Aaaaah. I love summer. I love everything about it.
Even when I occasionally I get overwhelmed at being everyone's activities director, complete with transportation to fantastic events, treats for any friends who drop by, and a reasonably clean house to accommodate the perpetual parties in the Porter house. When I said this very thing to Dan this morning he immediately went into "stern Dad mode" and told me that I need to make the kids clean more so I'm not doing too much. There is definitely more that they could do, but for the most part this summer everyone has happily done their daily chores and piano practice. It's just that summer is messy. There are projects and toys and wet swimsuits everywhere, and it's a full time job to keep on top of kids to take care of the messes!
I love the fact that we are all able to stay up later and sleep in late. Truth be told, I'm a night owl, and so is the rest of my family. It is particularly wonderful to not have Dan and Bailey doing early morning Seminary right now. We are blissfully unconscious when 4:45 a.m. rolls around, and that is generally a good thing. Soon enough we will be back in the swing of the school schedule, with a day that starts early and goes hard until we drop into bed exhausted.
I love to see the kids developing social relationships this summer and making friendships or strengthening friendships. I'm glad that they feel like they can invite friends over anytime. I'm glad their friends don't judge our piles of laundry or unwashed dishes.
I appreciate the unusually warm summer we have enjoyed this year. This is the first summer in my memory when it didn't rain continuously until July 4th. In fact, the weather has been lovely since May. I even find myself happy when the occasional cloud crosses the sun, just for variety. Now, that is something that will change soon, when the clouds cover the sun for months at a time! I need to just soak in all the Vitamin D now and relish the warmth.
My vegetable garden is a bust . . . . there was an unfortunate incident involving my lovely raspberry plants, so no raspberries this year. My tomatoes are doing pretty well and loving the sunshine, but I STILL can't get zucchini to grow here. I don't think I can even call myself a gardener if I can't get zucchini to grow. I never had a problem in Utah, but for some reason I can't get all the horticultural stars aligned here in the NW in order to successfully grow veggies. So, we visit the farmer's market every week.
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| Our goodies from the Farmer's Market, including incredible salsa and sourdough bread |
I have a stack of about 20 books I really want to read. 6 of them need to be read by September for book clubs. I'm having a hard time focusing enough to read an entire book straight through, but I keep books in almost every room and read a chapter or two whenever possible.
Some specific Porter family highlights from the summer:
- We went to OMSI three times, including a trip to see the Mummies exhibit, which exhibited at least 50 unwrapped mummies. It was gruesome and cool. We brought a family with us to OMSI each time, which makes it even more fun. We also watched a new laser show each time.
- Bailey turned 16 and has gone on two fun dates! Her first date was in Utah, a double date with her cousin Mianna. The second date was last weekend. Three of the guys her age asked out three of the girls. Her date was Logan Warnick, who moved to Missouri two days after the date. They went mini golfing, thrift shopping, and other fun and random stuff. Bailey actually came up with the idea for the date and then masterfully suggested it to the guys, who then followed through. Her goal was for the guys (who are pretty nervous about dating) to see that it is possible to go on cheap and fun dates with the girls who are their friends.
- Bailey also bought her first formal dress while in Utah! It is beeyoootiful and fits her perfectly. And, thanks to her Grandma's incredible KSL.com classifieds shopping, she got it for $75!
- Joseph has turned into a big time entrepreneur. He diligently completes his chores every day, so as to not have to "pay" me to do them and thus lose some of his allowance. But, his aspirations are higher than his measly allowance, so he constantly devises money making schemes. Several times he has created a Joseph Diner and invited us all to eat at his restaurant. The most memorable time was when Bailey and her friends gathered at our house for ice cream prior to a Stake Dance. Joseph scurried around and set up his diner and then invited all our guests to be seated. They gathered in the living room around tables created from upturned boxes and laundry baskets. He took their orders and then served them a mixture of fake food and real food (carrot sticks, red pepper slices, Almond Roca, and chocolate candies). And at the end of the "meal" he presented the diners with a bill for the food and services. Dan and I grabbed a handful of spare change for the owner of the Joseph Diner, and everyone was happy.
- Aubrey has spent many happy hours this summer creating works of art. She painted this trio of watercolors for the wall behind her bed.
Aubrey has also been a busy social bee this summer. Almost every day she has plans to invite friends over or go hang out with friends. She has gone to the fair, the mall, played night games, and has watched numerous chick flicks and Disney movies with friends.
Aubrey, Bailey, and I have had a good time shopping for school clothes. We don't want to think about school actually starting, but we've had fun buying clothes for that inevitable fact. The girls are doing a good job budgeting their clothes allowance.
Just about everybody in my entire family (siblings, nieces, nephews, parents, etc) have met Angela, but we have not. So, she is going to come with us to the Oregon Coast next week so we can get acquainted.
And that's our summer so far! It's been a good one, and we plan to keep on playing and having fun . . .
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