Summertime.

I cannot believe that our summer is nearly over. Cooler nights and shorter days remind us all that the school bus will be coming soon. What have we been up to, you ask?

Water. Two weeks of swimming lessons at Calvin earlier this summer was well worth the time and effort. The pool membership to Orchard Hills also proved to be worth the money, as we've spent many hours in the pool together. Adam is swimming above and under the water with great confidence - as long as he has his goggles. And, not to be overshadowed, Miles has mastered the art of holding his breath when under water and "swimming" as well. Both boys love fishing dive sticks out of the water, goggles required. I joke that when at the pool, Miles spends more time under the water than above it.

We've also enjoyed swimming in my mom's lake. Adam is quite proficient at jumping off the boat and making a splash. Miles loves to don his life jacket and float around in the water "all by myself!" Many happy memories were created on the boat this summer, per usual.

Thankfully, we managed to make it to the beach a handful of times this year. I'm not sure what the boys love more: the sand or the water. They could play for hours in each. What a blessing to live in Michigan with access to beautiful Lake Michigan.

Bikes. Drive past our house during the non-napping hours and you will most likely see my boys riding their bikes in the driveway. It's definitely their past time of choice as it's the first thing they ask to do when tempted with going outside. Racing in the driveway, either with the two of them or with the neighbor boy. You would think they would tire of this activity, but it hasn't happened yet. The boys also love going on bike rides with Jeff: Adam riding solo this year (eeeeks!) and Miles riding along on the Tagalong (Hold on, Miles!). No doubt Jeff prefers to haul the Tagalong than the Burley - much lighter weight. Miles prefers this set up as well, as one can imagine.

Speech Therapy. This summer Miles began speech therapy twice a week at Mary Free Bed. The progress is slow but steady. At the beginning of the summer he could not say "s" or "f" sounds, but now he can. I know he's a little tired of these one hour sessions, but I encourage him to continue, and once he's there he's usually in good spirits. My hope is that insurance will continue to approve these sessions through the end of the year, and we'll take a break after baby comes and start up again (Lord willing) in the spring.

It's been a great summer. Busy times and lazy mornings spent playing in pajamas both. Fun times. Lots of laughter. We are blessed.

I'll be back in a few weeks with a "back to school" post. For now, both of us are choosing to forget that the day is near. More swimming, please.