At breakneck speed, they grow.

It is again one of those weeks where there are too many things to do, and not enough hours in the day.  There are errands that need to be run, appointments to be made, papers and proposals to be written, and laundry to be folded.  I'm behind on the "to do" list, the "call back" list, and the "read when you have time" list.  There are at least 10 untouched books on my shelf and a stack of things to be sorted for consignment or Goodwill.  I should make that ground beef into meatballs before it turns.  I should cut up the strawberries and put them in to-go dishes before turning in for the night.  I should tidy the front room, and line the discarded shoes into pairs on the rack.  But you know what? It'll all be there in the morning.  And the next day. And the day after that.  

The hectic pace of the day-to-day hasn't lent itself lately to taking a deep breath and step back, and seeing how much the children have grown.  They are such sweet kids -- I feel so lucky.  Caleb's asthma is now manageable with a twice daily inhaler: no more nebulizer treatments!  [if you need a kid-friendly "puff the penguin" air compressor and a pediatric fishy-face mask, do let me know.] His increasingly infrequent tantrums are now directly trace-able to the same reasons that make his mommy lose her mind: (1) being hungry, (2) being over-tired, or (3) being told what to do too often!   He is absolutely enamored with the teensy weeny Legos now, especially building helicopters and landscape scenes.  Perhaps he'll be an architect or engineer? 

Zoe is still growing like a weed.  She has nearly 3" and 5 lbs over her brother now, and loves to have her nails painted.  She likes to show off on how fast she can run, how quickly she can climb, and likes to help cook and wash dishes and draw.  Sometimes she says she wants to be a princess...but also longs for the day when she can go on bike rides with mommy on the Saturday mornings when I try to get out for long rides at 7. She is trying so hard to read, but we're not pushing it...one more year of preschool for them both before the transition to Kindergarten.  

 Awesome dinner at H&T's house -- twins 3 weeks older than Z&C.  

 Twins squared. 

 Sneaking in a home photo here...this is the new patio we put in, showing off the transplanted ferns from another part of the garden.  Huge thanks to the neighbors for their discarded patio set! 

 The hot weather demanded a pool membership a short drive away.  This place is a true community pool with small scale swing sets, a family run snack shack, and a great kiddy pool and big pool.  

 We went by to support the home team at a swim meet, have a few hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner, and let the kids play until they were pooped enough to sleep through the night.  

 Z&C pretty much had the best costumes for "dress like daddy day" at daycare.  Wonder why there wasn't a "dress like mommy day?"   

 One early summer morning we all played hooky and I took the kids for donuts.  At first they demanded the "chocolate bagels" (pumpernickel).  One bite later, even after I tried to explain that they weren't really chocolate...I caved and got Zoe an old fashioned chocolate glazed donut...  

 ...whereas Caleb has a taste for the chocolate cake donuts (no icing). 

 There is no summer in the great U.S. of A. without a trusty fireman watching as small children attempt to break everything in a firetruck. 

 or, stand at the precipice of a 4.5 foot drop off the metal, grated step to the ground. 

 Zoe was placed in the 4-year-old class when she started at the daycare, given space constraints in the 3s where Caleb went.  Some of her class "graduated" to Kindergarten, but she'll stay for another year.  

 Always a trailblazer -- hers had to be in red. 

 A summer BBQ kid-tastic day.