Hi/Lo

I haven't really wanted to admit it but summer is quickly coming to a close around these parts. Ben is back to work and 'shudder' I actually needed a sweater when I left the house yesterday. It has been a really good summer and I thought I'd write down my highlights thus far.

*berry picking

*swimming in the lake with Ava

*watching Ian get loving from friends and family in Chicago

*Pedicure's with Jenni at Woodfield

*Watermelon and lemonade with the in-laws

*sleeping in

*Impromptu Weezer concert in New York

*s'mores, s'mores, s'mores

*jetski's with Christy

*Disneyland

*Ava bonding with her cousins

*dinner with Amy & Patrick

*lounging on the boat with the Stapp's

*weekly farmstands

*naps on the porch swing

*watching Ava haul out her gear to the yard for her annual campout with Daddy

In the interest of full disclosure there have been some serious lows as well. Probably the lowest point of the summer was on our trip down to San Diego. We were on hour 10 of our 12 hour day and everyone was hungry and cranky and we stopped for dinner at this strip mall. It was so shady there were security guards walking around the sidewalks. We went into this chinese "restaurant" and ordered some food from a "buffet." It looked bad and smelled bad and frankly I feared for my children's safety. I ordered food from the "subway" next door and am still not sure what they gave me as no one spoke English. Suddenly Ava declared that she had to go potty but unfortunately none of the "restaurants" had bathrooms. Really, isn't subway required to have a bathroom?! So we had to run down the street to the starbucks as Ava's holding her self and yelling, "it's diarrhea mommy, hurry!" We did manage to make it in time and then the whole family spent the last 2 hours of our trip in tears (ok except for Ben). Luckily :) Ben was so amused by the situation that he pulled out the camera to document our family moment.

I love the sign in the window.

So there it is. I am looking forward to a few things this fall, like the return of new Modern Family episodes, cozy days with the fire going, and the holiday's. But mostly I'll be counting down the days until Ben is home with me full time and tank tops and flip flops are the uniform of the day.