summertime

Not that it is feeling all that summer-like today, but my calendar and our activities lately would point to the fact that it is indeed summertime. Eli and Micah are currently in swimming lessons, and as an added bonus, are the only ones in their class! It's like having private lessons at YMCA prices. :) They love to swim, and this year definitely seem stronger and more coordinated.

We also enjoyed our first camp-out as a family Memorial Day weekend. We just spent one night there, and aside from some EXTREMELY loud neighbors, who mysteriously showed up and multiplied and partied all night long, we had a great time. We went with Aaron's older sister and her husband and 2 girls, and one of his younger sisters too. There was fishing, boating, ladder ball, hot dogs, smores, and relaxing by the campfire. I am not exactly a "camper", but I would do it again. Although I think I would make sure our air mattress was free of holes. And maybe try to be a bit farther away from other campsites. At one point, probably around 2:00am, the music from our neighbors camp was blaring, the headlights from their cars were pointed straight at our tent, and Eli pops up from his sleeping bag and says, "What's all this?!" My thoughts exactly.

Next week all three boys have Vacation Bible School, and I am so excited Isaac gets to go too. He has been sad he is not in swimming lessons, and has been trying to convince me he is four so he can be. :)

We also made our "summer lists" for this year, and our summer notebooks. I saw both of those ideas last year, and they were both a big hit. The notebooks the boys used all year long for drawing, and making lists. I'm hoping to practice writing in them this summer and have them draw different summer pictures when we have our school time. I also would love us to memorize some verses together, maybe draw something that goes along with the verse? Assuming I guess we will have our school time, which so far has happened twice. :)

I do feel very aware of the fact that this is my last summer with the boys before they start school, and I don't want to take that lightly. We have decided to send them to school next year, which I feel peaceful about, but also sad that I won't be with them for so much of their day. With our adoption timeline so up in the air, I was just uneasy about starting school with them with little to no time in between Hope joining our family. Originally I thought we would have months to all adjust and figure things out, but life has just not played out that way. We had applied to a school out of our district and didn't really feel like our chances of getting in were very good, but we did, and are so thankful to have that option.

So far the summer has been great, relaxed and fun, just as it should be. :)