¡HIGHLIGHTS!

Not to be confused with the kid's magazine. 

Welllll...this is a little bit like blogging about Christmas right around Easter because time flies when you're having fun but it seems to fly when you're in a frenzy too. Summer break came to an end for us a few weeks ago and we moved (!!! house tour coming soon !!!) three days before school started. Most of the content in this post rolled through here over the break and the first few weeks of the school year, but I have an embarrassing number of photos from then that are just dying to see the light of not my phone camera roll. So, I'll keep this brief...ish. ;) 

Photo heavy and excitement central station around these parts.

^^^Sanctuary from the waves of heat. 

The boys didn't mount an effective coup operation over the summer and only once when we drove past the school and Rhett yelled "I miss you school!" did I think "I MISS YOU MORE!!" so I think this summer break was a big win. 

This year we did not hit the splash pad as often as previous summers. Mostly because Beck was a party pooper with a capital P. Usually Beck can be a little bit of a divo when it comes to which fun activities he tolerates, but after a child with a rogue water gun snuck into the pad and blasted poor Beck with it's water jets, I don't really fault him for having a little bit of s-pad PTSD.

Thankfully the times we did go were relatively not crowded and one time even had a Justice League/Avengers day going on which quite literally completed Rad and Rhett's life. 

Always wrestling - no matter how public or inappropriate the arena. C'est la wildest vie, I suppose.

Rhett did swimming lessons this summer and I thought it could either go (wait for it...) swimmingly (stop, Julia, stop) or disintegrate into a public fiesta of Rhett not wanting to learn anything other than cannon ball formations. But! Rhett excelled at his aquatic activities which has brought much peace of mind on the rare occasion that I take the boys to a real pool without Jake.

Baby Roxy was born (three months ago now...slow claps for finally get up here) and her pseudo brother's are always very eager to hold her.  

Or bop her on the head / pick her nose. They're just feeling their new friendship out. (Oh so punny Julia.)

Pause for a photo of Roxy having the first of many group pictures and a couple of middle children not able to hide their confusion and annoyance at the situation. 

And there's this budding relationship that's bloomed over the past weeks/months.

A magnet to call my very own.

This little piglet rarely leaves my side these days and is always physically attack anyone that tries to enter our cuddle bubble. Beck might be completely oblivious to the stiff competition that he'll share with his older brothers for the good cereal in a few years (most likely months) but he is not at all oblivious to the fact that as the youngest he often gets what he wants. Which right now is me.

Toward the end of the break Rhett fought with Rad over everything and Rad fought with Rhett over you name it - fight! fight! fight! My solution for a less violent home was to teach the boys the valuable skill of how to plan and host a party. Because logical parenting abounds in our casa.

Originally I threw the idea of the party at the boys because I wanted them to earn the good times with good behavior, but then it evolved into also teaching them to budget and plan food and games and make invitations etc etc. The planning it occupied several long afternoon hours when Beck was napping.

They planned two shindigs, a water and pie face party

and a movie night...not pictured, the actual watching of the movie.

mostly because there was very little moving watching after the kids ate this...

rookie fail.

I woke up the one morning with the blazing and terrifying realization that school was starting in 48 hours and we had not bought school clothes for our ragamuffins or any school supplies.

Which lead to this...

...which was not terrifying at all...c-r-i-n-g-e. And obviously not terrifying enough to keep Jake from getting his snap on.

And the Olympics might be over...but the athletic displays of grandeur are not.

Athetic-achiever-believer-and-future-olympian(s)-in-serious-training. 

OK fine, I'll stop there.

I hope you had a pleasant summer break...and if you didn't...I hear there's another one coming around the mountain in no time at all. ;)