Summer Days

I can't tell you how much I HATE Nevada summers. Like clockwork, each summer I start looking for other places to live. My heart longs for greenery and fruit trees, and a veggie garden that doesn't die off as soon as June hits! Heck, I would settle for some real grass and not this Astro Turf stuff that has become so popular. So, since moving is not an option at the moment, I try to fill our days with fun activities to ward off my summer time blues. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! right?! 

My days of taking the kids for walks have come to a standstill (to all of our dismays) and going to the gym isn't always an option with our busy schedule. So I've recently discovered the joy of waking up early and exercising before the kids wake up! Wanna know something crazy?! I'm actually loving it! I love having the whole house to myself in the morning and getting that burst of adrenaline to kick start my day! Trust me, you'll get plenty of adrenaline doing INSANITY..... However, sometimes the morning doesn't go quite as planned and Mommy's "alone time" gets cut short by a little blue eyed blonde boy peaking around the stairway at me as I am getting my INSANITY on....grrr! He instantly chimes in with his "Mommy I'm hungry!" and "I'm poopy Mommy! Change me!" Sooooo frustrating!! Can't a girl get just one hour of peace?!! Don't worry, I sent him upstairs to bother his Dad (hehe)! Mom didn't wake up at the crack of dawn for nothing!

Fast forward to it is now 6am and we have 3 hours to kill until our play date at the pool with some friends from the ward.... Austin's Baby Boy Bakery kit came the night before so he and I decided to put it to good use and whip up some homemade fruit popsicles! I was already getting sleepy at this point because I had worked the day before (waking up at 3am) and then stayed up wayyy too late that night having a "girls night" with some friends in the neighborhood but it was well worth the sleepiness to have some fun with the girls! 

Austin was so excited to have some one on one time with me, doing our favorite activity, COOKING! He especially loved eating the popsicle juice with a spoon before we put it into the molds all ready for the freezer! But as always, he got most excited for the clean up! I'm not kidding you, this kid LOVES to wash dishes!

We had a great time at the pool with our adorable little friends, playing in the water and eating all sorts of snacks. Austin and Emmett had a squirt gun war while Evie, Simon, and Blakely hung around the shallow end, staying close to their Mamas :). Before we knew it, it was already lunch time and the babies were all starting to get grumpy so we said goodbye to our little buddies and headed home. 

Austin didn't want the water party to end and begged me to let them take a bath once we got home so he could keep playing with his squirt guns. So a bath and some cold watermelon for lunch it was! 

We were ALL exhausted by noon so I joined the kids in a much needed nap time. I NEVER nap so I must have really been tired. All that sun shine and exercise wears you out!

We woke up and broke out the popsicles for our afternoon snack. Oh my goodness they were yummy!! I just love those messy faces! Both kids ended up eating 3 popsicles each! 

By the end of the night, we were all exhausted and I realized that once again, I had gone too far and done too much. Sometimes I forget how little these two are and I overstimulate them with all my excitement to show them the world! I pondered on this as I was cleaning up dinner and Eve was having a meltdown at my feet. Then, Austin came up to me, wrapped his little arms around my legs, and said, "You my best fwiend Mommy." I melted instantly like the popsicles my children devoured. This was officially the best day! I guess summers aren't so bad after all..... :).