Second Half of summer shenanigans...and school!

This summer was measured by 

FISH.

 

James and Caleb caught the "fishing bug" and as the summer progressed, the more fishing down in the river because the focus of each day. 

I became a fishing mom this summer, learning how to free fish from stubborn hooks and how to sit patiently by the side of a muddy river, waiting, waiting, waiting for that sudden tug from the line. I've untangled fishing twine, attached sinkers and bobbers, and dealt with fish emergencies.

 The competition between Team Caleb and Team James became fierce.

The boys soon learned that fishing also required some money to buy the latest poles, gadgets and bait. Thank goodness for lemonade stands. In this neighborhood, there is always some child selling something at the intersection at the top of the hill to the entrance to our neighborhood. The neighborhood kids know that if you can lay claim to that territory early in the day, you are guaranteed some hefty income as generous neighbors passionate about supporting young entrepreneurs,  will happily give you a lump of change (while politely declining the drink) 😁

Evelyn, however, also measured her summer on jobs.  Her "Bumble Bee Sitting" business really took off this summer. She especially enjoyed watching two children, age 7 and age 9, who she excitedly penned lesson plans for before every visit. (She quickly realized that supervising fishing is not an ideal activity to take on with two kids who tangle up their lines) She also watched an 18 month year old, who she admitted, was so boring and frustrating that she declared that babies are really not her thing. 

She collected glowing reviews from satisfied neighbors, and her savings account expanded rapidly.

Mid August was spent in Illinois visiting family, which became a trip of passing around illness contracted from the airplane. 😝 Besides illness, multiple hornet attacks and sunburn, kids have a way of remembering the good, and I truly believe that this visit was marked by baseball in the backyard with Grandpa, collecting beach glass by Lake Michigan and nightly Wii sports competitions.

Caleb got to spend the night by himself with Aunt Penny and Uncle Rick.  
He really enjoyed the individual time.

Evelyn LOVED being the big Cousin to Mara 

Ice Cream was included in a lot of the activities

Aunt Penny included a shaving cream war at the family BBQ 

Cousin time is so special 

Climbing on the tanks at Cantera is an anticipated tradition 

Baseball with Grandpa in the backyard lasts sometimes all day

Aunt Penny is always so much fun, especially when she drives the golf cart around Bethany Beach 

Despite all the sickness, John and I still took advantage of my parents watching the kids so we could slip away to New York City for a few days. John travels there a lot for work, and he's been telling me for years that he wanted to show me around. 1.5 hour flight from Chicago made it the perfect long weekend destination. 

And perfect it was. 

We took the ferry to Stanton Island and saw NYC from a distance!

  

Times Square at midnight! A place truly to feel young and fun again. 

The lookout from John's office building in NYC across the street from Bryant Park. Not a bad view!

Grand Central Station.
I've seen this place in a few movies before...

Rockefeller Center! It looks so much smaller in person!

Late night drinks in Manhattan. Because we can!

We couldn't go to New York and not see Peloton!

We walked the boardwalk through Chelsea and saw some really interesting sites along the way!

Greenwich district, the cutest life ever.

A quick stop in Greenwich to try some fresh juices.

Late night pizza after seeing SIX on Broadway

The 9/11 memorial. Hard to believe it's been 22 years. 

Wall Street!

'Rice and Beans' tasted so good on Hell's Kitchen. 

The verdict is in: NYC has the best Bagels ever

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in horrid humidity....

but we had to!

Glad we did!

Exploring charming Brooklyn

We had so much fun exploring this fantastic city. I felt like I was walking around on a movie set the entire time. It was such a wonderful reprieve. 

Once our time came to an end, we flew home and got ready to run the Hood to Coast race the next day. 

Hood to Coast is a 199 mile relay race in Oregon that takes a team of 12 from the top of Mount Hood to the  sand of the Pacific Ocean in Seaside. This was our second year, and although our configuration and timing was different, we were better prepared and ready, and I couldn't believe how much more I enjoyed it! My brother in law Rob also joined us this year which made it extra great. 

We also broke in our new van we bought in early August. Yes, much to Caleb's dispair, we traded in our white 2011 Sienna mini van for a hug 12 passenger Nissan tank. Although I'm not fond of big vehicles, this purchase was pondered for many months and I finally accepted the transportation transition. 

