The porch turns out to be where the kids spend a lot of time when I tell them to go outside. It's outside, but just barely. I can still hear all the shrieking and laughing and yelling if I'm in the kitchen and they can make fish faces on the screen door for me. They have hammock wars on the porch and sometimes relax nicely in the hammocks too, and they eat their snacks sitting on the railing. The screen door slams about four thousand times each day. Summer, we love you.
Max went to BYU Lacrosse camp and I think his favorite part of the whole thing was wearing a helmet and pads. It automatically made lacrosse the coolest sport he's tried yet. He ended up having a great experience and has been carrying his lacrosse stick and ball with him always the last few days. He had a hard day in the middle of camp, though when he wanted to come home. The hard day happened to be the day that Taylor was able to sneak away from work to go watch Max, not knowing he was having a rough time. When Max saw Taylor he came over to the fence crying and said he wanted to go home--they talked about how he could do hard things and needed to stick with it. (good thing it was dad there, cause I maybe would have been like, "Hop in! Let go get you some ice cream") Taylor stayed and watched him for an hour and a half and then they did stop for ice cream on the way home and Max was so proud of himself for doing something hard. The fact that Taylor somehow had the time in his schedule that day to do that, when Max really needed his dad, was a miracle. It was also a reminder to me of how much my Heavenly Father loves me and loves my kids. They are His and He will help us be their parents. Good news, cause I really have no idea what I'm doing.
Last thing was this sweet family tree that Charlie wrote down in his Journal. Thankful he knows his grandmas and grandpas and knows he is part of this family who loves him.
