lovely little life.

 i admit, i haven't been making my kids spend their entire summer in the backyard. we have been going to the pool most week nights and went back to red top beach last weekend. i'm not sure why, but evan loved it. it could have something to do with not being so tired. or maybe it was because i slathered him in sunscreen before we left the house. or, more than likely, it was because his papa was with him.

whatever it was, the boys had a blast.

any time anyone wants to join us for an early morning, before it gets too crowded, meet-up at red top beach, let me know.

we are in.

 in summer learning news, my mom gave lane an activity book for kindergartners a few weeks ago. there's lots of pages full of all of his favorite things to do - tracing letters, drawing shapes, counting objects. and, what he isn't quite old enough to grasp yet, i just modify for him (without him even knowing).

most mornings, before breakfast, he'll ask for a page in his book and i'll set him up with a marker and and some sunshine.

he constantly amazes me.

 last week, lane found an empty box in the dining room and started playing cars around it. he informed me it was dixie speedway - and bam, just like that, i had a great idea. i cut open the box. pulled some instant oatmeal out of its box, found an almost empty box of cereal. and set out to help him create his own dixie speedway. 

 first, we needed a place for people to sit. then we needed a pit stop. then a concession stand. we continued to add on for a few days, including a track drawn by lane and a girl cut from one of my catalogs singing our national anthem.

lane came up with the design. i cut and taped. evan constantly destroyed his brother's hard work.

it gave all three of us something to play with and work on for a few days. 

 last friday night, james had to run up to the office before bed time. so, all of us went with him and stopped at dairy queen on our way there. we parked in the back of the office complex. the boys ate their ice creams while james and i enjoyed our shakes. all of us looked for dear and bunnies.

lane soon tired of looking for bunnies and decided he would much rather look at himself. i caught him happily licking away at his ice cream cone while watching his own reflection in the truck's bumper.

of course, last sunday was father's day. we lazed around the house all morning. the boys and i went to the gym in the early afternoon - giving james some much needed at home alone time. and then we spoiled him with  scooby doo cupcakes on the back deck. as a special treat, lane and evan stuck their fingers in to each cupcake and ate just the icing off more than half of them.

we sure do love that guy.