sidewalk chalk and summer breezes

I will admit that I'm not a huge fan of the sweltering summer heat. the hot and humid summers that are typical in minnesota can be a bit uncomfortable. however, I do enjoy all other things summer - popsicles, days off with my boys, sidewalk chalk, baseball, bon fires, pools, flip flops, fireworks...need I go on? these things, in and of themselves, make the heat and humidity worth every moment. however, I'll take it as a little gift from above that this week's weather was absolutely, positively gorgeous. not like "ooh, it's nice out here!" - no, no, no. I will quote one of my fave friends characters here and ask, "could it BE any nicer outside?" it could not. 75 degrees, sunny, and dry...all the right ingredients to turn fun summer days into extraordinary ones. so miles and I made plans to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather. we decided to spend time with dear friends. we walked to the park, played in the back yard, watched a baseball game, and swam in the baby pool. it was magical and I soaked it all in. I'm not sure what I would do if did not have these summer days with my babies. being a teacher rocks, but summer vacations rock even more!

one of my "teacher friends", kate, and her darling little girls, kylin and grace, met up with us on thursday to walk downtown for thursdays on first. (my bestest friend in the whole world, laurie, also joined us. she is here visiting for a week. more on that in a later post.) before we left, miles wanted to show the girls his new storytime kit from the public library. it is chalk full of fun games, books, dvds, cds, and puzzles. this week's theme: planes, trains, and automobiles. it was a huge hit will all three of the little ones. once we had everyone packed up we set out on our 20 minute walk. we have matching strollers and had to brush off the many snotty looks from I'm-busy-and-important-so-get-out-of-my-way business people who thought they would grab a "quick lunch" out on the street with hundreds of other people. sorry sir, but this place is packed and I'll be darned if you think I'm about to come here without some sort of stroller to keep my babies shaded and contained. thankyouverymuch.

after a much needed nap, we headed back outside to play in the driveway. nothing says summer like a chalky mural on your driveway. we thank my wonderful cousin, olivia, for this week's art work. I love how miles sat patiently to watch her draw and how he was concerned about the chalk on the bottoms of his feet.

henry was content to sit and watch safe in the arms of daddy.

and who could resist a little late evening melt-down.

followed by a lesson in signing - first socks, then shoes

I'm completely in love with little babies in swimsuits or even plain ol' diapers, if that's all you have with! we had an impromptu picnic lunch and swim session on friday. impromptu is the best kind, right? the rogers' girls, sophia and jocelyn, brought along their parents and so did the world's cutest nephew, josiah. (he's mine, so I can say that!) what follows is a peek into our afternoon in the shade. the pudgy baby toes, splashes of water, naked buns rolling around in the grass, and squeals of delight from tiny littles is more than enough fun for this momma. I would do this everyday if I could. oh wait, I can...and I will!

and to make a long post even longer...here's one more of henry bug. I couldn't resist. this one captures his blue eyes and spiky peach fuzz hair so perfectly. love.