Sweet Summertime {2014}

We are thoroughly enjoying our summer! It's just now starting to get "uncomfortably" hot. So for the past three months, we have pretty much lived outside.  After everyone wakes up, eats breakfast, and gets dressed, Jordan heads to the office and I load the kids up in the stroller for my morning run.  Running in the morning is the way to go! It's my favorite time to run because it's still relatively cool outside and I like getting my exercise done with first thing in the morning.  It energizes me for the rest of the day and just knowing that it has been completed is a good feeling.  Plus, it motivates me to make healthy eating choices throughout the day because I don't want to "cancel out" the run so to speak.

After my run, we head straight to the fort behind the church and the kids play for a good 30 minutes.  My boys are creatures of habit and as soon as they hop on the swings, they ask me to sing.  We go through the alphabet, LeapFrog songs including the sounds of the letters, we count to fifty, we sing the theme song to Thomas and Friends and Chuggington, Jesus Loves Me, This Little Light of Mine, and Rascal Flatt's "Life is a Highway" at Eli's request because it's the theme song off of the movie Cars.  It's a special time for us and the repetition has helped Josiah out tremendously to get over some of his speech disabilities from the autism.

After swinging, Addy Jo is usually ready for her morning nap.  She falls asleep nursing and usually sleeps for about an hour.  I use this time to start preparing lunch and getting some chores done while the boys watch a Leapfrog episode or play with Huck in the backyard.

After  Addy Jo's nap and lunch, we hop on the 4-wheeler and go exploring.  This is our favorite time.  We have seen some pretty cool stuff!  Not only that, the boys are learning their colors, how to count, and learning left from right.  As we drive along, I point out the color of the grass, the sky, flowers, birds, etc. etc. We count the number of things we see like trees, cows, chickens, horses, lizards, etc.  And as we drive, every time we make a turn, I point our what direction we just turned.

After our ride, they usually have "free time" play or we put puzzles together, read, mold play doh, color, etc.  Addy Jo takes her second nap  in the middle of all this.  When she wakes up, we usually have a little bit of free time before I have to start dinner.  We usually spend it playing outside more.  Go figure. : )

Jordan gets home from work at about 5 o'clock, and we eat dinner shortly after that.  After dinner and cleaning up, he loads the boys up on the 4-wheeler and takes them fishing.  If it's not too hot, he takes Addy Jo along too.  She is really great about sitting in her car seat on the 4-wheeler with her sippy cup.  She is content just to watch the boys run around.  This gives me some free time that I am very thankful for. But many times, I end up going to the pond too.  It's something fun for all of us to do together and in the evenings it is so peaceful out there.  The weather is usually perfect around 7:30.  We fish and swim 'til about 8:15 but always try to have everyone home and bathed and in the bed for prayer and bible reading by 9 o'clock.     It's a good time.  I hope our babies grow to cherish these memories that we have made as a family.