Summer

Although the summer solstice wasn't technically until just a couple days ago, it's felt like summer in Provo for some time, with temperatures in the nineties most of this week. This has also meant that Andrew has been reveling in one of his favorite pastimes--getting wet! Although my mom put the sprinklers on for him once or twice, it was quickly apparent that all Andrew needs is a bucket of water, some shovels, and his little plastic water pot, to be perfectly content. My mom also has a modified sort of water gun that shoots water a great distance that Andrew seems to like (although he's more often the victim of said water gun than the wielder). One day, while we were sequestered in the basement so I could nurse Evelyn, I suggested to Andrew that maybe we could go outside as soon as I was done and play in the water. The next thing I knew, Andrew had disappeared. Shortly thereafter my mom came downstairs, looking for Andrew's swim trunks. Apparently, Andrew hadn't understood the *later* part of my suggestion, and had immediately gone to find grandma to enact the plan. (Incidentally, this is one of the few disadvantages to living with your parents--in a house much bigger than the apartment we used to have, Andrew is quite adept at disappearing upstairs while I'm stuck in a chair nursing.) I was able to get some fun pictures of Andrew having a water fight with grandma--this first one is, I think, my favorite. I love the bright colors and the expression of delight on Andrew's face as he gets blasted by water.






Andrew's gotten quite creative at entertaining himself while I'm chair-bound with Evelyn. One day, after putting Evelyn in her bassinet, I turned around to find that Andrew had pulled all the blankets and pillows off of our bed to make a little nest for himself (he was rather pleased with himself). And I've more or less given up trying to monitor Andrew's milk intake (we used to give him his sippy cup with milk only at meals and just before bed) since Andrew can now open the fridge and help himself at will when I'm nursing. (We could, I suppose, try a lock on the fridge, but those haven't been very good at deterring Andrew in the past!)


Most of the week has, of course, been pretty quiet. Yesterday we went up to Salt Lake with my parents to visit my brother Jared and his family. I was surprised at how much Brielle (now one) seems to have grown, but most of that is probably just my shifting perspective due to Evelyn. Brielle was once one of the babies in the family (an honor she shared with Enoch), but Evelyn is now clearly the owner of the baby title. Brielle was pretty fascinated by Evelyn--while Evelyn was sleeping in her car seat on the floor, Jared kept having to reroute Brielle, or she'd be right up in the car seat trying to touch the baby. Jared finally moved the car seat to a more remote spot (i.e., the counter). I was also struck by how much Andrew and Joshua look like each other--of the Collings' cousins, they are the ones who are most clearly related, I think. Of course, in this case, the resemblance was heightened because both had short haircuts and both were wearing blue and gray sporting outfits (see Andrew's Penn State uniform--bought for a dollar or two at a yard sale--below).

And of course, we've been enjoying spending time with Evelyn. She still sleeps most of the time when she's not eating, but she's started having more wakeful periods. For a while, those periods were occurring about 4 or so in the afternoon, which was nice for socializing. But lately, she's decided to be awake about 2 in the morning, which is definitely less than delightful! The last two days she's mercifully decided to sleep, but she seems to be going through a growth spurt and wanting to eat every two hours (so I'm up at 12, 2, 4, 6 . . .). I have to keep reminding myself that this is just a phase and she'll grow out of it. Aside from that, however, she is a good baby and a sweet little girl.




Today was also a day for some unaccustomed visitors: my cousin Laurianne (sp?) on my mom's side came to church with us (she was in town for a wedding), and another cousin on my mom's side, Sasha, came to dinner with us (she's in town for EFY). Today was also our first day for quail chick sightings--there are usually several pairs of quail that live in our cul-de-sac during the year, and we've been waiting for some time to see the babies. We think there were close to a dozen chicks running around in the shrubbery in our backyard this afternoon. They're only about two inches long, and they're darling. They move amazingly quickly, too. I feel strangely protective when I see them--I think it must be a muted manifestation of the mother instinct.