sunny summer days

Shawn came up to celebrate Mila's birthday with us, and of course we couldn't let him leave without heading to the beach and the pool.Love you, little bro!

 

oh what do you do in the summer time...

Kara stopped by one sweltering afternoon

to see if we wanted to come over and play.

Of course!

We packed up and headed down the street to play in the sprinklers. The girls had so much fun together. Age-wise, Madison (1 year 9 mo) is right in the middle of Mila (9 mo) and Kapria (2 yr 8 mo). It worked out well because Maddie adores babies, Kapria likes taking care of younger kids, and everyone likes playing outside. And, Kara and I even got to chat for awhile together -
win/win all around!

popsicles

...are the best way to keep cool.

On yet another afternoon after work, we decided to pull out the pool and let the kids play. We enjoyed popsicles and funny kids and good conversation. I love those afternoons.

our hot diggity discussion

the coolest ever

Our swamp cooler broke before we even moved into the house. It has something to do with the electrical wiring and something not to do with the electrical wiring. The first summer it didn't matter much. We were at work all day, and in the evenings we came home and turned on our two little window AC units, and all was well.

Last summer must have gone pretty well, too, because I don't remember having any issues. We are pretty lucky in that our house has some nice shade and stays pretty nice temperature-wise until about July.

Even so, this summer has been HOT. I'm surprised the difference between being 9 months pregnant in July (this summer) or 8 months pregnant in July (two summers ago). B-I-G difference. I don't think I've felt cool one time this whole month. Even when I go into work, which should be a heat respite what with a building full of real AC, our fabulous corner office with three windows (that don't open, but we still like) and lots of sunshine gets hot by 9am. And that's not a pregnancy issue...my fellow writers are also hot in there.

Anyway, if you've seen me lately, I've probably always been glistening with a thin layer of...beautiful perspiration.

Yay for me.

UNTIL last night. Trav and our neighbor (an electrician) worked on the swamp cooler, and it is fixed. Let's just say we went from one extreme to the other. Our kitchen - previously the hottest room in the house and thus the Most Avoided in the summer - is where the swamp cooler sends its air.

And now our kitchen is the coldest room in the house.
So cold that I actually wanted to put on my jacket while I ate breakfast today.
So cold that Kapria's feet were a little chilly and I rubbed them warm and wrapped her in her blanket.
So cold that I think the pilot light was blown out on the hot water heater (which also resides in the kitchen).

We are definitely keeping cool here.
And just in time for my last two weeks to be cool bliss.

Thanks, Babe!

cooling off

If we're outside, we're probably in the water. Otherwise it is Just Too Hot.

beat the heat

Today when I got home from work, Nicole had the kiddie pool out on the front lawn, filled with water and ready to be played in. The kids were waiting for me to arrive, anxiously running around the living room in their swimsuits. We slathered on the sunscreen and headed outside.

They splashed and played in the water. Nic and I chatted and sat in the shade. We all shared some ice cream sandwiches (mmm…mint chocolate chip). Then they decided the water was too cold. They’d rather try some other things.

So they did. And we followed them around taking photos.
It was a perfect afternoon.