One of the reasons I keep up my photography business, if only on a very very part time basis, is because it gives me a tiny bit of truly disposable income. I can spend that little bit of income on whatever I want, whether it’s new photography equipment or getting my hair done or an investment in something else. That last one is what I did with my first quarter income from 2015 – I invested it in my family in the form of a membership in the Amos Lake Beach Club.

So far, it is proving to be a very worthwhile investment. The lake has shade, so much shade that I don’t have to wear sunscreen. The lake bottom is mostly sand and no rocks. There are picnic tables and grills so we can sit and play cards and stay for dinner. It is approximately 15 minutes from my front door to the parking lot. There are swings and climby things for the kids, fish so plentiful and fearless you can catch them with popcorn and a net, and there are almost always other children there for my children to play with but it is rarely crowded.

To be honest, I was sort of dreading the summer and all the free time we would have to…stare at screens and ignore each other. I am not good at saying no to iPad time when it’s only 10 am and the kids are already whining. The lake solves the “should we pack up and go somewhere or stay home and relax” problem. We can do both! At the lake! And we can bring beer! I enjoy my family the way I imagine people are supposed to enjoy their families when I am at the lake with a beer. I mean, I love my family all the time, because they are my family. But there are definitely moments where all I want in the whole world is the freedom to go do something FUN that doesn’t end up being incredibly stressful. But when you’re relaxing only 15 minutes from home, it’s easy to relax. As long as no one breaks their leg (KNOCK ON ALL THE WOOD) there are no emergencies at the lake.

I feel really really lucky we can live the #lakelife this summer. It’s going to be good for all of us individually and good for all of us together.

I took about half as many photos this week as I usually do. I started Weight Watchers so I’m on my phone tracking what I’m eating (or trying to figure out if I can afford to eat another cookie) a LOT and it keeps dying. It’s hard to take photos with a dead phone.

Sunday:

Totally normal grocery shopping face

Wrap nap at the lake

Doing out best midwesterner impression with some Hand and Foot

Monday:

Grabby little toes

Mermaid

I don’t even know what I was trying to take a picture of, but the saddest baby in the world interrupted it.

Tuesday:

You dropped this, let me just crouch and get it like a REAL HUMAN

Tired girl

This is all I could see of Evan’s soccer practice because it was POURING

Wednesday:

My new make up adviser

#lakelife

Having fun pretending he’s not a baby but he IS STILL A BABY

Thursday:

I woke up like this

She’s obsessed with tying things

Working mom life

Friday:

Kinder orientation bus ride, like a pro

Weirdos at Target

It was like 90 degrees in his room but he won’t sleep without the blankie

Saturday:

Crafting! He’s like, “What is this even? We never do this at home.”

TAKE THAT YOU STUPID ASS THORN BUSH

WEIRDOS

THIS WEEK IS THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL. It’s not even real days, just half days. We also have every possible kind of appointment. Luckily swim and soccer are over, so we just have to get through dance and the recital and then we are ALL FREE. I cannot wait to just NOT DO STUFF. I could sleep past 7 am! Linc can nap whenever he wants! I DON’T HAVE TO MAKE PACKED LUNCH.

I have big plans to wear everyone out with tons of lake visits and hikes, so we won’t actually be doing NOTHING. But I will definitely enjoy letting the kids eat popcorn for lunch on the regular.

We have just a few more of everything to get through before summer. A few more days of school, a few more soccer practices, a few more end of the year things, a few more days where it’s not 85 degrees. I’m focusing on how busy we are so I don’t think too much about how Linc is going to turn one NEXT MONTH, although now that I’ve started planning his party (theme: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) I am not quite so sad about it. Plus we’ve got this whole babywearing thing so I can keep pretending he is a baby as long as I can keep tying him on my back.

Sunday:

Hiding in the car because I do not enjoy soccer in the rain

Rocking her game in a tutu

Getting a swim in before the HUGE storm

Monday:

From the neck down I felt very fancy on Monday

Dreaming of escape at the vet

God bless the iPad during swim lessons

Tuesday:

Shopping list

We match our wraps to our outfits

That spatula is covered in very spicy chimichuri. He loved it.

Wednesday:

Unimpressed

She made up a story to read me. Obviously it included mermaids.

Family fun night

Thursday:

She said she’s going to be a seed scientist when she grows up

THAT IS NOT NAPPING

Soccer life

Friday:

Cake making helpers

This one is for sale but I am not really sure I want it to leave

Watching tires is not super exciting

Saturday:

Super Evan to save City Hall!

Lobsters are the best beach wrap

I always lose but I still love cribbage

I have some killer allergies right now that are making it impossible to sleep and stay asleep unless I am completely upright. It is not a very comfortable way to sleep. And because Linc still gets up a few times a night, losing ANY of my quality sleep is sucky. I have plans to maybe possibly sort of try to get him to sleep through the night over the summer – preferably before we go on vacation in August – but I might be too lazy to make that happen. Fingers crossed he just starts doing it on his own and I don’t have to make an effort.

