summer is sweet.

Before I went back to work, I didn't quite realize
just how sweet summer is.
{well, when you're a teacher, that is.}

But now...
it's so clear.
Summer is precious time.

I love the feeling on a Sunday night
of not dreading Monday.

Come August, I'll be back to those dreadful Sunday nights.
I'm going back to teaching full-time next year:
second grade.
I'm excited, and anxious, and...not ready.
I need this summer.
So I'm trying to soak it all in.

We made our annual summer list.
It has the usuals:
go to tahoe
camp in the backyard
go to the pool
make ice cream
go to the beach
etc.

So we're slowly and deliberately crossing items off of the list.
And I'm loving every second of vacation.
{almost every second.  i don't love the kids bickering.  or the complaints of being bored.
or taking all three kids with me to costco.
i don't love that.}

Water fight with friends...check.
Actually, I'm not even sure it was on the summer list.
But it was fun.
Even if my windows did get soaked.



Other things that make summer sweet:
peony season.
I'm just sad that the season is so short.
They are the perfect flower.



Bed canopies.
She really, REALLY, wanted one for her birthday.
{i kind of want one, too.}



A Hobby Lobby recently opened in our area.
Before it did, I hadn't been in Hobby Lobby since we lived in Texas
in 1999-2001.
It was just as glorious as I remembered.



Another sweet thing this summer?
Ikea.
I took the kids on our very first day of break.
What better way to celebrate summer than with Ikea meatballs?



Also sweet...summer movies.
Avery was my date to go see Maleficent.
She had already seen it but wanted to go again with me.
And she had to try to win a bouncy ball in the arcade,
because we definitely don't have enough of those around the house.
{darn...we weren't winners.}



I've decided 2014 is the summer of the white nail polish.
I have a tiny little obsession with it.



Don't you think if summer had a taste it would be
watermelon and caprese salad?
I could eat caprese all day.
#tomatobasilmozarellaforever
And I used to hate watermelon when I was a kid.
I probably didn't start liking it until my thirties.
Weird.



Gary bought me The Art of Racing in the Rain
because he thought I would like it.
It's an easy read.
Have your kleenex ready at the end.



I am not a very good board game player.
Candyland...kill me.
Monopoly...I might die.
Old Maid...zzzzzzzz.

But Quirkle?  So fun.
I actually enjoy playing it.
And it's colorful!  Bonus.



And, of course, soccer.
The World Cup is on,
and nothing much else gets done during a game.
Especially when Mexico plays Holland,
and your husband is half Mexican, half Dutch.
{#dutchican}



The World Cup has also inspired someone to keep that soccer ball
with him all throughout the day.



And with the Fourth of July this week,
we had to make a stop at the fireworks stand.
I'm pretty sure one of those four people is the most excited
about fireworks.
{hint...he's over 40.}


Summer is sweet.
And there's more to come.

...end of may gratitudes...

Oh, I have a blog, don't I.

Funny how when you go back to work all of a sudden 

your free time involves laundry and dinner and wiping the counter

and falling asleep on the couch while watching the Real Housewives of wherever.

But here we are in late May,

and I'm limping toward the end of school finish line.

{and i am r-e-a-d-y.}

This year has been an adjustment.

Working + mommy-ing has been a game changer.

But we've had some fun.
And I've tried to still look for the beauty in the everyday,
and be grateful for the small miracles all around.

...grateful for breakfasts every day with three hungry little people...

I really, really try to make at least one hot thing for them for breakfast.
It's always bacon.
That's really all they want.
And once I perfected making it in the oven,
it's bacon every day!

And cereal.  Always cereal.

...grateful for a beach that feels more like home everytime we're there...
My husband is a surfer.
In his fantasy world he quits his job and just surfs,
and somehow we are independently wealthy.

I really like that fantasy world.

Every day I look at realtor.com and cross my fingers
that someone is selling a beach house for less than a jillion dollars.
No.  No, they're not.

