Summer, summer, summer!!!

I have been up since 5:40 am precisely. I swam laps at our neighborhood pool this morning. It's outdoors and the air was chilly, but once I got going it was pleasant and quiet. It's now 7:34 and Dave has been gone for an hour. All the wee ones are still fast asleep, though I'm estimating I have mere minutes before they begin to rise, one at a time, rubbing their eyes, heading straight to the kitchen where their tummies will want mini-wheats or hot chocolate, despite the fact that I will happily make them eggs or pancakes. Picky little things ...

So it's only day 4 of summer vacay and I'm pretty darn tired.

Monday we started swim team, in which the two eldest (Chatterbox, 9 1/2, and Smidget, 7) swim laps for an hour and the other two run all over the place with a small herd of children, Queenie leading the pack and Man Cub toddling far behind on his chubby legs, desperately trying to keep up and failing. Chatterbox has protested being on the swim team for the first time this year but we insist. It's only for 6 weeks after all. 

[I hear the footsteps of the first riser]

So they swim every morning from 9 to 10 and it's quite rewarding seeing what good little swimmers they are becoming, even if they aren't the fastest or strongest. I think this is part of why Chatterbox doesn't love it. She is pretty slow and not at all competitive, but I tell her that the competition part doesn't matter; she should just try for a personal best. Here they are swimming the "doggy paddle" for a fun break. Their coach told them to bark all the way across the pool. It was so funny!

Monday we also went to our first ever Fresno Grizzlies baseball game (the minor league team for the Giants). It was a rare, cool night in Fresno--just perfect for chilling at the ball game. Other than a near-temper-tantrum-miss when I adamantly refused to purchase a $6.50 cotton candy for Queenie, I was quite content. Mr. Man Cub had a marvelous time climbing all over the seats and eating snacks. They have a 'special' on Mondays where you get 2 field level tickets, 2 sodas, 2 hotdogs, and 2 Wild Waters passes for $32 so we did that. A Grizzlies game and Wild Waters were both on our summer 'to-do' list last year and we never did them, so it feels good to get a jump start this year.

Tuesday--more swimming followed by a play date

And yesterday D had a very rare day off and so we took the kids and used our Wild Waters passes! It was surprisingly fun ... we haven't taken them to a water park in about 3 years so it was MUCH better this time. Man Cub wasn't crazy about the water for the first hour or so but eventually he warmed up to the idea. We made it home just in time to feed the Sister Missionaries, then we all went to Daddy's softball game. I love summer softball and late summer evenings which make for late summer mornings.

[I think the first riser is back to bed ...]

The older two have a tennis camp after swim for the next two days and so we shall finish the first week of summer off strong, with happy and exhausted little children and an equally exhausted mother. I know I can't keep this up, but luckily I have called in reinforcements and Uncle Matt will be here in just one more week! YAY!!!!!! 

How is your summer going? And thanks for the comments, everyone! I was encouraged to see that at least 6 people are still around. You must be the 6 who love me most.