everyone's just livin' life around here

it's been a little while, hasn't it? this summer has flown by in some ways and has decided to be quite pokey in others. it seems to take a couple of weeks to get used to it being summer. we definitely sleep in...which i loooooovvvve! i also love not having to follow the traditional schedule. for example, we have brunch at 10 am instead of breakfast and lunch. i usually make a big meal...like with eggs, muffins, smoothies, toast, biscuits, cereal, yogurt, and fruit. obviously it is just some combination of all of those things and not all of it every day. anyways, the kids are usually hungry enough to eat it all and then they have a healthy snack at 2 and dinner at 5. it works a lot better than breakfast, lunch and dinner. they eat way better and i don't have to be in the kitchen as much...which i also loooooovvvve!

chad and i went to austin for a couple of days and my parents kept the kids for us. that was fun. we were only back 2 days before we drove the 17 hours to iowa. we were there for 10 days and then we were only back 2 days before chad had to leave for a church planter's training at mark driscoll's church in seattle and his master's work at fuller in california. it would sure be nice to have some sort of relaxing vacation...like in hawaii...for a couple of weeks to end the summer. however, traveling is the opposite of relaxing for me, so even if i was relaxing while i was there (as much as you could relax being in the 3rd trimester of a 4th pregnancy while watching 3 young kids on the beach) i would most likely be stressed and tired again by the time we got home.

i'm trying to muster up the energy each day to do something fun with the kids. i don't want them to be bored. i am taking them to space center houston next week to see all the star wars exhibits, but i'm actually dreading being on my feet the whole time. do you think anyone would notice if i took a lawn chair or something? maybe i can talk my mommy into going with me! :)

kevin is leaving for a european excursion tomorrow. it is weird to think that by the time everyone gets back and settled again, it will be almost time to start school. the plus...closer to baby time! he was telling me of all his plans yesterday...vienna; germany; prague; the beaches of croatia; etc...and i told him of my new and exciting brunch/dinner schedule. i started feeling sorry for myself for a second...thinking that he was really living and i was so hum drum...but then the funniest thing happened: i felt my little, baby girl kick inside me and at that i smiled and thought...now, that's life!