Fun in the sun

Today Erika & Ainslee helped a friend celebrate his 4th birthday. My mom kept Aidan and E, A & myself drove to a neighboring town to play in the sun, visit with friends and have fun. The weather was hot today - it got into the 90's for a brief spell- so we spent some time in the shade too. It was a lot of fun but we all came home tired and ready to relax.
Can you see Erika's bubble? It is HUGE. There were lots of bubbles today, bubble wands, bubble blowers, . . . . A kid's dream. I honestly think my two girls came home with more than we took. They each received a bucked filled to the rim with trinkets & goodies. Seriously, a kid's dream.

On the way home we had the rear windows down and Ainslee had her pinwheel going at top speed. You can't see the pinwheel in the photo, but I love the look on her face in this photo. Peaceful, rosy cheeked, fascinated with the whirl and metallic spin of the pinwheel. So simple.

I myself am craving a little simplicity, but I find that when I choose simple in day to day life I feel like I have short changed my rowdy, eager toddlers. (By the way, at what age do you stop referring to children as toddlers???) So, lately I have been pressing forward, engaging them and keeping them busy. Kudos to you moms out there with children at various ages and stages. I am finding it a difficult transition. I am blessed with three beautiful children and I know the time is coming when life will be hectic in a whole other way, so I try not to dwell on the difficulties of raising small children. I haven't met a mom yet that hasn't had similar issues, so I know I am not the first. Anyway, blah, blah, right. Why am I still up at 10 pm if I am so tired? Reasonable question. I am waiting on my pillow cases to dry. Erika has something funny going on with her eyes (I am praying hard that it is allergies and NOT conjunctivitis. please God please!). She took a rest in my bed this afternoon so I am washing towels, linens etc just in case. Signing off & going to bed!