to michigan, to michigan, to play at the beach

at the top of sleeping bear dunes


this was actually banks' best shot, believe it or not


the best part of the dunes: running down at top speed!

We returned from our trip to Michigan on Saturday. It was a blissful two weeks of picture perfect summer.

Lots of frog catching, salamander hunts, BEACH, walks through the forest, cousins, ice cream, fireflies, marshmallow roasting, and all around fun. And all of that sandwiched between lots and lots of driving. Ben and I even got away alone on a little side trip to check out residencies. Perfect.

We miss it already but it's good to be back home in our own beds. Benson starts school tomorrow and Ben on Monday. Crazy!

swimmy

I wanted the $5 swim shorts from Zara, but they don't ship so I had to improvise with some swim fabric from Joann's. Ship to the us already, Zara!

Sometimes Ben and I are pretty good parents.

But most of the time we are crazy.

This summer we decided our children's unwillingness to put their faces in the water was reeeediculous and so we've spent the summer torturing bribing them to take baby steps toward our olympic swimming dreams for them.

Bribe 1: Get in the pool or I'll throw you in. (We ended up throwing at least one of them)

Bribe 2: Try putting your face in the water or I'll take you under myself. (...you can probably imagine)

Bribe 3: Jump in for a square of chocolate (Lots of prodding but eventual success!)

Bribes 4- 793: Swim, dangit, Swim!

And at the end of the summer, we have two swimmers, and two boys who want speedos so they can swim with more "freedom."

I've always heard you shouldn't force your kids to do things before they are ready, but after this summer I'm not sure... It seems to have worked pretty well. :)

lists

Source: flickr.com via Mary on Pinterest

I, like my friend Mellie P, love making lists. I have long lists of plants for my someday vegetable garden, flower garden, and peony garden. I have lists of books I'd like to read. And places I'd like to go. And a short list of things I'd like to do. My to-do life list only includes two things (so far):

1. See a fashion show at a fashion week

2. Walk the Coast to Coast Walk with Ben. I wish so badly I could beam myself (and him) there right now, and we could spend the next two weeks strolling through the countryside from village to village, just him and me, walking and talking and walking some more. I think this is my new happy place for this week, when it is 95 degrees inside my house and I'm trying to not end up like the guy blinded by the heat in The Stranger.

and the living is easy

This is the stuff of summer. Mouths full of cherries, riding tandem on the tricycle, shooting cherry pits at the "Momster" as Benson has taken to calling me.

Ben has been calling this summer "The Summer of Our Lives" as this is probably the last time we'll be able to spend this much time together (Ben's only working 2 days a week). And it really has been.

Three cheers for summer!

gotta git down on friday

We are all putting on our dancing shoes cause it's friday night! Date night, woo hoo!

Of note:
1. He makes his own music to dance to.
2. The shoulder shake is his signature move.
3. Benson is embarrassed about being in his undies. Don't tell him you saw this.
4. Yesterday was thursday. Today it is friday. Tomorrow is Saturday. Sunday comes after thaaaat.
5. Happy weekend!

this week according to my phone

First ever popsicle


Peonies for my table


Tennis lessons at 8 am


Hardhats are not flattering but essential on date night


City

Sliding


Water fight!

my darling,

, originally uploaded by Annedear.

Well.

I just wrote out the greatest tribute ever to you, my dear, but as luck would have it, somewhere in the wild world between flickr and blogger it took a wrong turn and appears to be lost forever. I hope it didn't end up on someone else's blog. That would be uncomfortable.

Suffice it to say when it comes to the subject of dads: At the tip of the top, cream of the crop, is Benjamin Tracy and there we stop.

Though our children don't fully understand yet how lucky they are to have you, I do.

I do. I do. I do.