may & june.

May and June were fast and furious. For Chris, they were filled with long dissertation writing days that extended into the wee hours of many mornings. For me and the kids, well, we had a lot more fun than he did. We spent our early summer at parks, at lakes, riding bikes, and missing daddy. Really, that is pretty much it. It is a simple yet sweet life.

May and June brought Mothers and Fathers Days. We don't go too big on such holidays around here. A small gift or treat and a load of homemade cards. This year was fun because Carly made some Mother's Day surprises at school. Her class compiled a "cook book" where each kid explained how to make something. Carly laid out the recipe for pancakes, including "2 spoonfuls of love." She also made me a book of drawings of things she likes to do with me. She's the best. Thanks to Sam's Club, I also got an amazing new blender for a price that didn't make me want to pass out. I no longer swear at my old one, so its a win all the way around. Father's Day Saturday we headed up to campus and stole daddy away from his writing for a bit to walk and feed the very aggressive and scary campus ducks. Chris is an awfully good daddy, and the fact that his kids have missed him so much is proof of that. 

May and June brought sunshine, and humidity right along with it. I swear we went straight from cold to hot and humid. We typically get a space of enjoyable weather, but not so much this year. Thank you, Michigan, you're making it a bit easier to fly away without tears. The humidity makes me grumpy. But we survive it by hitting the water. Its too hard for me to take the kids to a pool by myself, and as it turns out they aren't too big on the splash pad. But the lakes, well, these Michiganders love the lakes. And it works for mom too because they are shallow. We love spending the day at the lake.

May and June brought visitors and visits. The kids headed to Indiana for a few days while Chris and I flew out to Pullman. They love grandma and papa's house and still tell me about the cow bus they rode and papa's tractor and papa's fire. Later grandma and aunt Sarah came up for me to get a jump on packing and spoiled the kids with all sorts of fun. Sarah and I escaped for a trip to Ikea, and now I really NEED to move into my house. Oh, I wish she wasn't a country away.

May and June brought the beginning of packing our life into boxes. My goal is to bring a fraction of what we currently own, and so far I'm doing well. I sure love taking loads to the Goodwill. I have to pack while the kids are asleep, to avoid traumatizing Carly. I also slip things out of her room without her noticing. We recently got an amazing deal on some new couches an older couple was selling. We have had our old ugly couches our whole marriage after buying them from a BYU professor on the For Sale board at the Wilk (is that still there?). We wanted to get new ones but now that we have to buy a washer and dryer, we weren't sure how we were going to furnish two living spaces. Enter nice people selling nice couches for cheap. When I walk in our living room now I feel like I'm in someone else's house . . . someone with nice couches. I was feeling pretty happy but Carly was BESIDE herself. I sold our old couches and when we were moving them out she was crying and asked to hug them goodbye. Thankfully, she has since gotten over it. I'm feeling grateful she won't be here when it is time to load up the moving truck.

May and June brought an anniversary. Eight years of wedded bliss passing with little fanfare. I think we sat at the table and ate ice cream for about 15 minutes before we both got back to doing our respective tasks. Eight years ago we had no idea what was coming our way, and the fact we spent our anniversary taking care of three kids, working on a dissertation that would soon be complete, and packing boxes to move into our first house . . . it was symbolic of this good and simple life we have built. I love my husband. I'm glad we are on this wild ride together.

May and June brought bike rides and bike rides and bike rides. These kids love their bikes. Quinn has a special fondness and possessiveness over hers. She is a bike prodigy of sorts, already a peddling pro (she goes so fast I have to jog to keep up), and she can't even speak in full sentences yet. John didn't have a bike of his own for a long time, and I just didn't want to fork out the money for a real bike when we wasn't even close to peddling. Then he rode a neighbors little plastic trike using his feet Flinstone-style, and I had my answer. Thanks to Amazon Prime he had a bike a few days later. He can cruise on that thing, shuffling his thick little legs so fast. It is impressive. So now I just walk. I just walk while they ride. I have to give a push here and there and straighten someone out here and there, but it is pretty awesome to just walk I have to say. Sadly, when bike rides end tantrums begin. Quinn would probably ride her bike all day long, and often asks to do so first thing in the morning or when it is time for bed. It is hard when mom makes you get off to do other things.

May and June brought a completed dissertation. Did you hear that!? At the end of June Chris sent that baby in. Now he is prepping his defense, after which he'll spend a few weeks doing revisions. So the party isn't over (the party is NEVER over), but it was a major milestone. The day after he turned it in, we escaped for a beach day at Lake Michigan. It was a much-needed day together. Lake Michigan is right on top of the list of things I will miss about this beautiful state, and a warm sunny blue-skied day with with our little family and some friends did not make matters better. It was a most beautiful day that ended with dinner at Qdoba and ice cream at Culvers so really it doesn't get any better than that.

May and June were good to us. I really can't believe how fast they went by. I was feeling like our move was taking forever to get here, and now it is sneaking up on me. These days are fleeting. I can feel them slipping away. These days where it is just me and the kids filling time with whatever suits our fancy. Soon we will be with family, then we will be in Washington, and then school will start and, forgive the drama, but life will change forever. I want to hold on to these days, because that little rhyme you hear about how babies don't keep . . . it's true. They don't keep. I'm so happy we have had this May and June. It felt so hard, so crazy, so busy, so stressful. But looking back, it was also really really sweet.