July 18

I am a day behind on blog posting because this early-morning boot camp is... well, it's kicking my butt. The exercise is great, and leaving me sore in that wonderful way that only happens when you work hard. But it's the getting up at 5 am part that is rough. I'm sacrificing two full hours of sleep each night to do this boot camp, and I'm not pleasant when I'm tired. Maybe I should start going to bed 45 minutes ago.

Regardless, it was a fun day. I gave the kids home-made biscuits with jelly as part of their breakfast. Daisy likes jelly.

She really likes jelly.

I'm not sure if she actually ate any of the biscuit, or if she just used it as a vehicle for the jelly.

Also, if I didn't know how much she loved jelly, I would seriously wonder if she actually consumed any of it, or if it all ended up on her face, hands, hair, jammies... you name it.

This is what one seriously happy girl looks like.

Now, for a seriously happy boy. 

You wouldn't think a popsicle made of carrot juice and strawberries would make a kid this happy. But it did.

I was smart to let him eat it while wearing his swim trunks. A quick spray-down with the hose and we were good to go! 

And this? 

This is my children playing catch together. Really. It was a totally organic moment: I was sitting at the banquette, reading the paper and drinking my coffee while they played. Then I heard giggling and "Ball. Ball. Ball. BALL!"

I looked up to see my sweet babies playing catch! They actually managed the back and forth tossing for five or six throws before the moment fell apart. 

I was quite impressed. Things like this are good for a mama's heart.