Friday Round Up - 6/8/18- Summer visit to the Platts, family family family time

It feels official: 

summertime is here! Hooray! 

This calls for time 

at the pool, 

in the garden, 

visiting family, 

at the ice cream shop, 

picnicking, 

at the playground,

running and biking, 

swinging on the giant swing....

pretty much all the things 

:)

1. At the pool

Its tough to get a good photo with 3 kids involved!

I'm so glad Lulu finished her 1st session of survival swim lessons. It has been awesome to see her progress over the 4 weeks of the class. What a relief not to be in the car for an hour each day to get to/from the lessons either! Whoosh, I don't love being in the car - especially not when the weather is so nice!

We went to the pool in CT while visiting Marg, Kobi & the girls - our niece Neva just finished her first session too - pretty cool to see her & Lulu practicing their skills side by side!

2. In the garden

The biggest big helper

Marg & Kobi have a fantastic tiered garden bed in their yard planted with a veritable cornucopia (when's the last time you got to use the word cornucopia?? Find a way to work it in....its super satisfying!) of veggies and fruits. Hennie is excited to help and also build houses for the bugs she sees (also known as "buggies" in toddler speak :). I have said it before, but it bears repeating - there is something so relaxing about digging in the dirt.

The first tomatoes are coming in!

3. Visiting family

 We had an excellent time visiting Marg & Kobi & their girls in their Pleasantville-esque town in CT. It is quaint & lovely & friendly & full of fabulous places to eat.

We continued Chris' birthday celebrating out there too - can't stop celebrating the big 4-4!!

4. At the Ice Cream Shop

We did our best to get all 3 girls on the bench & looking at us.....

What is it about late afternoon/evening visits to the ice cream shop that seem so essentially "summer"? Chris & I were discussing that again last night - it is just the best to have a warm day/night & spontaneously decide to go for ice cream. The town where Marg & Kobi live has a fabulous ice cream shop with a giant cow bench out front- the makings of a funny cousin photo, to be sure :)

5. Picnicking

Bobo, Neva & Liam

Neva was working really hard to help herself to pickles. Girl after my own heart!

Marg & her girls flew home with Lulu & me and we all got to have a lunch picnic at my parents/GR & Tara's house yesterday! What a wonderful treat to have 7 cousins all in the same place at the same time for the first times this week!!

All 7 cousins! Age 3 weeks to 8.5 years!

Picnics are hugely messy when little kids are involved - but I wouldn't trade being covered in avocado, pickle juice, & watermelon juice for the fun of relaxing with my parents, sister, sister in law & all 7 kids. It was a glorious, warm, sunny, perfect day for a picnic.

Aunt Margaret & Baby Mary

Sometimes I have vague anxiety about having too many summer plans and not enough time to just be. Yesterday was impromptu, spontaneous, and perfect. We worked in a couple hours of fun while all the kids were awake (well, our family's newest addition isn't yet 1 month old....so she slept through a lot of it!) without any effort at all. We ordered sandwiches to be delivered, which my Mom generously treated us to, we made the mess outside, and everyone had fun.
What a simple, summery win it was.

6. At the playground

Lulu bean loved this thing at the CT park

The teeter totter is more fun with your cousin! Also while wearing a medal ;)

I think Lulu would take up residence at the park if we let her. She adores going to the playground! We visited an awesome one in CT with Hennie & Neva; the girls had a ball!

Back at the Bug's home park, a block from our house!

Standing up on this spaceship thingy because why would you sit on it?!?

7. Running & Biking

Lulu loved the medal!

Marg finished 2nd in her age group!! Woo hoo!!

Chris & I did our first ever duathalon while in CT! It was a success! 2 mile run, 13 mile bike, 3 mile run! Whoop! We didn't exactly train for the race in the hills of Connecticut....but we survived & had a great time doing it! Marg is much more of a triathlete - she rocked the swim, bike, run option!

Chomping on some string cheese on the bike

I've decided this will be the summer of biking - I don't want to use the car to go places that the bike will work just as well; so Lulu & I rode to my parents house for our picnic yesterday. Despite the fact that I arrived sweaty with bangs plastered to my forehead in all kinds of wonky ways - it was a ton of fun. I swear Lulu said "bike" when we went outside to hop on for our ride! She seems to want to talk more than ever & we are seeing glimpses of language emerge, which is astoundingly cool.

8. Swinging on the Giant Swing

How many is too many on the swing?!?

GR & Tara have a most excellent giant tree swing in their yard & yesterday was Lulu's first ride on it! It became a ride with 2 of her cousins too! #summer

Note my filthy feet!