't laugh at Juliet every time she's mad at us but it's generally pretty funny stuff that upsets her.
Juliet found a bag of Swedish Fish that we foolishly left where she could find them.
It got a little ridiculous.
She sits by the kids on the bench at the table sometimes now and it's a good thing they like it so much because she could be considered a pest.
Sometimes someone has a toy that she really really wants and fortunately we never really have to wonder about Juliet's feelings.
Although it would be cool if they didn't wreck the baby by teaching her too much too soon.
Walking home. Juliet's face cracks me up - and the fact that it doesn't faze any of these kids to have her crying yet again.
Me trying to get in a quick ab workout with my baby helper.
We're trying to teach Bradley to play gently with Juliet but it's difficult because she loves the wild stuff so much ... until she gets hurt.
These kids cater to her every whim.
Popsicle time on a new camping chair.
Naked baby!
Eleanor helped me get Juliet get into her first princess dress, which Juliet did not much care for until we got out new shoes for her, which Juliet LOVED. Here she's laughing at Eleanor who is pretending to be asleep in her crib.
Helping Eleanor eat her breakfast.
Eleanor went down early to the lake with Nathan the other weekend to get things set up before the rest of us came down. It's really handy that the lake is so close because we end up taking two cars most weekends.
It's so pretty down there.
We discovered that Juliet enjoys being on the paddleboard with me!
And this is all the boys do on the lily pad. King of hill type fights. Patrick generally loses and gets mad at Bradley and I was so frustrated until I talked to a friend with three boys who confirmed that this was standard behavior for her boys as well. Sigh. Boys.
How the girls choose to watch evening shows at the lake. I'm on the couch and they're down on the floor. I tried to get Juliet to come sit by me but she would have none of it, on the floor with Eleanor was the correct place to be.
Where the boys sat to watch. We're a cozy crew.
Patrick played Slamwich with me in the morning and we hope the neighbors weren't trying to sleep in because there was a fair amount of delighted screaming while we played.
Cute girls in the water.
All of the kids are doing really well trying out the Stand Up Paddleboard! They prefer it to the kayak, although I think it's just too big for them and I want to get them a kid size kayak for next year.
We had our friends the Krenns come down because I had another Tryazon game to play and why test it out at home when you can play it at the lake?
It was like Pictionary but with one person holding the board and the other person holding the pen - and the person holding the board was the one who knew the clue to draw. Quite tricky but a lot of fun, especially when we got the kids involved.
Patrick on the paddleboard. He's so little but he's so big with all the stuff that he does on the lake.
I like how Nathan got me and Juliet and an action shot of the kids in the lily pad in the background.
Bradley's turn on the paddleboard! We only have a few lake toys but they are perfect for the stage we're in with the kids right now.
Nathan is handsome and I'm a sucker for pictures of Juliet walking along while holding hands.
Here's the fishing boy! Fun story, I was rather unsupportive and whiny when Nathan spent a fair amount of time and money on a fishing gear shopping trip and told him that our kids didn't even like fishing. Patrick proved me wrong!
Juliet getting in some pilates with me at home.
And she's started this thing where sometimes she pretends to eat and she knows she's being hilarious. Oh Juliet.
She also has a strong following among older siblings of her brothers' and sister's friends. Andrew Monahan became a favorite when he taught her that if she hit him with a stick he would make funny faces and fall over. Thanks Andrew ...
Eleanor got new roller skates and she's only tried them on once because we need to gear her up with a helmet and knee pads for these, they're the real deal.
Juliet is pretty adorably bossy with Addison. It turns out big kids are suckers for a toddler insisting on being picked up and then pointing at where they want to go while making "ooh! ooh!" noises.
Meanwhile, Patrick instructed Juliet on a class of his own, which is how to be a naughty pants. She is an apt pupil.
I got some watering cans from the church garage sale and they've been a lot of fun.
Juliet is a natural gardener!
I adore this picture of her and my dad.
And then she had to take a bath after her adventures and yelled at some toy ducks in an adorable manner.
18 month doctor appointment the next day. Girlfriend cried a LOT and was incredibly clingy and we had to get her weight by me standing with her on the scale and then getting weighed solo while handing her off screaming to a nurse because she wouldn't sit still in the official baby/toddler scale.
We had to wait a while to see the doctor and she discovered a container of Cheerios in my purse and tried to communicate with her fool of a mother that she could use a snack while I tried to explain that we weren't allowed to eat in the doctor's office.
And that afternoon her cousin Katie returned for her second visit of the summer and we were all delighted! We started with a family photo session in the backyard for Daniel and Stephanie and little Katie, but Juliet was sure she should get in on the action as well. We're excited to see how their photos turned out, especially after I grabbed some foofy dresses for the cousins and they got a few professional pictures together.
These are the faces Patrick and Eleanor made at me when they were begging for a sleepover in Eleanor's room that night. How do I say no to these faces?
And this is the picture I sent to my brother Daniel when I offered Bradley and Patrick babysitting services for Katie at the time of his choosing. He said it looked great and they seem very experienced at handing toddlers!
Breakfast of champions! Juliet still sits in her high chair sometimes but she's a big fan of the bench.
Nathan went ahead of us down to Linn Valley for a golf tournament with some friends. Apparently it's a pretty nice course, we're excited for him getting to take a kid or two golfing with him at some point!
