good day

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world. ~Ada Louise Huxtable

I had such a wonderful day today. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Well, really it began last night because Brett came home for dinner and STAYED home! Amazing. So when he went out to tinker with the Suburban, we all followed him out to be by him.

Ethne put on a tutu to dance around in and wanted her hair in a bun. So I had to take pictures of the cute ballerina.

Funny face.

Hazel wanted a bun in her hair too. She's so pretty. I think that all the time when I look at her.

And again, being so sweet together. Awwwwwww.

Jethro and Brett doing guy things. :)

Trying to get a picture of all four. What a joke!

And then today--what a great day! It began when I amazingly woke up before Brett was gone so I actually had a minute to cuddle with him which is always nice, but particularly as the guy has made himself so scarce lately. Then, soon after, Ethne woke up (which is strange, since she's usually a later sleeper, but she said her nose hurt--I'm thinking that may mean she couldn't breathe because she was so full of boogers. Anyway.) and she cuddled and played and hugged me for awhile. She is so cute and funny. And kids are so sweet in their fresh-from-sleep state. It really was so enjoyable. Look at that tousled-headed sweetness.

Tickling.

Then we went and picked wild black raspberries which was fun. Jethro and Hazel were so into it. And Talmage grabbed some berries from the bucket before I could snatch it away!!

Then we played for quite awhile at a little nature center which in all my time living here I'd never stopped at. It was fun. Jethro made me play checkers with him with little frogs. I hate checkers. I beat him but is such torture for me to play that game. Then it is torture for him when he loses.

Then we came home and had lunch and filled up the little pool we had in the backyard.

And got wet (well, the kids. Not me really.)

And Jethro had fun pushing the castle over onto Hazel.

And Talmage had fun grinning his cutie-cute grin.

More playing in the tumbled-down castle.

And Jethro started blowing up balloons with his rocket launcher. Good times.

Then we came in and lounged --the kids watched a movie and I read a book (by Richard Peck - one of my favorite authors. Love him. Love him, love him, love him.), and had french toast grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner with raspberries on top. Delish. The end.