The Saturday 7

We had a week jam-packed with summer fun! 

1. Monday night was the annual girls' sleepover at Niki's house. Lucy and Lena look forward to this event all year, and Levi is mad every year. Haha. This year Justin had soccer practice (#itbegins), so Levi and I went on a little date of our own. He chose Papa P's for dinner (blech), then I suggested The Pump House for an after dinner treat - to which he readily complied. 

Livin' the dream with the racing game at Papa P's. (The picture is so close because I had to press the gas pedal for him. Haha. #shortlegprobs)

We stayed and colored for a long time even after our ice cream was gone.

2. On Thursday we had another Cousin Day. Unfortunately Libby and Rieley had sick kids so they couldn't come. The rest of us packed up and headed to the big lake! We don't make the trek often, so Levi didn't really remember what Lake Michigan is like. I told him it's kind of like the ocean in Florida, except it's not salty and there are no sharks. 

It really is the best!

When we made it down to the beach from the parking lot, Levi said, "I can't even see the other side of the lake!" Haha. It was a red flag day, but the water is shallow a long way out, so we swam anyway. I told the kids not to go past where they could touch, gave them the spiel about swimming parallel to the shore in case they got caught in the rip current, and stayed with them anytime they went deeper than their waist. The waves were super fun and we played in them for hours! (I was sooooo sore the next day. Lol.)

Beach bums. Casper was not a fan for the first hour. Lol.

He eventually warmed up. 😍

This kid is obsessed with constructing sand barriers to keep the water out. I hope that's a sign that he'll be an engineer someday and make the big bucks! #myretirementplan

It's not a cousin picture if someone's not screaming! 😂

3. That night was the kick off to Town and Country days. There was an amateur dog show that I knew Levi would adore. It got off to a late start, so a bunch of people were standing around with their dogs while the waited. Levi took full advantage of that.

He and Nova went from person to person asking, "Can I pet your dog?"

Afterward, we wandered around town and found other random things going on. Levi discovered this free Nerf battle set up kind of like a paintball course. He was in his glories. 

Apple cart ride

4. Today was the parade. It was at 10:00 this year, before the heat really got oppressive. And Nash and Saylor were healthy enough to join us!

I love small town summers!

Afterward we walked around downtown again until we got too hot, then all headed to Niki's to jump in the pool! I've been feeling a little morose about my friend situation lately, and have gotten into a bad habit of playing the comparison game on facebook. But these are the moments that remind me what a charmed life I truly have. These are the days I dreamed of 20 years ago - my siblings and I living close and raising our kids together. I hope my kids and their cousins get to enjoy such a beautiful friendship with each other as adults. 

5. This afternoon, Justin and I dropped the kids off with said siblings so we could go on a date. Our 17th wedding anniversary is next week, but we won't be able to celebrate it then, so we did today. First we went to see Thor 4. I haven't seen Thor 1-3 and can't say I was real impressed with the fourth, but it was entertaining enough, and Justin enjoyed it. Then we went out for dinner. I've been working hard to save money lately, so I didn't feel too guilty about ordering an appetizer, paying the extra $2 a person for fries with our meals, and getting a drink. It was delicious. Finally, we took advantage of our kid free time and went grocery shopping! Haha. Hot dates in our late 30s. We didn't even take a single picture, though. What kind of millennials are we??

6. At Meijer, I stood in the clearance section hesitating over whether or not to spend $9 on a swimsuit for Levi and laughed at my irrational spending habits. We had just dropped $50 on a meal that we spent half an hour enjoying, but I couldn't bring myself to spend $9 on something Levi will wear countless times! It reminded me of a conversation I had with my friends in Indianapolis when we went on that girls' weekend. Knowing my bibliophile tendencies, they were surprised that I didn't load up with books at the conference bookstore. I explained that I'm not much of a re-reader, and get 95% of my reading material from the library. Later that weekend I was freeeeezing in the conference center. When they suggested picking up a sweatshirt from the merchandise tent, I balked at spending $40 on a single item of clothing. Jessie asked me later, "So what do you splurge on?" and I answered without hesitation, "food." #shameful

Which is why I have this problem . . .

7. Better quick throw up some pictures before we lose power. Storm's coming and the power's flickering!

Another Lena selfie I found on my phone

These kids and their crazy ideas. 

On Wednesday, my house was a revolving door of children. I had Nova all day, Elsie for a few hours in the late afternoon, and Ruby/Casper in the evening! #sadie'sdaycare

I found these planter plates at Meijer Thrifty Outlet for 10 cents a piece, so I grabbed a bunch and we had fun painting them this week. 

My diploma finally came! Who needs to fly across the country to attend the ceremony when you can have your diploma mailed and cue up a snapchat filter to make it look official. 😂🎓

My summer in one meme