Bits of summer fun!

Ok... summer is here.  I need to remember to keep a book in the car :o)  I arrived the to pick up kiddo 2 from her summer job at a local horse farm on Tuesday.  And found her far out in the fields exercising one of the horses.  This kiddo will shovel a lot of poo for a chance to ride!  (And she has been shoveling a lot of poo!) 

And here is kiddo 3!  I turned around the other day to find her building block towers on the rocking chair arm.  So beautiful!  Even when her towers kept falling over when she rocked.

And kiddo 4 just had a birthday.  My *baby* is ELEVEN now.  She thought that would be a great excuse to grow another inch or so.  Funny (tall) kid!  Soooooo... how did kiddo 4 choose to spend her birthday?  At the mall.  Ugh.  She's wanted to visit the mall for about six months now.  Have I mentioned that I am a *tad* resistant to anything involving large shopping centers???  When I was a kid, my mom decreed that every other year was a birthday party year and the off years were one-friend-for-an-overnight years.  I'm sure this helped her stay sane with two kiddos with near-Christmas birthdays.  (Yes, I tried many times to convince her that August was a slow enough month to have a party every year.  No... it didn't work...)

 

Whooops... I veered off-topic.  (Nothing new to anyone who knows me...)  Now, with two of my own kiddos with near-Christmas birthdays, the every-other-year-party has been reinstated.  Even for the June kiddo.  Soooooo.... how *did* kiddo 4 convince me to set foot in a...gulp!... mall???  This was a one-friend year.  And she wanted to go to Build-a-Bear.  Yup, I'm a sucker for birthday wishes.  And it actually was a wonderful day!  The girls giggled happily in the back seat while the "air conditioning" (open windows) whistled through the car.  They had a ball choosing the perfect outfits for their critters.  We rode escalators.  And ate icecream.  We had dinner at Applebees where K4 was thrilled to have a special birthday song presented along with a dessert that she was too full to eat.  And when we returned her friend home, the grown-ups (yes, I qualify) sat and visited while the kids played for a couple more hours.  It was a beautiful day.  Even if it included time at a mall.  (And daddy enjoyed the very chocolaty cake and melted icecream when we arrive home!)

  And, look!  Our puppy personalized my hat for me!

Sooooo.... what about kiddo 1?  What has she been up to?  Well... we are headed to Maine on Saturday for the annual Tucker family beach week!  My parents, sisters, their families, and some extras gather for a week of fun.  For the past two years, a murder mystery evening has been part of the entertainment.  Led by my fun-loving eldest daughter and me.  Goofy costumes, lively role-playing.  A night of sheer hilarity!  With one little downfall... we've always used the boxed parties which are written for 6-8 people.  And the kids have been a bit bummed.  They want to play!  So, this year, we are creating our own mystery.  For 14.  It is a bit of an undertaking....  K1 and I have been working most nights for several hours together.  But I am a little short on daytime hours that I can pour into the project.  So K1 has absconded with the computer to her room most afternoons.  What a kiddo!  And what hilarity is bound to ensue!

Well... time to start the day!  Have a happy one!