Summer, you sweet, sweet thing. I’m feeling so very thankful
for the nice break it has given us the last few weeks. Surely, it’s been close
to heaven for me. So relaxing and sweet and quiet, with no schedule, with nothing
to do, nowhere to be but present and here. I wish it could last forever and
ever.
The boys have been swimming their little hearts out every
single day, all day long. Our backyard is so much easier to play in than our
old house, for some reason. I love having a door right off the back porch, and
no nasty decking to keep up! In the early morning, we open all the windows and
the French doors leading onto the patio and we come in and out all day long!
The weather has been so nice – that perfect early summer temperature. I was
thinking just last week how much I fall in love with Pocatello in June. The
weather is perfection, the trails are so close, and all the Russian Olives are
in bloom. We are so blessed with prosperity and safety here. My heart has been
super content lately.
The boys have been busy following our new chore chart for
the summer and earning allowance. We lucked out and found a whole stack of
magic tree house books at a yard sale a few weeks ago. And Morgan had read half
of them within a few days. He loves those books so much and he’s such a good
littler reader. He follows us around the house with a book in his hands. He’s
so cute. And so sweet. The boys have loved bike riding this summer. Danny is
such a good little rider. He loves showing off his trick (a small wheelie).
We’ve been planning and preparing the backyard for our cows
and they were finally delivered earlier this week. Danny was in absolute
heaven. I just know someday he’ll be our farmer Dan. He loves anything and
everything to do with being outside. He’s
such a good little worker with such an eye for detail. He loves keeping things
nice and tidy outside.
Mr. Keller has been working hard in our yard – his poor back
is paying for it. We finally rented a skidster and grated the back area behind
our shop and had three semi truckloads of gravel delivered. He’s been doing
sprinklers and electric fencing, and a million other things, and when he sits
down at night, he just crashes. I love this hard working sweetheart of mine. I
love that he loves what he’s chosen to do. He’s the most ambitious person I
know. What a blessing it is to have him leading this little family of ours.
I turned thirty-one last week and it broke my heart. I was
crying before I even got out of bed. The boys were so sweet, and they made me
the sweetest cards, and Mr. Keller wrote me a “card of feelings”, which is the
only gift I ever request from him (printer paper folded in half with his love
written down and “card of feelings” scribbled on the front). I even took a
three hour nap! But I cried all day long. While some ladies are worried about wrinkles
and skin and whatever else, I’m over here at such a loss over where the time
has gone, particularly with my children. The days are so fast and so full that
I scarcely find myself pausing to take any of it in the way I know I should be.
That is not a good way to feel, and it’s a rather empty way to live. We grilled
and had a nice dinner and tuxedo cake. We ended the day with a hike up our very
favorite trail. We waited until it was almost night time because it had been
such a hot day, and I’m so glad we did, because the air was so delicious and
cool and perfect and just what I needed to gather myself in and resolve to make
this year less, and more. More hugs, and books and songs before bed. More
counting freckles and finding shapes in the clouds. More walks, more talks,
more holding. These days are fleeting, and I know it. God bless that I can
cling to them as tightly as they deserve to be clinged to.
Next up, Danny Jared’s fifth! He has been so excited for
this birthday, he can barely stand it. He’s been talking about it for weeks and
weeks, and he looked forward to be sang to in Primary all week long. Today in
Sacrament, he said, “I’m going to ask for 60 Reeses after they sing to me!”. He
continues to be our entertainment. We love our birthday boy.
