Oh What Do You Do In the Summertime?

Be Careful What You Post About

Remember last week when I said the weather had been so pleasant that we'd had the windows open all day? Well, it's not like that now. Today the high temperature was 93 degrees and the heat index was 104.

We did not open the windows today.

On My Own

"I'm doing the dishwasher all by myself. No big kids are helping." -Topher, as he handed me a dish to put away since its home was out of his reach.

Family Resemblance

Most of the time I think that Topher looks like Bryan. When I compare pictures of Bryan and Topher at the same age they look so similar. One morning last week I discovered Topher tucked into Sophie's bed. I pulled out my camera and took this picture. When I looked at this picture later, I discovered something. He still looks like Bryan, but there's something about this picture that reminds me of my brothers. I don't know if it's his crazy messy hair, or the glasses, but the resemblance between Topher and his three uncles on my side is surprisingly strong.  

Coolsville

I keep thinking about the heat of last June. When the AC stopped working we pulled out all our fans and borrowed even more. We would open the windows each morning and position fans in front of them to draw in the cool morning air, then shut them once it got too hot. The temperature inside the house during the afternoon was often in the mid-to-high 80s, sometimes higher. Then later in the day, usually while I made dinner in a sweltering kitchen, we would open the windows back up and let the hot but flowing air back in. We were sweaty almost all the time. It was miserable.

This summer we have a fully functioning AC, it's lovely. Also this summer? The temperature has been moderate. We've had a handful of hot days, but most often we keep the windows open all day and the house stays between 75 and 78, which is just about perfect for me. We haven't really needed the AC this month.

I suppose if we hadn't gone through the melting torture of last June we wouldn't be so thankful for the cool breezes and optional air conditioning available to us this summer.

The Active Photobomber

We went on another big walk up to the field to run around this morning. Just before heading back home, I called the kids over for some water. The girls arrived first and Sophie asked that we take a picture. Cooper heard her and ran as quickly as he could to jump into the background. The pictures below are in chronological order and you can tell he's sliding into the shot just in time to ham it up for the camera.

He's quite the performer when he wants to be.

Bloom Where You're Planted

The girls and I attended an outside Activity Days activity on Saturday morning. They painted pots, then planted flowers. I had the foresight to wear a hat, but I should have put some sunscreen on the back of my neck as well. Oops. The girls each did a great job painting, I think their color choices fit their personalities well.

Strike a Pose

I thought Topher looked exceptionally  handsome in his suspenders yesterday before church, so I asked him to stand against the wall so I could take his picture.

I asked him to smile, the poses were all his. He stayed in each position until he knew I'd taken a picture, then changed to a new pose.

Everything

The kids have pointed out that I've stopped posting about most birthdays. 

They are correct.

I didn't intend to stop writing up birthday celebrations. But we take a lot of pictures on those days, and the pictures take a lot of time to sort through, and I don't generally have a lot of time these days. So I put it off in favor of quicker, easier posts. And once I've put it off a little, it gets easier to keep putting it off. Then we get to a point where it appears no one is having birthdays anymore, and that's not great.

So, guess what?

Bryan had a birthday, and I'm going to write a short post about it, because short is better than no post at all.

Bryan likes very low-key birthdays, and that's just what we gave him. He opened gifts from his parents, my parents, and us. We made a nice dinner and ate cake. Then we watched a movie of his choice which happened to fit into the theme of the day.

This is a blurry Amazon picture of the gift we gave him since I can't find the one that's actually in our house.

Here's his cake.

And here are the kids enjoying his cake. Bryan enjoyed it too.

To complete the evening, and to celebrate Bryan turning 42, we watched The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

If 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything and Bryan is 42, does that mean that Bryan is now the answer? Possibly, at least for the next twelve months...

The Ensemble

I really hope she always maintains her own sense of style.