The Gardens with Annie

My dear little niece Annie is all grown up. Weird. Being the youngest of 12 children, I became an aunt at the ripe old age of 4, so some of my nieces and nephews feel more like cousins. But as the aunt, I have boss-them-around rights and stuff so it's even better than being cousins.  

Annie came to visit us for a week on her way to become a Teach for America teacher in rural Kentucky. It was one of my favorite weeks all summer. She taught Malan how to find square roots and quizzed all my girls on new vocabulary words all day. She told them chilling ghost stories and babysat while I ran errands (oh the joy of grocery shopping alone.) We made yummy food and she made my girls feel special and loved and showered them with attention all week.  She is a talented teacher and so gifted with children, I wish she could just move in with us.

Here are some pictures from our day at the botanic gardens with Annie. We played in a simulated rain storm, danced around in gossamer bird wings, and then got caught in a wonderful, warm, real rainstorm at the end of the day.

Members' Night

Olivia has been asking about Members' Night at the zoo at regular intervals since last summer. It's this magical night where if you are a zoo member, you get to stay at the zoo until dark and ride all the zoo rides for free and buy slurpees and fries and do all the stuff we don't regularly fork out the dough for. I can see why it's been on her mind.

The day finally arrived. We met up with the wonderful Hales and cousin Annie (more about her visit to come) and Caleb was able to be there, so it was a great night. Except at the end in the dark when Caleb and I lost each other for 30 minutes and he didn't have his phone, and while I was trying to find him Malan's shoe broke, so I let her wear one of mine, and then Olivia and Emme got into the fountain in their clothes after I told them not to and then they started crying because they were too cold, and I wanted to take everyone to the car to wait, so I walked the wet and crying kids and the enormous double stroller to the car half-barefoot, and then I realized Caleb had the keys. I got all sorts of ornery about that.  

Don't you worry though, we got it sorted. 

And what's life without a stressful half-hour here and there?

It's funny, now.

Here are just a handful of pictures from the otherwise lovely and long-awaited event:

City and Such

A visit to the city and Arkabutla lake with my nephew Will and his wife Hannah, who stopped in for a few days' visit on their way East to medical school. They are both tall, nice, fun, and lovely with our children, and we are always happy to have recruited more family to this side of the Mississippi.

Splash

Well, the heat has arrived. It's hovering around 100 every day, and the only way to beat it is to be really wet, all the time. When we're not bumming around our dear Amanda's pool, we're up to shenanigans like this:

We really are trying to squeeze every ounce out of this summer, and I can't even believe it but school starts up again in just 2 weeks. Summer is just never long enough for my taste. (But as much as I love it, it's wearing me out a fair bit. You?) 

Rock Friends

A lazy summer day project for bored sisters: making new friends. (Though Jane thought they looked disturbingly like shrunken heads and that instead of calling them friends we should set them out at Halloween.)

Also: our girls like to try to stump each other when riding in cars or otherwise stuck waiting somewhere. They ask questions like, "Ok. Guess who was the first president of the United States? George Washington or President Monson?" (tricky.)
Well I really think Olivia's recent quiz question to Jane summed up the state of affairs at our house right now quite nicely: "Ok Jane, guess who bites me more? Malan or Emme?"
So can you guess?
Indeed. Emme has become "2" with a terrible vengeance and it's trying (and beating) my patience like nobody's business. Pray for me, cause I really like Emme and she likes me and I want to keep it that way. Helps that when she's not being 2 she is absolutely the most wonderful, adorable thing.
I hope we'll pull through this with not too many more bite marks to show for it.

Jane is Seven

How in the world did that happen? Time is just slipping through my fingers. 

Here we are on lovely Jane's seventh birthday. (Caleb was home! Tired, but here, and that was a treat.)

Breakfast in bed for Jane, of course, and some sweet gifts to start off her day:

Jane wanted to "go see a movie in a real theater" instead of having a party, so we and the Hales went to see "Despicable Me 2," which was a hoot. And just before that we took Jane for a drive out in the country to pick up a little furry someone she's been hoping for:

 

If I read her lips right, Jane wished for a bunny last year when blowing out her candles. She for sure has been wishing for one out loud ever since. I tell ya, I'm not a pet person. But this little bun is darn stinkin' cute, and Jane has been a pretty good bunny mama so far.

Then Jane made a wish for next year:

 

Jane, you are such a special girl. Adventurous and enthusiastic and tender-hearted and sweet. Also passionate and spicy, but always with a strong desire to be good. We love you so much. Happy Birthday, dear Jane.

See Jane grow. here and here and here  or here.