I have been feeling really guilty lately that I have not been playing enough with my kids.  They don't stay this little forever, and it is far too easy to get caught up in other things, and so this week I was determined to PLAY!

MONDAY:

 Monday we went to my friend Kristi's house and the kids played in a blow up kiddie pool in the back yard.  It was hilarious watching Derek climb out of the pool and then throw himself back in, as he would always go under the water for a minute and pop back up and laugh.  I guess we have another fish on our hands :).  They had so much fun, and so did Kristi and I – as we were able to talk and relax, and hold her 2 month old baby :).

TUESDAY:

Tuesday we played extra hard, as we invited my friend Dawn and her two girls over to swim with us.  We went early, about 10am, and it was perfect weather.  Lily loved having the girls their to play with (ages 3 and 4), and Derek loved trying to escape from me. 

That afternoon, my friend Kristi came over to our house this time, and our kids had a blast playing and running around.  They stayed for dinner, since Kevin didn't get home until super late, which was also a fun treat :).

WEDNESDAY:

Our Wednesday activity was very special, since we went and watched Kevin's last softball game of the season.  We had been wanting to go for a while, but never could get our schedules to work out.  Lily immediately found herself a friend to play with, and soon was playing with a big group of kids.  She is not at all shy, and it would be an understatement to call her a "social butterfly." 

Derek was trouble, as usual, and so I had him on his "leash" to keep him from getting too far too fast.  He played on the bleachers, pushed the stroller around, and flirted with a cute blond woman on the front row – that's Derek for you :).  He is going to be even more trouble when he gets bigger, especially if he still has his killer grin!

The game was great to watch, Kevin's team one, and I got to see him score a run.  Then, on our way home we got the whole family $0.59 chocolate milkshakes from Checkers.  It was great!

THURSDAY:

Thursday I decided to take the kids to the park, but went at 8:30 am to beat the heat.  Unfortunately it was VERY humid that day, and so it didn't matter that we went that early.  Oh well, the kids had a great time anyway.  And during Derek's nap, Lily and I made sure to take advantage of him being out of commission, and we played some board games.

FRIDAY:

Friday we had the car and ran errands, which meant I got to take the kids to the soft play park at the mall.  It is so great, especially during the hot summer, and the kids love it.  I had to watch Derek like a hawk, because of his tendency to run away, and still he managed to escape once while I was looking at Lily.  Crazy kid!

That night we had Maria and Neal, some friends from our old ward, over for a BBQ.  I even made strawberry shortcake :).  We were going to go swimming, but got too carried away talking, and then it was too late.

SATURDAY:

Saturday morning, the kids woke us up at 6am, as usual.  We decided to take advantage of being up, and went to Walmart for some donuts.  (It was my first time there without having to wait in line!)  Kevin had rented some movies for us to watch, Blues Clues for the kids, and Stranger Than Fiction for us (which was great!).  Oh, and Derek got a haircut – he sure looks handsome with his buzz! 

After dinner we went for a swim, and it was perfect!  Not too hot, the water was great, and then we were able to wash the kids and have them ready for bed.  I even decided to get ambitious  and put Lily's hair in curlers :). She loved it!

SUNDAY:

I got sustained in my new calling, 1st Counselor in the Primary Presidency 😉 – pretty fun.  I am very happy to be in there, and I even taught sharing time today.  Derek even stayed in Nursery this week, granted Kevin was in there with him, but still :).  And we ended the day today with a great family game of Karaoke Revolution – I love that game!

All in all, it has been a fun week, and although it has been a little exhausting, we all seemed a little happier.  It is amazing how that works – it's true what they say, "The family that plays together, stays together."  I hope you all take the time for a little play as well :).