Reed and Megan: Daily Summer Life

Cal and I have had some epic vacation adventures this summer, but we've also had a lot of fun in our home town, day to day. I'll admit, I've found it difficult to keep him mentally stimulated in the absence of preschool, but I've tried my best to rise to the challenge. Here are some of the things we've been up to:

Bird Feeder -- I'm not sure where Cal got the idea in his head, but he let me know in no uncertain terms that he wanted to hang a bird feeder in the tree outside our apartment. We found a simple one at the store and sure enough, the next morning there were three little birds fighting over it. Cal had a perfect view from the living room window, and was delighted each time he saw a visitor. He'd always hush me -- "shhh! Mommy, there are birdies!" (pronounced 'boudees' -- R's are hard.)

Achievement Days -- I'm still busy every other week with the young girls in my congregation. It's always a joy working with them, and summer is full of water balloon fights and swim parties. We have a new presidency in charge of primary, and they're making some fun changes. It's great to see new things coming down the pipeline.

Sewing Pioneer Outfits -- In a moment of overconfidence, I signed up to help sew shirts for the youth pioneer trek this summer. The pattern turned out to be more complicated than I had first imagined, but after a lot of trial and error (which included Reed standing in as a substitute dress form while I pinned the sleeves and tunic to the yoke), the shirts were finished!

Play Dates with Friends -- I still organize a weekly park days for the young moms in my congregation, and we've been having a blast this summer. This photo is from the week the kids discovered a "mud-maker" in the park sand pit. A huge, sarcastic thank you to the park planner that thought it would be helpful. At least the kids had fun, right?

Here's Cal enjoying ice cream with friends at Moms' Morning Out:

Popsicles with His friend after swimming (while I waited with my friend who'd locked her keys in her car):

Camping -- Back in June, we went camping with a group of friends from the ward. Cal had a fun time roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, playing with glow sticks and sleeping in the tent. One memorable moment? Cal kept yelling "Be quiet! I'm trying to sleep" at everyone who made any noise whatsoever around the tent.