It didn't start out so great...

I had big pipe dreams for how this summer was going to go...

Day trips, popsicles, reading olympics, watermelon contests, lemonade stands, lazy days at the pool...you get the idea...

This was how the first day of summer started for me...

A flat tire! You've got it! Fortunately, Jake heard a hissing sound just as we were getting out of the car and we high tailed it to the nearest gas station...(so it technically never went completely flat)

... the non happy campers!...


... the non happy camper director!...

Fortunately, we got the bad luck out of the way, and the summer improved.

We've spent lots of time enjoying the chicks...(just 4 weeks old in this picture)

I've worked on several canning projects...plus spent countless hours in the garden...

We've been to the park a few times...

Spotted this doe in our yard once or twice...

Had oodles of playdates involving the slip and slide and water guns...

Hosted a "firefly party" for the neighborhood kids...the one who collects the most fireflies in their jar got the grand prize...

Feasted on juicy blackberries from our garden...

Had lots of laughs when we shared watermelon with the chickens...look how big they've gotten! They're 8 weeks old now...

Olive went a little crazy with the watermelon juice and got it all over her feathers...

We've taken a million pictures of one of my favorite chickens--"Georgie"

on the flip side...

It hasn't been all lollypops and gumdrops,---

We've had horribly hot weather...everyone's grass is completely fried...

the kids have been highly irritating (fighting, not sharing with each other and complaining A LOT!) I've been feeling super depressed because my best friend (Heather) is moving back to Utah on Monday...I've been eating like a fiend...I feel like a rotten mother most of the time because all I seem to do is yell at the kids all the time...And, most importantly, fell behind again on updating my blog and keeping up with my blogging friends...

sigh....

Am I alone on any of this?