It has been the most magical summer. The best parts have been just being home with Conley and Eloise and seeing them play play play together. They color together, build LEGOs together, make forts, write notes, make little books, play on the trampoline, play with the hose (Conley's always telling her to turn it off--I've already instilled in him a fear of wasting water, I guess), look at books, climb on the car. Eloise has been in to filling random stuff up with water for over a year. Making potions, I think. She adores little things, little trinkets. She's a bit of a collector, which sometimes sets off my cleanliness sensor and I get a little crazy. But I just shut her closet door and try to ignore it.
Eloise has been really sweet to me this summer. During the schoolyear, when she was going to preschool every day (at least this last semester), she got crabby at me. She was bossy and cranky, threw fits. But this summer she has loved spending time with me. She'll come sit by me and want to spend time with me. She talks to me and just says the cutest things. She still doesn't say her Rs, so what she says is just so cute, and still sounds little. She adores reading, really enjoys riding her bike (since Joseph toughed it out and taught her by forcing her to balance on it while he ran next to her down the arroyo--all the while her screaming, "DAD! STOP ME!!!").
We've been checking out books along a theme this summer and reading them, then going on a field trip and doing a craft that relates to that theme. It's been fun and we've learned a lot. We went to the dinosaur museum for the dino week; zoo with a scavenger hunt for the animal week; and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center for the Native American week. This week is Juneteenth/Black American history, which is my favorite. The kids have kept up with the daily schedule pretty well. A couple times a week we'll do workbooks or iPad games too. I just love spending time with them. Eloise likes to go out and is always pleasant when we do so, but we are mostly homebodies. When we go out, Conley gets bored and crabby within an hour or so and asks to go home. He's a super literal guy lately and super logical. I'm working really hard trying to get him to recognize his emotions, take deep breaths, etc. Typing this out reminds me that meditation would be a good things to institute. He's been loving drums and we've been loving it too. He plays every day and is getting better quickly. He pretends to play during primary and matches the rhythm pretty well.
He's a sweetheart too--especially if he gets to spend the day at home. He loves being home and he loves being with me. It makes me smile to type that. It's true. The other day, I was walking home from dropping off the Prestwiches' car and carrying his booster seat. He met me a block from the house and took the booster seat from me, like a true gentleman. I didn't even ask him to. He almost always does what I ask him to do, especially if it has anything to do with manual labor. He loves figuring stuff out, building stuff, fixing problems, trouble shooting, helping. He never lets me walk alone to or from church. He catches up with me on his bike and stays within 10-15 feet the whole time, just chatting. He tells me funny jokes and about math problems he's figured out. He's starting to understand faith. Even though he doesn't know God is real yet, he says, he still sees the logic in praying and exercising faith in him. It's awesome. I'm grateful for that. I never want him to say or do anything (spiritual or otherwise) because he thinks it's expected of him, or like to make other people happy. I love his authentic heart. He's so much like Joseph that way. Just sweeter:).
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