So we've been enjoying the heck out of these 10 days between the spring and summer semesters. The first Monday night of "summer" (which starts locally as soon as the spring semester ends and most students leave town), John came home from work and suggested we scrap our dinner plans and head downtown to our favorite burger place to celebrate. It was a great idea and a lovely evening. Daniel had been through a few shirts that day, and I didn't even really realize he was wearing this one until college students (there are a few lingering) were pointing and snickering.
After dinner, we walked to the Old Capitol, the heart of our campus and let the boys climb the steps. Then Edward wanted to see the theater where he'd gone on his field trip, and as we walked down the block for another look, we happened to pass an ice cream store, and we happened to go in and get two kids scoops of ice cream. But this is the image that truly captures the magic of the evening. 
Later in the week, we took an afternoon trip to the park in our old neighborhood, where we discovered Edward's new climbing skills. 
He'd never gone more than about two footholds up this wall before, but this day, the wall was conquered. Over and over and over again. It was as much fun to watch as to climb, I think.
We also dropped in on a former neighbor, who was gracious enough to let Daniel use his bathroom. Then he disappeared to his basement to find two small trucks he'd picked up at a local event several months ago and had been saving for the boys' next visit. They were pleased.In other news, Edward's beans have sprouted and appear to be thriving in his pot. We definitely haven't seen a 1:1 ratio of bean seeds planted to sprouts appearing, but he does not care at all. The two or three sprouts in the pot are pure delight. We have a few more seeds to plant next week to help support a continuing harvest. The tomatoes are growing taller and the basil is also flourishing. All are quite well hydrated with the rain water collecting in our new rain barrel.
One of the Saturdays I was in class, John and the boys went to get this at an event a local environmental group was holding. In the week between our purchase and its installation, we missed out on collecting torrential rains, but no matter. It takes surprisingly little rain to fill it. We've already installed an overflow hose, just in case we don't take enough out for the plants in between the summer storms. Edward loves using the spigot to fill his bucket. Daniel would also like to help himself, but has not yet mastered the concept of closing the spigot when he's done. Close supervision required.
In a slightly more expensive water activity, John used the occasion of our first heat wave of the summer to enlist the boys' "help" in washing the car on Sunday afternoon. The bumpers and license plates have never been so clean! But they filled a warm afternoon with cool, wet fun, so what more could we ask? 
Jumping back a bit in time, I'll also note that we had a nice Mother's Day visit with John's extended family at his grandparents' home in Chariton. John's cousin has three kids, the youngest of whom is Edward's age. They're now finally at an age where they can actually play together and it's fun to watch them mix and match. Edward actually spent quite a bit of time outside breaking open rocks with Chloe, age 9. And Daniel and Bailey (4) chased each other full of giggles. This is how they said good-bye.
And so it goes. Busy as always. We'll try to keep up to date with our summer fun, but if you're feeling neglected, keep in mind that I'm on a path toward "ouch" and may not always have time to come up for air.
