The Winding Down of Summer

where has summer gone? the air has that slight chill in the mornings...backpacks are ready to go to school...i'm trying to figure out where everyone needs to be when and how i'm going to fit in Cordelia's naps. this is our last week of summer. i have to say, i'm looking forward to schools starting, :) but let me take this moment to look back on our summer. i won't miss all the bickering and the sweltering humidity, but i have enjoyed being with all my girls all day long. our times at the pool were mostly good times. i was glad for their happy spirits as i blundered along, trying to adjust to taking care of the three of them. Cordelia is 5 months this week and these 5 months have been a blur with moments that stand out like exclamation points. i will remember this summer as the one where Claire learned to swim, the one where Skye emerged from a swim meet heat a proud winner, the one where all of my family came to visit, the one where i often looked at Cordelia's sleeping face wondering how i was going to survive yet another few days without Phil. there were moments when i was completely overwhelmed and my girls witnessed me at my worst, but i'm sure to forget those moments. will my girls forget too? i hope so.

i am looking forward to this year. the girls are growing so quickly and there will be many new experiences ahead. we will mark many milestones in each of their lives - please celebrate with us here!

The new Madison Children's Museum

we have been waiting for a long time for the new Madison Children's Museum to open and it did finally last weekend. yesterday was a rather cold and grey kind of day, so the girls and i decided we should make a visit. the first thing that hit me as we walked in the front door was the level of noise. overwhelming!! the place was packed, packed, packed!! when we used to visit the old museum, it was like visiting a ghost town. everyone was there to check out the new space. and a fabulous place it is too. so worth the visit. but if you're prone to claustrophobia when around hyperactive children, i would wait until the newness of the museum has worn off. there are 4 levels to the museum, with much more space devoted to older children, so Skye was thrilled. the best part for me was the rooftop garden. you can take the elevator up to the top of the building and see the Capitol and parts of Madison. they have a chicken coop with live chickens, a sand pit, and a sweet pond with wooden boats for the children to play with. however, i was rather disturbed by a large group of children who spent their time throwing rocks at the poor fish in the pond, determined to "get the fish"...i'm sure the creators of the new museums didn't envision that activity. 

once i got over the noise and overcrowding, i managed to get my camera out and take some shots.

here are the girls taping on the large glass windows on the second floor. i'm sure they were wishing they could do this at home too. :)

this was a portion of the second floor - chaotic but fun!

they had quotes painted on the walls throughout the museum - my eyes focused on them frequently, to rise above the din. ;)

my girls (including Cordelia, whose back of the head you can see here) was fascinated by this view of the water "tornado" that was exhibited near the entrance of the museum. here they are looking down a tube from the 2nd floor.

fabulous climbing structure!

down in the level for the under 5s:

even Cordelia got out to play in the baby room!

so happy to see bean sprouts there!

Claire enjoying her mango frozen yogurt

Family reunion

i've been meaning to post some pics from my family reunion during the last weekend of July. but when i downloaded them, i realized just how few i took!! :(  i think i was so busy, i just didn't get around to grabbing the camera. but here are some shots Phil and i managed to take. Q & Christe, you have to send me the pics you took! i have no pics of the kids except the one here!

Five Senses Friday

it's friday and it has been way too long since i last did one of these. i started doing this after discovering this blog - abby try again - written by Abby. and it's my birthday today! the last time my birthday was on a friday 13th was when i turned 13 yrs old!! thankfully, my life hasn't been full of bad luck, in fact, i feel really blessed, esp to have a wonderful husband and 3 beautiful daughters.

feeling:  relief from the intense heat we've had this week - finally seems to be cooling off.

seeing:  ominous, dark clouds in the sky. hoping for cooling rain.

smelling:  cup of earl grey tea - have to have my cup of tea in the morning, even if it is boiling hot outside

tasting: actually, i'm looking forward to tasting some gnocci for my birthday dinner. i'm salivating even now as i think about it. :)

hearing:  "too young to burn" by sonny and the sunsets - perhaps i'm in denial about my age. :)

Moments from July

finally, here are some photos i took over the month of July with my nikon. i hope you enjoy them!