Enjoying Our Last Days of Summer

We spent our week this week trying to squeeze in as much summer time fun as we could. Summer went by so fast this year since we spent most of it in Ukraine. We did our best to sleep in, spend lazy mornings around the house playing games and doing chores, played with friends, and eating outside. I think we accomplished our goal. The kids seem pretty ready to start school. Maybe much more ready than I am anyway.

One day this week we spent the afternoon with our good friends at the park. My friend Heidi and her husband actually went to junior high and high school with us in California. I met Heidi and Kevin both when I was in 7th grade (our school was 7-12, junior high and high school). I actually went to elementary school with her husband Dustin. Heidi was even my discipleship group leader for 2 years when I was a freshman and sophomore in high school, since she is a couple years older than I am. They moved to NC shortly after we did for pretty much the same reasons we did. They even stayed with us for a few months while their house was still under construction. It is so fun to live across the country from your childhood home, but still have old friends close by. :) Anyway, Heidi and her two kids (Trent, 6 and Kate, 3) invited us play at the park. Our kids all get along well. In fact I think Trent and Julian are already pretty good buddies considering they have only played a few times and they don't even understand what each other are saying. I was telling Heidi that water, mud, and running must be the language of little boys everywhere.

Here are some pictures of our afternoon:

We were out running errands in the morning so I packed a lunch to take with us.


Heidi pushes Lily and Kate on the swings.


The "Great Frog Hunt" of summer 2008 begins.


This is so Sophie. She is wearing a skirt and too many accessories (as usual) and frog hunting with Trent and Julian. She has such a fun balance of girly-girl and tom boy.


These little guys were hiding near logs all through the woods. They are anywhere from thumbnail to quarter size.


Sophie eyes her latest catch.


Tate, Kate, and Lily mostly stuck to the playground and left the frog hunting to their older siblings.


Buddies.


It was a really hot day. Hotter than it had been in a while. The kids drank all of the drinks I brought at lunch so we resorted to the water fountain. I don't even want to think about how dirty a park water fountain probably is. They saw their first water fountain at the airport when we landed in America. I never thought about it but I guess since people don't drink tap water in Ukraine there are no water fountains. They are still a novelty for our kids who had no idea how to use them at the airport.


The Tater Tot (as he is commonly referred to around here) is ready to catch some minnows.


Is there anything cuter than this little girl with her pink butterfly net?


Off they go...









Hunting frogs and feeding geese.


And more snacking. Then we went home and straight into the bath. Hot sweaty kids, dirt paths, juicy plums... you get the picture. :)