Once again, I'm so grateful for our wonderful neighbors and the family friendships we are fostering. Right now, there is a core of four families on our block who are pretty consistent about organizing get togethers and it is always a fantastic time!

This time, the idea was a backyard movie with a potluck dinner. My friend, Kate, has an amazing backyard for just such a venue which is awesome since the whole movie night was her idea!

She arranged seating throughout and of course, the kids immediately flocked to their play gym.

I was mildly alarmed at the load they were applying to the structure, but thankfully, they weren't up there all at once too long. 

We have had a very mild summer so far, with only a few days hitting the mid-80's, and this particular evening it was downright chilly. 

Here are the Chase boys. Such great men.

From left to right: Mike, Kyle (holding Wilder), Dylan (crouched on the ground by his Dad), Andy and Skip.  These are some wonderful fathers and husbands and we Chase ladies are so proud of them.

They were plotting a Sunday fishing trip on Lake Michigan in this photo. They were pretty giddy. You can't take the boy out of the man. And that's a good thing.

It was such an easy, comfortable time with our friends. The party was the day before August's birthday, so I contributed a chocolate cake and watermelon. The kids (as you can see in the photo), pounced on the watermelon immediately. So while our kids played and munched, we just talked and enjoyed each other.

Kate set up a drinks table and to the right by the pavers is where the movie was to be shown.

Pretty nifty! 

Brooklyn, August and Dorien always find themselves together even amid crowds of other kids. Makes me proud.

Ok, so I was introduced to a seriously delicious drink - brewed by a Wisconsin company. New Glarus Brewing Co. So this Raspberry Tart Ale is something I'd never had before, but it rocked my world. Amazing.

The kids decided to eat like Romans and stretched out on their bellies to dig into their plates. 

Speaking of plates, the other amazing thing about our group is the quality of food. It's gourmet every time. We had a variety of foods, from a roasted gazpacho soup, caprese paninis, pasta salad, arugula salad, a couscous-chickpea salad, a shrimp and vegetable panzanella...it was unbelievably delicious. Not your average potluck, for sure. Two of the four families are vegetarian, so that always makes the food choices even better!

Sorry about the horrible moment I caught Wyeth, but it was too cute to see him eating by himself.

Dorien and Keira used some stumps under the cherry tree as their dining tables.

My handsome son, August, considers his delicious cake (Gone to Glory Chocolate Cake) before blowing out his candles.

Happy Birthday, August!

Almost time for the movie to start! When will that sun set?

At last! Andy set up the projector and they watched the movie, Sing!

Our sweet kiddos. 

Hi mom!

The later it got, the colder it got, and blankets were needed. I had to peek in on the movie, too, as I've only seen bits of it. Pretty cute movie!

Meanwhile, Kate and Andy moved the bigger chairs around a fire pit and had some grown-up time. I love her string of fairy lights!! It was a truly magical evening!

Kyle and I took turns holding Wilder who fell asleep on us. We brought a too-large sweatshirt and put it on him and it served as pretty nice blanket.

Wilder, Kyle and me. 

It was a wonderful night, we stayed up pretty late and I was thankful that none of us had to get up early the next day (Monday) as it was August's birthday.

Summer with my neighbors....it's delightful. 

August turned 9 on a glorious summer day on July 17th. It was a Monday, so Kyle took off work and we celebrated our Family Birthday way: A day devoted to the whims of August.

His whim was to hit up the climbing wall at Maggie Daly Park downtown. The kids' Summer Camp was supposed to have gone there as a field trip, and they did....but there was an oversight involving parental waivers which were absent...so their camp turned the many play areas at Millennium Park into a field trip instead. 

August was pretty disappointed, though, so we went for his birthday.

The above picture, the gorgeous city of Chicago, was taken on the road from the passenger window! 

Here's the birthday boy with the climbing wall behind him.  If you're curious about how one gets to Millennium Park and actually parks, the getting there is easy. From Rogers Park, we hopped on Lakeshore Drive and followed signs. Parking, on the other hand, is a beast anywhere in Chicago. 

