Wait; what? It's July??!?

Summer. Oh, Summer... You are fabulous and wonderful and drive me crazy with the speed at which you move.

 Basketball. Lots and lots of basketball this summer. Especially since it's been so cool and rainy, which makes our pool days very limited. I like that I got Evan in mid-air in this shot. Too bad the ball didn't swish, otherwise it would have been even better...

 No idea where our collection of basketballs came from but there are a few that aren't even in this shot. Don't you like our broken chair in the background? That's called "exterior design."

 Another mid-air shot... I also like how I captured Penny in a 3-point turn or whatever they're called. Very action-y.

 Awww.... how sweet. A Father's Day drawing with a scary...panda?

 But you have to read the fine print: "Daddy, I love all the time expeshuly when you do helicopter with me in the pool."

Aha. At least she's honest.

 I like this picture because A. it portrays Corinne exactly as she is when the music is pumping, and B. because you are led to believe that my vehicle is way cleaner than it actually is, and C. she was in the middle of her head scarf stage and I loved it. Very cool.

 Papa and Nana's pool! It was actually warm enough on Father's Day for a swimming bbq with some of the cousins.

 Patrick sees a pool and instantly thinks "Launch children into the air."

I'm saving this one for future boyfriends...

 Speaking of boyfriends... Isn't my guy HOT? Ooooeeeee!

 I had to get in on that shot. And then the camera broke from all of the hotness. We broke the camera. We did.

 Cousins in the basement on an "adventure to Alaska" instead of outside in the gorgeous sunshine.
And having a fabulous time doing so, too.

 Photo credit: 5 year old nephew. He got my legs in a good angle and for that I will always favor him above all other nieces and nephews.

 Our friends from Texas were visiting and we had several playdates with her and her 4 adorable kids. This was the nail salon outside where much nail polish ended up on the 3 year old's legs and the 5 year old changed her mind repeatedly and the 1 year old baby boy was quite perturbed that he couldn't eat the nail polish bottle until he found the guacamole-hummus dip...

 ...which he decided to eat sans chips and just go full-fist into it. Penny figured out very, verrrry quickly where she should sit and which child should be her favorite. I love this picture for so many reasons, one of which is his hair. I could fluff that kid's hair all day long.

 Just one shot from a very long and awesome sleepover playdate with Corinne's buddy from Texas. For some reason, our girls enjoy being blood-sucking vampire brides and walking to the park in full make-up. Better than princesses or worse? Discuss.

Hellllloooo Lake Michigan! We've been to the beach a few times already, too, but it's never hot enough to really get wet and stay wet. Corinne totally went in the water as a matter of principle, but it didn't last long.

 And then the lightning storm came and they kicked us off o the sand...

 So we sat with Jocelyn on the beach bench with our feet in the air because, as Corinne said, "we're not in the sand anymore!"

 It actually WAS a warm and lovely, windy day last week when we went strawberry picking with Melisa, Jocelyn, and Michelle.

 And the berries at Thompson's Berry Farm in Bristol, WI were ripe and juicy and exploded all over my shorts when I sampled a few.

 This picture does not convey the level of muddiness that the fields held. All you see here is the straw between the plants. But underneath that straw was the thickest, muckiest muck of all...

 Awww. My daughter IS my heart.

 Michelle's kids cracked me up. They had a lot more berries in their bellies than their baskets that day.

 Melisa very elegantly models the proper way to carry a basket...

 YUM, right???

 I wanted to show how muddy I was, but this picture didn't display it well...

 So, I took a picture of Melisa's feet. Her flip flops flipped more than they flopped and she had mud splattered alllll up her legs and back. It was quite adorable.

 Hey! ANOTHER DAY! I am just jam-packing this post with pictures. It's my blog, and I'll do what I want. We had a birthday party for Patrick's grandma at Phillip's Park in Aurora this weekend. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate and we spent the end portion of the party holding umbrellas over the cupcakes and ribs once the skies opened up and poured on our heads.

 But beforehand, it was lovely. Much hoola-hooping was had by all.

This is when the rain was "fun" and we're all still laughing and moderately dry. By the end, we were still laughing but completely drenched.

My gosh, I love her freckles....