The ABCs of Summer, pt. 2
A two-part photojournal of summer 2023
Part 2 of The ABCs of Summer
Naps
We took lots of naps between adventures and daily homemaking activities
Owls
One of the library programs we attended was on owls. We learned how their eyeballs take up most of their head, got to touch and look at various body parts, and dissected an owl pellet!
PeachesÂ
Fresh peaches were such a treat this summer. We threw them onto salads and sundaes, slurped peach milkshakes, and froze and canned them.
Queens
We are raising these queens to be fierce, kind, compassionate, independent, and creative.
Royal Family Kids' Camp
It was year 16 for me volunteering at Royal Family Kids' Camp - a camp for kids from hard places. It was my first year being a relief counselor instead of a counselor which was a little bit bittersweet, but it gave me freedom to juggle motherhood and my love for camp!
Swings
One of Jael's favorite pastimes this summer has been swinging. There is no doubt she is a girl in motion!
Trucks
We got to tour quite a few fire trucks one Thursday with our mom group!
Unicorns
It was the summer of "horsies!" In our house. Anything unicorn caught Jael's eye - from these unicorn gift shop ducks to getting her face painted like one!
VinaigretteÂ
This lemon basil vinaigrette was divine on BLT salads this summer - No picture, just deliciousness!
https://thecleaneatingcouple.com/healthy-lemon-basil-vinaigrette/Â
Weddings
Five days after LucÃa's birth, I was honored to be in my friend's wedding. Thankfully I had a seamstress friend measure me at 20ish weeks pregnant so minimal alterations were needed for my bridesmaid dress. It was a beautiful day full of sunshine and promises!
Xylitol
I realized during my labor with LucÃa that my senses play a huge role in managing the process. I craved verbal encouragement from Luis and my Mom, had a Brandon Lake playlist going in the background, kept an ice cold wash cloth on my forehead, and chewed gum. Thank you, Pur Gum with xylitol! (No picture, just happy chewing).
Yard
I am so thankful for our small but mighty yard! We definitely know how to max out the minimal square footage - trampolines, planting fruits and veggies, and mini splash pads with friends!
Zoos
From two real life zoos to a robot zoo at our local museum, we encountered a lot of animals this summer! Jael enjoyed feeding goats and llamas at the petting zoo portions and pretending to be a chameleon at the robot zoo exhibit. My particular favorite was the monkeys. There was the spider monkey that was very fascinated with LucÃa in my carrier and the baby monkeys that were carried around by their mamas.
This summer was much slower than our normal summers of traveling and big adventures, but it was what we needed and part of the season we are in. I'm thankful for flexible mindsets as we participated in life around us geographically! Summer 2023 was one for the books!