Most days, we have been doing the morning routine (which takes a while these days now that Brecken is on full meals and bottles and the big boys like different foods), then packing up the car for some fun. Loading up the car is becoming second nature, but involves a ton of stuff - diapers, bottles, water for the baby bottles, formula, water bottles for the big kids, spare clothes for Breck and a spare set that Ry or Logi could use, usually swim suites / towels / rash guards x3, lunchbox, babyfood, bib, sometimes the portable highchair, snacks x3 + snack for me, coffee & water for me, shoes! (Logan is constantly climbing into the car and buckling up without them), sunglasses, hats x4, sunscreen...you know - just the essentials ;) I think I also pack a bunch of stuff so we can still have a little spontaneity in our days (like staying an extra night somewhere or making an extra fun stop on the way home and still having enough formula / baby food).
I think it's funny because this spring when I was still nursing Breck 100% of the time, all I needed was myself and a spare diaper tossed in my purse and we were good to go for hours! But with summer, we tend to be gone longer and are out for activities that involve water.
Brecken giggling at his big brother's shenanigans...
I remember this phase when Logan was a baby, too. It pretty much took 2 hours from the time we decided to go anywhere until we had the baby fed, a fresh diaper, had the little one go potty, load the car, and get everyone buckled up. So we're in that stage again - at least for the summer. I feel like I should get an award just for getting everything together and getting everyone in the car! (And, I actually do reward myself often with coffeehouse coffee....)
But, once we are out, it is so worth the effort. The kids are so happy, they are burning energy, and we are playing together (as opposed to me trying to make time to play, but instead multi-tasking with household chores, responding to work emails, and house projects).
Yesterday, we went to grandma D's to take a few more senior pictures of Mikayla (and go for a quick swim):
Trouble 1 and Trouble 2...
Logan pouring water on Auntie KK...
And today, we met up with Grandpa Bob at Tamarack Nature Center:
The boys love building with the large branches...
Logan showcases his stellar balance skills...
We did the typical rock climbing and playing in the 'creek', but this time we also spent quite a bit of time in the garden. The veggies and herbs were all in full bloom, and we even got to taste some of them. Ryder was all about this part. He loved the chives, tarragon, and purple cabbage. He loved smelling the peppermint and sage plants, too. Pretty much anything interactive. Logan loved filling the watering can and watering all the veggies. Brecken just watched everything contently from the Bjorn :)
Love that we still have two more full months of summer. Good thing I'm getting the hang of walking out the door while tossing everything in a tote!
1 comment:
One day you and Shawn will look back and say, "Wow! How did we ever keep up with work, family and fun?!" Time flies by way too fast.
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