Ok so it’s only been about 6 months since I blogged. Not too bad right? How much happens in half a year with 3 kids? While I probably could just say busy, I think at some time I may want to flip back through this journal and have a slight recollection of what was happening. So I suppose I will just highlight a little bit of what each of us has done this summer. 

Burdean celebrated his 33rd birthday in may, and in June we celebrated 8 years of wedded bliss. Maybe a little more bliss on my end then on yours honey. Thanks for putting up with me for 8 years and pretending that you are loving every minute though.  :) Dean has been very busy at work lately with some big changes that have been made. Last month he spent a week in New Jersey to begin managing an office there as well. But hey we aren’t actually moving to New jersey so no complaints here. :) He has also been busy with his calling, rec softball, volleyball, and enjoying lots of summer hanging out with the family.

Maddy is almost a first grader. (As she likes to often remind me) She absolutely loved her first year of school and her sweet teacher Mrs. Riggs. I even cried my eyes out on her last day of school. I guess a lot of feelings of overwhelming gratitude for a fantastic teacher, all she did for Maddy, and proud of our little one for how much she grew and accomplished this year(Funny enough I was pretty strong on the first day).So for now she is living it up and loving the summer weather. The girl could spend hours outside trying to catch  insects. And her favorite of course are the butterflies. The other day she caught a monarch butterfly. My heart sank for the poor little unsuspecting creature that’s probably traumatized. She did however let it go after taking some time to study it intently. She has also been busy riding her bike(now that there are no training wheels she loves it) and with reaching her goal of reading 100 books this summer. She’s been enjoying lots of time with family her favorite cousins and lots of late bedtimes that unfortunately are coming to a screeching halt .

Logan turned 4 last month. I can’t believe my little man is already 4. I have to laugh at how much Logan is still Logan. Every year I am just waiting for him to turn into this completely wild boy. But not quite yet. Maybe he’s waiting till he’s a teenager. For now he’s easygoing, and just a lot of fun to be around. He has been going with the flow this summer. Still loving his cars, and now finally loving to ride his bike as well.(and has finally conceded that the barney rubble style is not faster than pedaling)He spends lots of time outdoors as well, playing baseball with Maddy and trying to get into some occasional mischief with the garden hose. He has really been happy to have his little playmate out of school for the summer.He will be back at preschool next week and is very excited to see his teachers and all the kids again.

Chantel is growing so fast. I can’t begin to describe how much she has changed in half a year. In only a few short weeks she will be one. I love this age and seeing their little personalities really come out.  This girl puts absolutely everything in her mouth. She has a special liking for remotes, keys, cords, paper, Logan's cars, and outlet plugs if I’d let her. She also loves to eat sand. Either handfuls of it or face planting into the sand to eat it that way.(it’s kind of funny unless you end up changing that diaper.) So basically she would like to  bite everything I would rather her not. Her favorite song is twinkle twinkle little star.  Still calms her instantly. The last few months she has been a fantastic sleeper. Super easy to go down for naps and bedtime and has been sleeping about 12 hours at night which mom has been waiting for. She loves to clap and already has a funny little sense of humor when she is getting into things (like trying to unplug the vacuum) she knows she in not supposed to. Her first words are still debatable but I guess it was dada. Which she still says more often then mama. My new favorite thing she does is her clapping. I love this little girl so much. She has been a very fun baby that has brought us tremendous joy.  She has a very sweet little bond with her sister and brother. Maddy makes her laugh a lot and Logan is very sweet and loving with her. I often find myself laughing at how totally entertained she is by them. Dropped in the middle of the 3 ring circus.

And then there is me. I have been faring pretty well this summer. My first summer with 3 kids. I must say I was quite unsure how it was going to go down with me having all 3 home everyday. I envisioned the worst with them hanging from the ceiling and surprisingly it has been a lot of fun. There for sure have been days where I would like to pull my hair out or it seems as though the house is not quiet for 5 minutes to hear myself think. For the most part though the kids have had fun and spend a lot of time with family which makes me more happy than anything. We went beach camping a few week ago, and last week we had a great time with the whole family at a beach house. I also have been pretty surprised how well Maddy and Logan have gotten along. They are absolute angels with Chantel so that is the hugest relief but I wondered if sooo much more time together would be a constant battle.  While they definitely have their days and moments where I feel like I am the boxing referee breaking up fights they really have spent most of the summer by each others side playing together from morning to night. The summer has also included lots of late bedtimes and more naps then they took all year. So I am thinking that maybe the trick is to prepare for the worst and then you’ll be very pleasantly surprised.

Collectively the last 6 months has mostly been about family. Getting used to a family of five and getting to know and love our little Chantel. I think with each child comes new changes, challenges, and more joy. We were finding our groove as a family. Getting used to new routines and ways of doing things. Each person being important and valued in this new dynamic. Mom still busy trying to tackle her biggest challenge-the always present laundry. So as summer winds down we are getting ready for a new season and a new chapter to begin. Although I’m not quite sure I’m really ready to let summer go I suppose we’ll continue to love all the fresh strawberries, our beach trips, and enjoy my favorite season while it’s still around because in a week it’s back to school! Yikes!

                                                                          Mastering the clap                                                                      

                                                                       Still our food connoisseur

                                                                                    pigtails turned horns                                                                

                                                                   Leaving a trail in the sand

                                                              Last day of Kindergarten with Mrs. Riggs

                                                                         playing with Logan’s hat  

                                                            Mom’s least favorite chore of the summer :(

                                                                      Ready to hang ten    

                                                                 The summer of “family naps”

                                                                Accident prone

                                                                   Our Chantey

                                                                  My little helper

                                                                Our favorite place

                                                             Lovin on her blankie

                                                          Enjoying summer weather