Weekending, monkey bars, and other tidbits

How time flies.  It is almost September.  Almost the last week of August.  I thought we just started the summer!  To be fair, it has been a wonderful summer, despite the fickle weather.  And by fickle, I mean weather that can't make up its mind as to whether or not it's August or May.  C'est la vie.  We have lots of indoor activities (like chess, and tic-tac-toe and toy car washes on the balcony) for inclement weather.  But my favourites are those outdoor times where the kids play for hours and we lose track of the time and the day stretches out gently.  

But the weekends have been lovely.  I must say.  And full.  Full of visits to the zoo, outdoor BBQs in the park, canoeing, playing soccer, practicing monkey bars, swimming and just about everything that makes summer special for little ones.  (Incidentally, we don't seem to have much trouble getting them to bed after these excursions.)  And yet somehow, these adventures don't make things feel busy or even remotely chaotic.  Perhaps we take a low-key approach, or maybe the excursions we have allow for us to relax together.  Or perhaps it's because during the week, we are mostly homebodies aside from the daily park visits or nature walks, so when the weekend comes we have the energy to go forth.  I don't know.  But I'm glad.  I emphatically dislike feeling stretched too thin.  And the more kids we have, the more stretched life gets.  At least we can control some parts of it.  D and I have always felt that it is important for the kids not to be rushed around from one thing to the next without time to absorb, process and just enjoy life.

So when I say practicing monkey bars is part of our summer, I am dead serious.  This 6 year old boy is just enamoured with those bars.  He wasn't able to do them at the beginning of the summer.  But he practiced and practiced.  (Every park we went to had to have monkey bars for him to practice on!)  And now he can do them.  Oh what pride and joy lit up that sweet face as he kept showing us how he could swing himself back and forth.  We keep telling him it was because he never gave up, and I think that resonated with him.  A good life lesson to take away from monkey bars.  :)

We received a present from one of our neighbours last week.  A pot of mint.  Such a nice gift!  It is sitting happily on our balcony alongside the spinach and parsley.  Our parsley has been getting haircuts quite regularly and I love being able to step out to the balcony whenever I need some.  Puts a whole new meaning on the word "fresh".  

My two-year old is quite a character, as you can see.  She likes to do everything the other two can.  And boy does she make it known when she's not happy.  It's kind of funny watching her pull her older sister or brother in the wagon for example.  Or try to run along when they have races.  She thrives on routine and order.  But what a fun girl to have around.  I can always count on her to be game for whatever craftsy, artsy project I do.  :)  

And because I am just brain dead right now, I will take my leave.  So much to do on my list this week to get the kids ready for school!  Hoping you enjoy the final days of August and summer.