the roller coaster of august

you suck your breath in hard as the cart ticks up the hill.

turning down, you pick up speed and start to shriek as you hold on with both hands clenched to the bar.

that is how i feel when i go into august.

i am excited, there is anticipation-but i don't want summer to race to an end.

my fists are clenched and i am shrieking at the top of my lungs, enjoying every last second that summer has to offer.

moments like these.

theater camp, a new annual summer must do.  audrey LOVED every second, as did her comrades. 

wet suits, towels and an after ups when the pool closes, my favorite summer friday night.

how do you know it's an after up?  pool hair, pj's, smores

(after up=a term i picked up in college that means the place where everybody goes after the bar closes ex: "hey where are we going for after-ups?"  the meaning has obviously been changed in this situation to "where you go when the pool closes".)

a game of statue maker in the front lawn, the mosquitoes looked at it as the after-ups buffet.

jake uses his iphone flashlight app to find bugs in the dark.

what is summer without a super fun birthday party?  i am so glad that i remember to take pictures before we go, because the hair and clothes last about 2 minutes.

see?

 the most unreal cake evah.  all parts seen are edible, when this girl goes pro, i will be her number one customer.  who can make a minnie mouse pirate cake?  christina can!

get that pinata audrey!!! 

gk and the birthday girl.

the best part about the party for jon and i?  our kids sleeping until 9:00am the next day!

right before building this fort, audrey came stomping away from her sister into the house saying, "I haven't been alone ALL DAY Georgia!!"  um, girlfriend i haven't been alone in EIGHT YEARS, sing it to another choir.

 georgie and her baby promptly rode off to the park to give big sister some alone time, as for me,  i am thinking i have another 10 years before she is going to give me the same, and i am fine with that.

so here we are, grabbing onto the hot pavement and not letting summer go.  we have our school supplies, but we have a beach date planned.  we have our fall schedule set in the planner, but we have swim camp next week.  i love you summer and i am not done with you yet.