Summertime, and the livin' is easy

Ah, summertime, that fleeting glimpse of perfection. It goes too fast. Having three children at home keeps me busy. Particularly when my husband is out of town for 12 days. We're half way through him being gone; this is the longest trip for Joe since I've had Ruby. Which is very lucky indeed. So what have we been doing?

Swimming lessons. Dottie is being a pro swimmer. 4 days a week for the past 3 weeks, Dottie jumps right in, no fear. Elliot opted out of swimming, stating "I too shy" (with a lateral lisp on "shy").

So what does Elliot do during Dottie's lessons?
Takes pictures with my camera, eats too many snacks, shoves toys in Ruby's mouth, and runs around outside.
We've discovered a new place on base, the Arts and Crafts Center, where you can show up anytime and for a few bucks, create some art.

Dottie's heart shell.
Elliot's turtle.
I think it's pretty artistic for a three-year-old.

And of course, our lives revolve around food. Many of my bribes with Elliot start with, "If you take a nap (don't pee your pants, clean up, etc.), you'll get to eat (chocolate "muffins" (really it's just cake), a snow cone, an ice cream cone, etc.). These are the chocolate muffins we made, thanks to Dottie's internet research on Holly Hobby's page on Nick Jr.
Yet another treat. This one's "healfy," as Dottie would say. She asks me frequently what's healthy and what's not. It's called banana ice: freeze sliced bananas, blend them once frozen, and you have yourself a delicious and nutritious cool snack.
And after we eat all of this food, we exercise. I'm trying to become more limber (and less, you know, girthy) after baby #3. Dottie says she notices I have more energy when I exercise. You're probably right, Dottie.
The headband is necessary to use the exercise ball. Read the manual.
And this is what Ruby does while all of the craziness is going on around her: sits and observes. And sometimes rolls over accidentally, from back to front, which makes her very angry. Of course, the two weeks that Joe's gone, she's started cutting 4 (or more?) teeth. She's good as long as she's not trying to nurse or sleep. 2:30 in the morning has become a time of wakefulness for her. But not for me, no, not for me.

And finally, the day ends with some good stories.

Oh, and I've started a heckuva lot of new piano students. Why I do this to myself, I don't know. But it's all going much too fast, even though we spend a great deal of time inside or in the pool thanks to the Texas heat.