The Basham Family: I thought May and June disappeared out of thin air but then, POOF! went July, August and half of September!

You may have noticed in the last few days that I'm making a real effort here to get back to blogging. I took two solid months off - not on purpose really. It just sort of happened. We've had such a busy summer with work and family travel - and been making the most of the weekends even when we are in town. My job has been so busy that some days I realize I've had to pee for like 3 hours before I make time to go. Then throw in waking up at 4:30 every day to exercise and being wiped by 8pm. And you've got sitting on the awesome patio (dubbed our 'vacation home') with a good book taking priority over sitting in front of the computer blogging during my 45 minutes of free time per day (you know those few moments after the kids go to sleep where you muster up the last bit of energy from your reserves to do SOMETHING for yourself - even though all you really want to do is pass out).

Anyway - considering all that - it becomes pretty clear how 3+ months can just vanish before your eyes. But then I start to feel guilty and I think about those blog books and how much I think the kids will enjoy them when they grow up. And how accomplished I feel when I put a post out there. It's a hobby that has a real, tangible outcome. Progress you can see. I like those kinds of hobbies.

So, I'll try to catch up on all that's gone on this summer over the next several posts. Probably most of the stories will be abbreviated either because I've already forgotten the details or because I'm just not patient enough to document it all in favor of just catching up as fast as possible.

Here goes.

Fourth of July celebrations: Sparklers and s'mores in the backyard. Fireworks in the front yard.

Then we went to see the Columbus fireworks. We drove up toward the airport where they were going off and parked on the side of the road. It was a cool night for being the Fourth of July and all.

Then more sparklers fun at Grams house.

No nap Tyler = passed out sideways on the couch from pure exhaustion.

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July also brought out boat trip with the Basham Clan to Dale Hollow. What a blast we had this year. The kiddos had a grand time swimming and sliding like crazy. Since the trip, Tyler's asked no less than 13 times when we're going to go on a boat trip again. A boat WITH A SLIDE, Mommy.

The road trip on the way to the lake was pretty typical...you know the kids wanting to eat approximately every 7 minutes. But we made it there and had time to spare so went in to town to grab some lunch. Lily was tired - she didn't sleep on the way down - and she was crabby as all get out. What ensued at the Dairy Queen in Celina, TN has to be the single most horrifyingly embarrassing experience I've had as a mother to date. You would not believe it from this innocent face,

but this child threw the tantrum of a lifetime in DQ. At one point, this girl was standing in the middle of the store with her underwear and one piece jumper around her ankles screaming that she had to pee (yet she would not go....). Judgement was being rained down on me from another mother in the restaurant. Her two early teens children were patiently waiting to use the one stall bathroom and with Lily standing naked in the doorway, they couldn't use it. What a nightmare. I was ready to tell that woman that if she had any ideas, I'd gladly let her take over the situation. 45 minutes later we get out of there. Sigh. It was awesome.

Anyway, once finally on the boat, things looked up. Mostly. Until Lily got stung by a wasp and Tyler got a splinter the size of a small twig in his foot. But after THAT, things were great.

Daredevil Tyler took to the slide immediately and went down it over and over and over. It took Lily a good long time to get brave. Well and I may have tricked her once in to going down alone - she thought I was going with her but at the last second I sent her down by herself. She did not speak to me for a while. Kjestine finally got her snapped out of it and convinced she could go by herself.

Joel told me to photoshop in a fish....I forgot....

Can't have a boat trip without at least one person melting down in their underwear. At least it wasn't me.

And baths are taken in the lake. Tyler was cool with it. Lily, not so much.

I drove that 75 foot boat both on the way out and the way back to the marina. I got pretty good at it by the time all was said and done.

That's my Captain Morgan pose. You know, cause I'm the captain.

Tyler was a captain too. Not sure about that face he's making...

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A few other random July shenanigans:

Tyler wearing Lily's play dress.

Pretending to sleep in the couch pillow fort.

Passing out in the bronco.

Waiting for the ice cream truck. I don't remember what was so loud that Tyler had to cover his ears. It was not the ice cream truck though. What is amazing is that you can ask Lily 47 times to go brush her teeth or put on her shoes or whatever and she doesn't hear you until you're in her face and yelling. But the ice cream truck, she can hear that thing like a full 10 minutes before anyone else can hear it coming. Incredible.

Lily painting her name.

Swimming in the back yard.

Playing on the couch. This could have been a house or a Bronco. Either way, the kids have a grand old time playing some game of their own imagination in the corner of the couch.

This is Tyler's mean face.

Joel making a video of the kids while I was out of town. They were thanking me for the "kisses" I left for them (I was going to be out of town for 9 days between work travel and vacation so I left them a Hershey's kiss for each night I was gone).

Bronco rides.

Out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse with Joel's parents for his birthday . I guess he didn't want to sit on the saddle and have the whole restaurant sing Happy Birthday. (I was not there - was in Seattle...)