Summer Daze

      Summer is a strange thing when you're a stay-at-home mama of preschoolers.  I remember back in the day when I worked like a regular person, summer became the time when traffic was a little bit lighter.  Now, it's more like you go somewhere and think, "Why are all these other people here?!"

      We finished June with the traditional celebratory birthday dinner for Dave: Portillo's.  Since we can't make it to Chicago, Italian Beef sandwiches come to us!  Yay for nationwide shipping and awesome in-laws!  Obviously, the kids managed to muscle it down.

      The reality of summer has definitely hit.  Every time I realize I should take the girlies outside to play, this is how I feel:

 

      Have you ever met a Southerner who swears that you get used to the heat?  Well, let me tell you something.  You never. get. used. to. it.  You just try and dress in a manner every day that will camouflage your butt sweat.  And it's awesome.  But to ensure that these crazies will nap for the benefit of my children's development, we go outside sometimes.  How do I cope?  Like this:

[The only thing missing is a giant glass of iced tea...P.S. Do you like my fancy phone?]

[Someone else wanted to share in the breeze from the fan.]

      The other thing that makes our playtime super fancy is this 3-foot-wide baby pool that we are still rocking.  Don't tell my kids there are better ones out there!  Those poor darlings think that our friend's larger inflatable pool is a legit swimming pool.  They are so deprived. 

     Do you like how I dress them in long sleeves?  I swear, if I could find them a swim burqa, I would.  It's not their fault they were born into the palest family in the world, but what can you do when you want to protect their alabaster whiteness and also minimize the usage of sunscreen on sensitive skin?! 

     As a sidenote, Dave decided it would be funny to put this random skull on our fence.  It really ups the creepy factor of our backyard.

    
     And now for the part of summer I can really support-- milkshake parties!   Our sweet friends (who I never photographed--whoops!) invited us to Chick-fil-a for some milkshakes and relaxing adult conversation while the kids peacefully played in the play room.  Just kidding: the kids ran back and forth and managed to spill at least three shakes on the floor over the course of an hour, but we still had a blast.  Oddly enough, Myla embraced the nameless cow with open arms while Piper clung to a parent and tried not to cry.  We found that the best way to curb her fear was through milkshakes, obviously.

     Happy summer!  Here's to 2 more months of overworked air conditioners and exorbitant energy bills!