June.

I was just organizing the pictures we took in June, and we didn't do a whole lot this month. It was actually really nice, to just spend a month hanging out here at home in between two big trips in May and July. I feel like we got into a good summer rhythm this month. Here has been our routine every day:

9:00-10:00: Graham's morning nap. Dane and I do "preschool time," which involves a big calendar, scripture practice/story, math and reading worksheets and activities, and reading together. 

10:00-12:00: Go out and do something. Errands, swimming (I'm giving Dane "swimming lessons" since I never signed him up for any this summer), library, finding someplace for the boys to play.

12:00-1:00: Lunch and reading.

1:00-4:00: Naptime/quiet time, then playing around for a while.

4:00-5:00: Gym.

5:00-7:00: Dinner, playing with Tommy, bedtime routine.

It's flexible, some mornings I go to the gym at 8:00 so we can go swimming at the huge outside pool in the afternoon, some afternoons we don't go to the gym at all and just hang around here at home. But it is working SO WELL for us right now. It's so nice to know what to expect. The gym is what is really making this whole thing work; it used to be so stressful to try and find something to do every morning AND every afternoon, because these boys do not do well sitting at home too much. Graham especially needs to get out a lot or else he is CRANKY. I have felt very cheerful most of the time this month, even though it has been so miserably hot (we just aren't going outside very much unless it involves water, like the splash pad or the pool). The sad thing is that this nice routine has to change soon, because Graham will soon be growing out of his morning nap, which I have been expecting to happen for months now. But we will figure something else out once that happens. And I am actually looking forward to that, because then we will have the freedom to go a little farther from home during the day and not be stuck to just a 15-minute radius, haha!

So here's to thriving in the summer heat!

We love the Fun Club! We've been swimming here 1-2 times a week, and I am surprised at how I can manage both boys by myself. They have life jackets for Dane, and I just follow Graham around while he plays at the kiddie playground. There is absolutely NO DOWNTIME while we're there, but it is still a lot of fun. And they both get totally worn out, which is nice for bedtime.

Snowcones! 

We came out one morning and saw that our next-door neighbors had a concrete mixer in front of their house. OH MY GOSH!!!

Dane and his little buddy Preston walking into Primary together, holding hands. (I am now the Primary chorister, and I absolutely love seeing Dane in there with his friends.)

Graham is the quintessential baby brother. Always wanting to do exactly what Dane does.

When Tommy went on High Adventure for a week, we had to drive his car. Dane loved having the sun roof and asked to have it open every time we got in the car.

Here is Graham throwing a major fit, totally melting down because he couldn't get a snow cone immediately when he saw Dane having one.

We took this shaved ice maker from my parents' house and have been loving it! So fun.

Graham was being a cute model baby one afternoon last week.

Graham LOVES riding around on our big Thomas.

We were so happy to have Daddy home from High Adventure after a week being gone! That was a LONG week without him. But I did so much better than I expected! I felt great and had a lot of patience all week. (Definite blessings since Tommy was gone serving in his calling.)

We go to the library and this is all they want to do. I am trying to teach them that we should be picking out books and reading at our library--but it's hard because the layout of our library really does not focus on that. There are computers and iPads everywhere.

Dane gave Graham a pillow in his high chair and he was very serious about it.

Climbing all over Daddy!

I have been trying to be a little more creative with Dane and teaching him things, and not just doing worksheets or workbooks (although those are good too sometimes). He loved counting puff balls and gluing them down on this paper.

We tried this science experiment with milk and food colors and it didn't work very well. I didn't have the right supplies, apparently. But he had a blast mixing all the food colors into a murky brown, so we had fun anyways. I have really enjoyed looking things up for our "preschool time." He is going to be doing Joy School in the fall with some friends, but I am planning to still do a little bit of this with him the other days a week because we are both having a lot of fun. And Graham will be able to join in with us.

The weather just keeps getting hotter--bring it on, July! We are ready for it!