Caleb was teary- eyed saying farewell to our mini

Not only did this prove helpful during the race, but it also is the means by which 11 boys from our school get to soccer practice across town every Tuesday and Thursday. John is coaching the soccer team this year and we have curated a team of boys from our  school and from our neighborhood! I am most excited about the sideline! I have so many great moms to talk to I don't know where to begin! 

I felt like summer flew by...until the end when the days truly dragged on before school started. We tried to do one more end of the summer experience with the kids by using a gift card to a yurt that John got from a co-worker. I'm not a camper, but a yurt sounded reasonable. However, Lucy was the one who kept us up the entire night, pacing and moaning the perimeter and after not sleeping (and spending 30 minutes heating up a pot of water over a grill to mix a luke warm cup of coffee) I was ready to leave and forgo the second night. John agreed. 

😛

And so, school began...and Levi was home the first two out of the three days due to a nasty virus that made his throat and brain feel like they were on fire (according to him). 

4th, 4th, 4th, 6th!

No more growing up.

Five Days of just US

 When we realized that 4th-6th graders go to camp the same week, John and I looked at each other without saying a word. What are the odds that we could get all four of our kids to summer camp the same exact week? 

What would that mean for us?😳

 A house to ourselves, for 5 whole days?! 

We have not even had a night alone in our home since Evelyn was born 11 years ago, so the idea that this could actually become reality was surreal. 

Evelyn was already excited abut it; she had been away for a few nights before and she always loved the experience. 

The boys, not so much.

 At first they adamantly rejected the idea. 

John and I shrugged. "Ok," we replied, trying not to act too eager. 

But we had a plan. 

A week later on a rainy Saturday afternoon, we drove up to the camp, which was about an hour away in the mountains. "We will just tour it," we explained, "for Evelyn's sake, since she's going."

The camp sold itself. 

By the end, all three boys were begging to go and counting down the days until their departure. John and I gave a secret high five... yet we still didn't want to discuss it too much for fear of jinxing something. 

When the day before their departure arrived, I packed three suitcases, showing each of boys the boys their zip lock bag with their name which contained soap, shampoo and a toothbrush. I also explained that they had to figure out some way to separate their dirty worn clothes from the clean ones. And wear sunblock.  Evelyn takes care of her own packing, although she seemed more apprehensive than the boys. 

She had just gotten her new invisiliners for her teeth, and they were causing her pain and stress. Bad timing.

When Monday morning came, we loaded up the bags and drove to the camp, depositing our children quickly and efficiently. And as we drove away in our quiet car, the realness of the situation set in. 

Excited for camp!

A whole week of staycation. 

Good bye children. See you in 5 days!

I felt the thrill of going where I wanted to go, when I wanted to go, without having to rush home or pick someone up. I didn't realize just how very tired I was until this week. A break from constant messes mediating arguments really put my whole spirit at ease. 

 "Look, the vacuum lines in the carpet are still there," commented John in amazement after a few days of living in the house. 

Eating was easy.

 Going to bed was easy. 

Waking up was easy. 

Everything was easy! 

John and I had such a fun week. We did a little of everything: some deep cleaning, organizing, purging; we saw a movie at a movie theatre (first time in 10 years); we went downtown to sushi. 

We swam at night at our gym's pool and sat in the hot tub. 

We went to a happy hour at 4:00 at a fancy wine bar. 

Took a wine crash nap at 5:00 and watched TV in the early evening. 

We took late night walks, went on a long run, and hung curtains.

And we sat and talked to each other without getting interrupted. 

It was all so magical; but what made it magical was that it was a break.

 I certainly would not want this life forever, and five days was the perfect amount of time. It rejuvenated me and it gave me assurance that someday when our kids do leave, John and I are going to be ok. 

We will be more than ok. 

US

It also made us want to prioritize date nights, especially now that we don't have to hire a sitter. 

My partner for life

 It gave me/us a new appreciation for our marriage and our life together.

 It's a good life indeed. 

Oh, and Lucy totally thinks she is our child now, (although I do wonder if she is a little bored and misses her four puppies ;) 

Lucy fur baby got all the spoils

The Dog Days of Summer

 

I just looked out the window and a swarm of boys ran through my yard and down the street like bees to a honeycomb. 

