Hot Summer

This is the hottest summer ever!

Look at that flushed face!

We've been busy? Distracted? Something like that.

Our mattress has been in the living room for the past 2 weeks. Trying to train Maxter-Pants to sleep through the night. He's doing great. Pretty soon we'll be able to rearrange again. Its just easier when he's screaming in a different room. Know what I mean?

The boys lounge and watch Dora.

(these are all phone shots. Blurry and washed out. Nice!)

Max is my constant companion. I clean the house and wheel him around.

He still does quite a bit of this, though.

Wolfgang is On! The! Move!

He will do this for an hour straight.

Step up, step down. Step up, step down. Step up, step down.

Makes my rear end sore just watching him

We've done quite a bit of swimming. Just to cool off.

All 5 of the cousins were here for a week, too.

That was loads of crazy fun.

I've been painting my brains out. Procrastinating on projects that have been lining up. I whipped this one out (to earn a swimsuit).

Then I have a fun table top to paint. I have it drawn! I'm also working on a painting that Randy has wanted for years. Psalm 1.

I've also been working at night. I moved this bed halfway across the showroom. Sometimes I just can't live with a piece of furniture until I move it 47 million yards.

Its not that its heavy, its that I have to move 2 beds, 4 sofas and a dining table just to make a path.

New Peruvian stuff. Fun fun.

Most of the time our life is sitting around in our PJ's playing Baseball Game. Wolfs new fave.

Fun for him anyway. :)

Wolfgang and Wyatt

This is a funny little pair. I don't know of 2 kids that could be more opposite than they are.

But they have similarities.

They share the same initials. Wolfgang Xerxes and Wyatt Xander.

(Wyatt is Cathy's grandson, by the way......typing that feels weird. Cathy, you just don't seem like a Grandmother to me. In my mind you will be 42 forever. Although when I turn 42, you will finally turn 43)

Our boys are only 2 months apart in age.

The hand-holding is a new phenomenon. There are times when Wolfgang screams like a little girl when Wyatt comes running at him. Wyatt is the most coordinated thing on the planet. Wolfgang is a tad on the wobbly side.

Anytime we go places together, its quite an effort to load up Cathy's car.

One trip down the stairs with the ginormous double stroller. One trip down the stairs with my two car seats and then one trip down the stairs with the three boys. Its exhausting.

But I think they are good for each other.

Its never too early to learn things from an unlikely friend. Adaption is a crucial life skill. And at the end of the day, you can always find common ground.

Wyah and Wo-Wo

A few new things

The style of our apartment is still.....scattered.

But things are slowly coming together.

A few new things.

The Quail

The Hippo frame

This coolest thing ever.

Our friends Mark and Jennifer are moving to Denver and getting rid of things. We have known Mark for years. His great grandfather was an eye doctor and this was his lens cabinet. I am so in love with it.

Sue found these vintage flash cards at Goodwill. How cool are they?

What to do with them, what to do........??

The Truth

The truth is that I'm not very organized even on the best of days.

Having kids has blown my mind. What am I supposed to do with all this....stuff????

Laundry day is crazy (laundry day is every day, by the way). Wolf loves to throw it and wear it, Max grabs it and sucks on it. I just can't win! And how is it that out of 4 loads, only 5 articles of clothing belong to me??!!

This is one of them.

Just look at that pile!

Thats the clean pile.

I also never have the broom to myself. I've witnessed a full blown fit over not allowing a particular 2-year-old to "LEEP!!!"

So, here he is. Leeping.

Sigh.

BLUE PARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats what Wolfgang calls it anyway. There is some Blue involved.

But more importantly, there is spongy involved. That word looks strange spelled out, doesn't it? Spongy. Spongey? No, Spell Check didn't like that one. Spongy it is.

Wolfgang and Spongy get along well. He takes too many spills for Concrete or even Mulch. Spongy is the best.

A new park opened by our house and we have all found it very fascinating. First of all, the ground is total sponge. No helmet needed.

There are the usual attractions. Spinning things.

Swinging things.

But this is The Wolf's favorite.

Spongy Hills!

Talk about therapy!

Wolfgang could spend hours just walking up and down them.

Beautiful!

But my favorite part?

The Field.

Its part of the park. Not sure why. Its big. Its open. Its wild. And its full of these enormous....things.

I could sit on one of his ankles.

So fascinating, surrounded by wildflowers and weeds.

This field is right next to the park and the walking trails. These sculptures look like giants in the dying light. Surreal.

Neat, right?

Vanity

This is a personal one.

I've been going through a sort of crisis over the past year or so.

Aging.

Having Kids.

Feeling a loss of youth.

Noticing that all my shirts are a size L.

Every day I feel tired. And....jowly.

I'm surprised by how old my eyes are getting and how gray my hairs are. When I reach up to do my hair, I'm seeing a little more arm than I'd like to. If they had their own sound effects it would be this, "Blooberty-blooberty-blooberty..."

But I had a quick revelation tonight and I thought I should write it down so I can go back and read it tomorrow when I'm struggling with the same exact issue.

I was driving down the street and saw this beautiful girl jogging. She had great hair and muscular legs. I felt a twinge of sadness over the current state of things.

But then it was like someone whispered in my ear, "Even if you had 50 years of being young and strong and physically beautiful, in then end you would not be satisfied. Even if you turned 47-million heads. Even if you had everything you've ever thought you wanted, you would only want more."

I think these desires plague most women. A desire to be physically perfect. To be healthy. To be admired, or really, to be loved in every way.

I thought of a quote that I read a while back from one of C.S. Lewis' letters.

If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy; the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.

Physical beauty and youth could last a lifetime and they would never fill the heart.

Thank you Lord for the promise of fulfillment!

I'm not sure what that will look like, but I know it will feel like all I've ever wanted.

And thank you for changing my priorities right when physical attributes are on the decline.....

Man I love my family.

(But that doesn't mean I wont Photoshop the zits out)

Fake Kid Smile

I was hoping that Wolfgang could somehow avoid having the Smile-For-The-Camera smile, but he has found his. I still love it. :)

And I love Circus peanuts

And Nerds Rope!

And Laffy Taffy!

AND CUPCAKES!

But I'm supposed to be cutting back on my sugar so I need to not think about these sorts of things.....