We went to the lake 6 out of 7 days last week. Then we went again today. When I wrote the (large) check to pay for our membership for the summer I thought “Ugh, this is so much money just to sit on a beach when we could go to so many other beaches for free.” But I am eating those words for sure. I’m eating them right along with the beer I drank on the beach today while I watched my big kids play in the water and the baby chewed on a shovel and I chatted with my mom friends. It’s perfect. It’s my favorite place in Connecticut. And next year it is the FIRST membership we buy instead of the last.

Appologies this week and every week for the same 5 lake pictures over and over and over.

Sunday:

Never tired of lap naps

Wine, baby, kids in the lake

So many of my favorite things in this one photo

Monday:

Unimpressed baby is unimpressed

BFFs

She calls this Mommy Hair

Tuesday:

Don’t tell the big kids we went to the lake while they were in school

Waiting for roadside assistance (aka Daddy) to fix our flat

I’m going to make his hair do this all the time

Wednesday:

There weren’t any store windows on my walk home so I used my phone to see if he was asleep. He was.

3-6 month shirt

Begging for cheese from the deli guy (obvs it worked)

Thursday:

I let him have half an oreo while I put away a giant pile of laundry

100% Linc

A beautiful day for soccer. Why doesn’t it ever RAIN?

Friday:

We walked down to pick up a friend at preschool, so Caroline dressed appropriately

I found this on my phone. I did not take it.

So many fish!

Saturday:

Laaaaaaaake

Running away to go eat rocks. Whatever kid.

The rare big kid smile!

We have a packed week coming up with end-of-the-year school stuff, appointments, regularly scheduled things, field day, plus at some point my husband is going to get promoted and we’re all supposed to go. Since he’s currently on night shifts and we’ve barely seen him I’m not EXACTLY sure when that’s going to happen, but I’m told it definitely will. Probably. Maybe. All I know is in between a zillion must-dos this week I will be at the lake.

Linc is currently chewing on an orange peel, banging a wooden spatula on the ground and trying to break into the TV cabinet – I assume because he objects to watching Tinker Bell and the Neverbeast for the 7th time this week. He is also wearing pants that are too big and a shirt that is too small. Poor, poor third child. It doesn’t seem to be bothering him at all though. He really likes wooden spoons and goldfish crackers eaten off the rug. He sometimes intentionally drops his food on the floor before eating it, just to make sure it has that nice dirty flavor.

We have become a super good babywearing team and it makes both of our lives a lot easier. He’s used to being on my back so he waits patiently while I get him up there and I’m getting way better at wrapping so it’s very comfortable and secure. It’s truly a lifesaver at home so I can clean or at the store when I don’t want him lunging out of the cart. He still gets to smiling and flirt with everyone but he is 100% less likely to fall on his head. Plus all these pretty wraps I have are getting used! Although now that it’s 90 degrees on the regular I would rather not wear him ALL the time

Lincoln is going to spend most of the summer giving me a heart attack while he tries to injure himself. I had to move the kid-sized chair upstairs because he wouldn’t stop falling over the back of it, and when I put it next to the couch so it wouldn’t tip he used it to climb onto the couch and try to throw himself off of that. He won’t stay out of the water at the lake, even though it’s freezing cold. He can walk but mostly chooses to scoot, which means his poor leg and foot is always scraped and he gets splinters. His favorite hobby is climbing on top of people and pulling their hair, which means one of these days someone is going to accidentally fling him across the room. But I doubt even that will slow him down.

He wears 12 month clothes but still only size 5 shoes. He will keep a hat on his head for a full hour but then pulls it off. He hates socks.

Likes include mommy, daddy, brother, sister, the dog, the cat, water, sand, dirt, cookies, messes, being carried, being worn, nursies, climbing, his blankie, naps, crawling, swinging, eating inappropriate objects, biting stuff, and smiling.

Dislikes include teething, diaper rash, and anytime he is not physically touching me.

And this one was to get my (terrible) white balance and it shows just how red his hair really is in the light:

10 Month Milestones (From Caroline’s 10 month post)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Waves goodbye – Sort of. He can wave but he doesn’t care to much. He likes pointing a lot more.
Picks things up with pincer grasp – Yes, especially if it’s teeny tiny things he definitely should not be eating.
Crawls well, with belly off the ground – No. He crawls on one leg and his hands like a monkey or a crab or some other weird animal. I will try to take a video if I can get him further than 6 inches away from me.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Says “mama” or “dada” to the correct parent – He’s starting to get the hang of it, but he mostly says “Dat!” meaning “What is dat?” or “I want dat!”
Indicates wants with gestures – Pointing, handwaving and screeching are his day job.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Stands alone for a couple of seconds – Stands alone all the time.
Puts objects into a container – Sure, as long as it’s little stuff into a big container. He’s not doing shape sorters or anything.