Summer guilt and goodness

The napping house

Curled up to stretch

How Gilbert sleeps--with a shark and Berenstein Bear books

I had a post started about how busy summer is, but on this Saturday afternoon, when I haven't done anything more strenuous than make a Greek salad, while Elsie and Gilbert sleep, it seems like a bit of an overstatement to say we are wildly busy. Let's just say we have the potential to be wildly busy. In my mind, there are all the things I am not doing and that makes everything seem much busier. I will now bore you with the details of all we are not doing. If you would rather, you can skip to the pictures, since they are more interesting.

Almonte convention is this weekend. And I am yearning to be there. However, I realized on Tuesday, that going to Almonte for a day with four kids without Justin (who couldn't take off work) would be like a kamikaze mission of stress and tiredness. And now, on the weekend, our van is being unreliable. Breaking down in Canada is on Justin's list of things to never, never, never do. So instead, we spent the morning trying to determine what sort of transmission the van has so we can order the part. But oh.... my heart is at Almonte. 

Our garden has grown into a tangled mess. We did weed it last weekend a bit, but by this point, the peas that are left are no longer good, the lettuce and cilantro have bolted and gone to seed respectively, and for some inexplicable reason, very little of the corn actually germinated. Better luck next year.

One of the best parts of summer is the ease with which the kids can come and go with the whole outdoors for a playground. No jackets and mittens and boots to mess with. The girls love it. But it frustrates Gilbert beyond hope. Mainly because he can't be trusted outside by himself yet. Our front door is about 20 feet from a moderately busy road. A road with a wide, flat sidewalk next to it that Gilbert loves to run up and down, 7 feet from semi trucks. And with Gilbert, you never know when he will take it into his head to run across the road to see the neighbors, as social as he is. Every day I think "Today, I will let Gilbert play outside for half an hour while Elsie and I watch him and soak up some Vitamin D." But then things come up and we don't get out there often enough. This is probably the most guilt inducing thing of the summer.

While I was pregnant, I was diabetic, as I think I mentioned. There is a cheery little statistic that most women who have gestational diabetes get type 2 within 10 years. So I decided that I would go on a whole foods diet. Very little processed foods (hey, I LIKE my wheat toast with peanut butter!) and lots of veggies, fruit, and protein. And then I had Elsie. Who is perfectly sweet, but she is a bit demanding in the wee hours of the morning. And there is something so luring about processed foods. I can practically hear frozen pizzas calling to me every afternoon from the freezer--"You could be DONE planning supper in the amount of time it takes to pull me out of a box and turn the oven on...." And my sleep depraved mind is very susceptible.   

But even though I can guilt myself to the max in about 15 seconds just by thinking of what I am not doing,  this has been a great summer. This is one of the easiest postpartum times I have had (well after initial discomforts diminished). We have had lots of things to do, cousins to see, friends to catch up with, and a sweet little girl to love and admire. I love it all.

My poor Elsie girl. The kids and I thought she looked funny with tiny sleeves for ears. Have I mentioned how tired I have been? 

Elsie in her swing with a teensy baby that Gilbert thought she needed

Grandma and her 4 Cotten grandkids

A lazy summer vacation morning

Lily the cowgirl

Orianna

My flowery cowgirls

Nutella covered lips

Pausing sidewalk chalking to watch the firetruck go by 

Picking white clovers

Phone aerobics while talking to Grandma Dawna

In their new outfits from Aunt Clover

Barbeque under the tree

Angry Bird shirt and goggles. This kid is rad.

Not sure why they are on the table, but they liked it

Aunt Ashley watching over the kids

The cows running in the evening

Groovy swing moves

North Country summer evening clouds

Looking at a dead mole. Fascinating! 

Oh the sky.....

This rake is so art deco-ish

Little sandy Rilla feet

Running girls

Peel out marks from Cecil W. 

The barn in moonshine

The daily circus of lunch

Watching hay

Girls and Chamomile

The picture of my kids in the chamomile didn't work out quite like I planned

Lily with an armful of flowers

Toothless girl 

Gilbert on Cody's truck