Boyhood in the summer is grimy and feral, and the pack of boys that traverse the neighborhood in the heat of the day is constantly flushed faced and sticky. 

 

When they descend upon my house, I start surrendering the food (and my serenity) for the cause of fellowship and summer memories. 

They're hardly any sacred spaces. I close my bedroom door and that's about it. Even my office has been turned into a messy den of unfinished art projects. 

But if I'm truly honest,  I want them in my home. 

I know this season is fleeting, and I will look back in the years to come  and relish those stray nerf bullets and boyhood battle cries. 

Evelyn, on the other hand, is busy babysitting, pet sitting and plant sitting in the neighborhood. 

Her business, Bumble Bee Sitting, has proven to be a great success this summer. She and her friend Katelyn have gleaned a lot of jobs this summer. Evelyn especially enjoys babysitting for a family down the street. She designs lesson plans and thrives on making sure the kids are having a great time. 

During her cat sitting job, she left a detailed, hand written account of all the cat activity that went on during the week. 

All of their customers have been very pleased. I am so proud of her ambition. One of the great things about our neighborhood during the summer  is "Wine Wednesdays."

Our kids anticipate them even more than we do. They usually leave at 5:58 (it officially starts at 6) and arrive at the destination before we do. The other day I got several alerts on my phone from the business QR code she developed and passes out at Wine Wednesdays. She does all her marketing for Bumble Bee Sitting at these events. Once a person scans the QR code, their information is collected and she can reach out to follow up with them.  

Wine Wednesday brings people out together, even in 90 degree heat!

Between Evelyn's jobs around the neighborhood and the herd of boys roaming around, it has been very difficult keeping track of everyone and rounding them up when we have somewhere we need to go or eat a meal together. 

Many of the parents have gotten their kids Gizmo watches, a tracking/communication device tailored especially for kids on the go. Basically they are electric leashes that give peace of mind and a way to bring them home.

I don't know how I feel about them yet; with all technology there are always the good and the bad. 

The first day they had them Caleb sent 58 out going calls. 😑

One afternoon I had to drive the kids to the doctors to get their shots. They needed a Dtap booster and a finger prick. Evelyn needed a meningitis vaccination as well. There was suddenly a mass panic as the nurse brought in the needles. The exception was Evelyn, who bravely rolled up her sleeve and got the two shots. However, immediately afterward she started to pass out. The nurses rushed about; and Levi just about passed out when he saw her pass out because he knew his time was next. 

The doctor laid her on the table and gave her water in a "Urine Specimen" cup.  James collapsed in an emotional tailspin on my lap, sobbing that he "couldn't do it." 

Then there was Caleb who valiantly stepped forward proclaimed that he would in fact take the first shot for the boys. When it was all said and done, he skipped out and announced that it wasn't that bad; however, he mentioned in passing on his way out to Levi "the needle looked big." Upon hearing that, Levi immediately jumped up and dashed out of the room. The nurse was patient and kind, and with a little (a lot) of coaxing, everyone was done and our noisy circus paraded out of the office and down the hall, sucking happily on lollipops. 

Some sore arms and tears don't stop these kids for very long. One hot Saturday we needed to get out of the house into water. I researched a waterfall about an hour away from our house, Dougan Falls, and we spent the afternoon playing in paradise. It is truly a little slice of heaven, and one of my very favorite things about where we live is that we have access to so many waterfalls. 

An afternoon in the waterfalls

Fishing in the river behind our house has been a daily afternoon activity. Specifically Caleb and James just can't get enough of it. We tried baiting the hooks with hot dogs, but the only outcome from it was that Lucy snatched it out of the bag when no one was looking. 

Someone suggested we pick the salmon berries that line the bushes near the river. 

But most people swear by good old fashioned worms. 

I bought the boys salmon eggs at the store and we had a bit of luck with them. 

Caleb cast his pole into the river the other day. Crying, we took off his shoes, readying himself to jump in to save it. Luckily, Dad saved the day by devising a contraption built from a pole and a bent metal hanger and he was able to fish it out. 

The Dog Days of Summer