I told Patrick to make a pose for a photo for his daddy and this is what he chose.
And I may have been a bit of a fool and started letting Meg hang out with us in the front yard because it seemed like something she might like. I was correct ... except she began yowling to go out nonstop whenever she was inside and her happiness was more than cancelled out by everyone else's unhappiness at the noise and annoyance. So she's strictly an indoor kitty again. Poor Meg.
Eleanor had a fun birthday party to go to before we went down to the lake to join Nathan for the weekend.
It was at her friend Naomi's house and her mom had managed to put together a Build-a-Bear birthday party!
Please note Eleanor's adorable party hair. I'm quite proud of my braid work for the day.
They even made parachutes for their new little stuffed toys. I'm told they didn't work, but that it was exciting nonetheless.
Party crew!
Then we went down to the lake and were joined by my parents and Daniel, Stephanie, and little Katie.
We are so happy we've scrounged up a good supply of life jackets. Here we have Katie in Juliet's and Juliet in a spare. Katie LOVED the water, it was a good time.
And Daniel and Stephanie had a good time on the stand up paddleboard!
Family pic on the paddleboard!
Lots of water fun, it was a good afternoon.
Bradley was delighted to get a solo ride with Uncle Daniel on the paddleboard.
Dad's paddling method of choice. We've discovered that the inflatable kayak may be best for me and small children, we'll get you some better water toys, Dad!
Me with small children in the paddleboard. I've crammed four kids into this with me before.
Looking back at our spot on the lake!
Sweet pic of Katie and Stephanie.
Big kids like the playhouse too!
And we hooked up the kid tv in the RV to the Switch and it was a glorious evening of video game fun.
Cute girls in the bunk!
The fishing king was at it again the next morning!
Nathan even got him a glove so he can takes fish off the hook on his own.
He caught seven fish and was very proud. Rightly so!
I might frame this picture.
The fishing heroes returning!
Nathan's favorite way for Juliet to play on the swings.
Sandy fun! It was pretty cool still and we had the place to ourselves.
Eleanor has some pretty impressive tricks on the lily pad.
Back home and reunited with my kitty! Nathan didn't even respond when I sent him this picture and told him that true love does exist.
And then back home to my baking buddies. Sometimes I get so much help it's difficult to get to the mixer.
Bradley giving Juliet a stick that's at least twice her height.
And then we had what we called "Uncle Daniel Day" where the kids went over to my folks' house and the boys sat in the basement and played video games for hours. Uncle Thomas was there too, he needs to up his game if he wants to have an "Uncle Thomas Day."
Beyblades with Grandma.
Dance party time!
Eleanor is such a great big sister. They all are to little Juliet. She's such a lucky baby.
The kids do tricks off the lily pad now.
Juliet has gotten a lot more comfortable about being in the water and Eleanor loves getting to swim with her.
Nathan's standard view of Juliet at the lake. He has a little waterproof plastic sleeve he puts his phone in when he goes out on the water so he can take pictures.
More puzzles! We've never done so many puzzles. We're going to have to get more at this rate!
He likes to dip the fish back in the water after he catches them so they can breath and then he gives them a tour of the land before throwing them back in.
This is my new favorite Juliet video.
Addison tolerates a bit.
We did a couple classes through Outschool for Eleanor and Bradley at the end of the summer. Bradley joined a Pokemon Adventure Camp that met three times and it was basically a support group for the Pokemon obsessed. We were delighted that a friend from school and his third cousin Owen joined in on the virtual class! Bradley is anxious for the next time Owen visits Kansas City, they're quite the duo. The class was a hit and so we made sure we signed Eleanor up for a class too, which was to make a unicorn book mark and was super fun as well.
Sometimes Patrick is the one who gets too many cuddles. It's lucky he's a good sport about these things.
And I found this well loved playhouse at our church garage sale for $20 so I snatched it up! It's been a hit at the lake.
Cousin playtime was hilarious and adorable. Juliet bustles around checking on Katie most of the time.
Patrick could be in a boys' choir. Our neighbors probably really enjoyed listening to our morning game of Slamwich, Patrick screamed every time I beat him to slapping the cards.
And then we went over to the sandy area and playground for morning fun.
Merry-go-round craziness.
And then back to our lake for more fun. Juliet knows you're supposed to stand up on the paddleboard!
Super fun!
We got home and Juliet acted rather suspicious while hiding under the deck. Could she be poopy? Who can know!
With the cousin buddies at the pool! It's so fun to see these guys play together.
The other day Nathan walked up to me and said "there's nothing quite like your 8 year old son cuddling up to you and saying you're their 5th favorite person." Apparently the order was Uncle Daniel, Uncle Thomas, me, Juliet, then Nathan. He hadn't even seen Uncle Thomas since Thanksgiving at this point! We did give Bradley a little talk on the way over to my parents' house about how we don't rank people, that I don't rank my children, it's nice to just love people, and please just love your uncles and don't try to have them compete to be your favorite. He nodded and responded, "but I just want to see if Uncle Thomas can be #1!" Great talk, great talk, I don't know why I waste my time with these things.
I tried to talk the toddlers into having their first sleepover but they said they weren't sleepy!
It was a pretty lovely August, I can't believe we got to see most of my immediate family despite the pandemic. Everyone has stayed healthy and we're having a pretty great time!
