Summer 2026!

Summer started out with bang!  Just kidding.  It was so anti-climatic it kinda freaked me out.  The boys didn't want to do anything.  No bucket list, no trips to the lake, no hosting a party in the backyard.  Nothing.  So I took a picture of Henry and a couple random neighbor friends eating popsicles as they tried to figure out what to do.  I think the friends decided to just go home :)

The next day I got out the slip and slides.  They are so old and barely hanging in there and it takes about 30 minutes of sweaty labor to get them set up.  Henry and Jack helped me, like literally helped me and suddenly my love-hate relationship for the slides was mostly love.  Henry's buddies had never been on them before and they were in heaven so all was well with the world and the start to summer.

Marcus made some travel plans while he was in England so he could travel Europe on the weekends.  His itinerary made me so jealous!  So as I post about our family summer events, there will be random pictures of Marcus visiting various countries.

Day 3 of summer looked like Henry falling asleep on the couch.  That's one tired/bored kid!

Henry and his buddies love tubing and have as the summer has progressed they've gotten brave enough that they actually get tossed in the air and brag about not letting go, even if their arms get nearly pulled out of their sockets. 

While nothing was happening here, Marcus was kayaking in caves in Portugal.

Henry got invited to a whiffle ball-themed birthday party.  They played the boys walk-up songs and they had the best time.  Major Sandlot vibes.

This picture is significant for two reasons: first, Henry is wearing a tie.  We are trying to make him do hard things.  Second, he's eating a Lunchable which all have my boys loved when they were little.  They're not even good but whatever.

A new Ball family tradition: Sunday sandwiches after church.  And they are goooood!

Ethan came home for a week and rented a Tesla.  I guess you can do that for free once a year.  Anyway, they are pretty fun and now I know why I hate Tesla drivers.  They aren't even driving their car!

Ethan was kind enough to let Landon nervously drive the Tesla.  The smiles were big!

We took friends out for a date night on Lake Union and it was pure magic.  We had a delicious dinner at Duke's Seafood and talked for hours,  There is no better place to be in the summer than WA

while we were on our date night, I turned off the internet and told my boys if they wanted dinner they had to get off screens and go swimming at Pine Lake.  This was the photo they sent for proof.  I think it's about the only time all three have them have been together this whole summer!

Henry got more x-rays to check his growth plates.  The 'roids are working!  (That's slang for growth steroids). Henry has grown four inches this year and has moved up from the front row for class pictures to the second row.  So he's short but not the shortest.  All his brothers are jealous of his daily "butt shots."

I happily worked my tail off in the kitchen at the open house for my friends.  It's so awesome when your two best friends have kids that marry each other.  The place was packed!  I wish I'd gotten a picture of all of us working in the kitchen, sampling food (the caramel cheesecake will never be forgotten) as we discussed GLP-1's and peri-menopause.