...grateful for these kids...
Why do they keep growing?
{and someone needs a haircut.}



...grateful for little antique shops...
This is my favorite shop.
The owner knows me,
and I dream of having her job when she decides to retire.
Until that happens I just go in every month or so and wander.
And take selfies in the mirror, obviously.



...grateful for weekends that end in layers and layers of sunscreen...
They really are the best weekends.
With the best nights of sleep...right?



...grateful they'll still wear the in-n-out hats...
I have our in-n-out order down to a science.
"two hamburgers ketchup only, one grilled cheese no onions, tomatoes, or lettuce,
one double meat animal style, one protein style animal style, two fries"

We're a predictable crowd.



...grateful for a girl that looks at home in front of a class...
I wonder if she'll want to be a teacher?
It's in her blood, so....



...grateful for this town we live in...
It's a pretty special place.



...grateful for impromptu naps with my biggest kid...
He'll still cuddle with me.
How great is that?



...grateful for hot rollers...
Girls with super straight hair need all the help they can get.



...grateful for the very best mother's day gift ever...
An espresso machine.
I have a cappuccino every morning.
It's like heaven.



...grateful for warm nights and fire pits after the kids go to bed.
This one is self-explanatory.



...grateful for kids that make their own sandwiches...
The best thing I've done of late is start having the kids make their own lunches.
It's life-changing.



...grateful for new shoes...
Nude color...
peep toe...
sandals...
they're my favorite.
{urban outfitters}



...grateful for track meets...
Just because they're fun.
And I'd rather watch someone else run than run myself, let's face it.



Summer will be here for me in 6.5 more days.
PTL.
Maybe I'll be in this space more frequently over the summer?  Who knows.
I miss documenting our days.
I may even pull out my real camera.



{I am on instagram, though.
Are you?
I'm @foreverfoldinglaundry.}

january, and good days ahead.

Well, if it isn't January 16th.
You wouldn't know it from the weather...
um, 72 at our house today.
But I'm sure it's January because three of us are home sick.
Another one of us is getting over his cold, but toughing it out at work.

The last one of us started this whole germ-fest by getting
strep and scarlet fever (!) last week.

So, yeah.  It's winter.

Life these days is a little more hurried than it's been in the past.

It's funny how going back to work even part time can rock your world

and add an extra level of crazy to life.

And life + a little more crazy is not necessarily a bad thing.

Some days are better than others.
Some days are work and migraines and a messy house and pizza for dinner.
But I'd rather not remember those days.

Here I just want to look back and remember the better days:

...like watching 1,295 soccer games this fall
{and missing front teeth that have already almost grown all the way in}

...crazy, loud, wild, running-down-the-hall nights
{one day the house will be quiet.  and i'll hate it.}



...a little girl's recital in a big church



...Friday night dates with chips and salsa



 ...a little fabric cutting for a little quilt making



...kids that still want to dress up at Halloween



...sunset show-offs in our little town



...nerves of steel during jenga



...brothers that aren't twins but look like they are



...a naughty dog completely disregarding the house rules



...rainbow looming all the live long day



...the sun at our backs and the road ahead of us



...moments without bickering or arguing



...time with my favorite guy



...special days with special people



...taking it all in



...remembering how happy the happiest place on earth feels



...the mug my favorite girl made me that may cause eye trauma


...that she's still little and has ponies taped to her wall instead of boy bands



...the look on the boys' faces when they got their own red ryder bb guns



...the looks of wonder that the Christmas tree inspires



...that first batch of fudge of the season



...peaceful mornings



...getting a facial for the first time in years (HEAVEN)



...day trips to tide pools



...a beautiful morning of loving God and loving (and serving) others, as a family.



...Christmas morning and Lucy's gift of bones, bones, bones



...days of tired feet, achy backs, happy hearts



Sorry for the overload,
but it's been a full few months.

Here's to a 2014 full of focusing on the happy days.