Summation

It's time for the rare summer post folks. I'm going to assume that you get it and save you the excuses (job, travel, fun, brood) and also guess that you appreciate the infrequent posting since you have other summer fun to get into that my blogging everyday would get in the way of. I'm sure you're scheduling your summer around my blog entries, so consider it the gift of time.

So...to sum up, I rely on the numbers to tell the tale:
1) Above have a peek at my favorite new old thing: Potato Stamping. Used this gem of a technique to make Miss Hazel Mae's Happy Birthday Banner. Which brings us to number...

2) Hazel turns one in less than three weeks. Holy timewarp Batman. That can't be right. So, I've been busily prepping for her birthday festivities and sweet Amos' shortly there after. We are working up for him a boss Monster-themed shindig. Pintrest is my go-to on this. Man I love Pintrest.

3) We just got back from a week at church camp. Stop chuckling. It was lots of fun. The boys in particular were huge fans. Eli is sad we're home and Amos keeps asking to go back to Kinnikinik (our cabin). I myself am a fan of my bed so I'm ok with being home. 
     The biggest news from our week at camp: Amos became a potty pooper! Up until then he was a champ at the peeing, but he saved up the solids for when he was in bed with a pullup on (much appreciated considering the alternative of poopin' his unders). So there we were in the Dining Hall the first night at camp and Amos gets that look and says he has to go to the bathroom. So off we go. And just as muffled evening announcements could be heard, he did it! We both came out of there just beaming! I almost grabbed the mic from the Camp Dean and shared Amos' achievement (which I'm sure would've been met with a standing ovation from the room full of mostly parents). Instead I stuck a lollipop in his hand and heaped upon him praise and adoration. That seemed to work.

4) School, yes school, starts in just a few weeks. I'm a little excited about that and not for the reason you think. I'm just ready for fall. I'm ready for cooler days, crisp nights, daylight savings change, leaves, pumpkins, costumes and hot chocolate. Fall is my happy place.
    Also I'm optimistic, nay, excited about the coming school year. The boys have been going to summer preschool program (12 days total all summer) and it has been going swimmingly. You know Amos had a rough year at 2-year-old preschool last year. Well these few months and a change of teacher and classroom have made all the difference and I'm hopeful that all that tough stuff is ancient history. This is his year by golly! Kid has paid his dues.

So...we're settling in for a bit. I have small trips planned, just Hazel and me, in August and September but other than that we're staying put and just being happily home. We have a few projects in the hopper, so that'll be fun. Other than that we're enjoying the olympics and each other and these late days of summer.

And you?