The past few days

This has really been the first week of summer that feels like summer (not just due to the obscene temperatures everywhere) because we don't really have anywhere that we have to be at any certain time. And what a delicious feeling that is, after a school year full of mornings spent prodding, negotiating, and adjusting bedtimes and wakeup times, all to get everyone out the door dressed and on time. I'm glad that we opted to send Will to school every day (as opposed to a three or four day option) but sometimes I found myself thinking that maybe we should've given ourselves a break for another year until we had to do it officially, with the start of kindergarten in the fall. But I digress. Zoo camp is over for now and we have all this week to do exactly whatever it is that we desire whenever we desire, for the most part.

Speaking of whatever I desire, I went to Kroger Sunday morning, completely alone. It was such a treat that I documented the occasion with a picture. I forget just how luxurious it is to go shopping alone until I get to do it every so often.

We had a nice morning at the park today. I got the kids up early and hauled everyone to the gym so I could take a yoga class and get the kids some playground time before it was too sweltering out. Yoga was mediocre, as I think the instructor is newer and I left feeling like I'd just spent the past hour just stretching, instead of feeling like I'd actually accomplished anything significant like during a better class. But the playground afterwards was a success. We have new playground equipment and both of the kids give it an enthusiastic two thumbs up.

The bouncy animals are a big draw. The fact that there are only three of them seems to somehow increase their appeal, with multiple little ones clamoring to be next in line. (Will has quite the "cheese" face mastered, doesn't he?)

We came home from the playground and filled up the trusty old baby pool, which is always a fun distraction from the fact that it's a trillion degrees in the shade. (I swept the deck and had grand plans of doing a little weeding while the kids were splashing about but I quickly aborted the mission since sweat was dripping into my eyes within five minutes. So I just sat in the shade and read a little, which resulted in slightly less sweating. Only slightly less, though.) The activity of the morning exhausted both of them so much so that Will is actually asleep now, which happens very, very rarely. His taking a nap is a sure sign of a morning well-spent.

And finally, the older Laura gets, the more Will wants to play with her. He's still a little bit rougher than she'd probably like, and sometimes he annoys her but they're becoming more and more like friends now, as opposed to merely being siblings. He even played with her some at the playground this morning despite the fact that there was another little boy there that he had been running around with. I just hope this trend continues, since there's nothing that pleases me more than seeing the two of them playing happily with each other. (The picture above was taken seconds before Laura rolled off Will's bottom bunk and face planted on the hard, unforgiving floor.)

I'm trying to write a little something at least once a week. It's a start, right? Happy 4th! Get out your baby pools, wife beaters and Bud Light and celebrate WV-style, why don't you? (I know, I know. Totally un-PC of me. I'm just kidding. For the most part.)