There are apps we use - such as SpotHero which finds you the best parking deals near your location and reserves you a spot, as well as a ParkChicago app which allows you to pay for street spots and add time and money as it runs out. There are parking garages hidden around in the underbelly of the city, and they are usually so expensive. As in $27 for 0 to 3 hours. Ouch. We found ourselves in one such spot before realizing how expensive it was. We actually came back out and had the charges reversed, but after cruising in circles downtown checking out the options on SpotHero, we ended up back in the same exact garage, only this time at a rate of $16 for 3 hours. 

It makes sense to actually strategize about your parking before you get downtown, as navigating the parking apps and identifying the best spots is NOT something you can do while driving. I was manning the apps while Kyle drove in circles and the kids kept saying, "Hey, we were just here!"  

I attempted to get a cool skyline shot, but our options were limited. This was the best I could do. 

Although this was August's birthday and making him happy was our main objective, we would have been just mean to exclude Brooklyn and Dorien. In hindsight, Dorien was pretty much money well wasted. He thought it was a grand time to climb up approximately 3 feet and then let go. Maybe it was worth it just to see him wear that hilarious orange hat. I can't even look at him without giggling.

The options for climbing packages are almost overwhelming, and it looks like you have to pay for a 45 minute tutorial before actually climbing, but that's only if you're using ropes and team belaying. For kids, if using auto-belay (the ropes that automatically let you back down), there are time options which include all the gear. So, for $25/kid, we got a half hour of auto-belay plus all the gear. There were two walls - a 30' and 40' wall. Also, the staff was supposed to monitor your time on the wall and tell you when you were through, but no one ever stopped us. We lost track of time and were there well over an hour.  Oops.

Being the totally prepared mom I am, I completely forgot sunscreen for my two blondies, neither of whom were climbing. Thankfully, our loaner stroller had a good canopy, so at least Wilder was blocked from the sun.  Wyeth just found shade. 

Not only did I forget sunscreen, I also neglected water bottles. So we were super prepared. We DID have diapers and wipes, though, so...prepared enough.

Leaving the house with 5 kids, I often feel good just knowing all the kids are with me.

Ok, so I may have exaggerated the extent of Dorien's negative climbing skills. 

It's a good assumption that he was mere seconds away from letting go. He always gave a huge cheeser grin, but I read through the grin that he was scared of going much higher. I get it. He also had no concept of planning his climb - looking for grips and toe-holds or even recognizing that he might have picked a super advanced wall.

August wasn't really scared, but he was "aware" of the height. He really enjoyed climbing though.

Brooklyn (to the right of August) was a little mountain goat. Fearless, fast, relentless. She scrabbled up the walls lickety-split, not even remotely scared. She only slowed down when her forearms and fingers stiffened in exhaustion. Otherwise, this was her THING.

The location of the climbing wall was pretty close to one of Kyle and my favorite eateries in the city - Pastoral. It's fabulous - an artisan wine, cheese and sandwich shop that never fails to deliver.

We strolled over there to get some sandwiches, but along the way saw a little storefront for the Billy Goat Tavern (not the original, under-the-bridge location). We thought maybe some fries from there would top off our yummy sandwiches. So, after getting some fancy food and some not-so-fancy food, we hustled back to our car just a few minutes shy of our 3 hour parking limit and found ourselves a beach spot - Montrose Beach - to picnic. It was perfection. 

We relaxed that afternoon - the littles napped and I made August's requested birthday cake (a Devil's Food Cake) and dinner (broccoli-cheese soup). After we ate, he opened his gifts. New Altra running shoes and a bike helmet from me and Kyle, an Adidas shirt and a whole heap of books from his grandparents. It was a good haul and he was very pleased. 

He's outgrown his Vibram Five Fingers (and apparently they no longer make the children's version), so I branched out into another brand that was still close to being a barefoot shoe. He tested them out a day or so later and loves them. 

Here is his cake! He was very excited about it!

This was my first Devil's Food Cake, and there was a minor issue with the fudge icing - I didn't use HEAVY whipping cream, just regular whipping cream, and it made a difference. It would NOT firm up. I ended up adding a bunch of powdered sugar and turning it into more of a buttercream in order for it to be spreadable. Tasted fine, obviously. I will say that it's not my favorite cake - but then again, I'm not a big "cake" person at all. There are few cakes that I just love. And I discovered, the only good cake is a refrigerated cake. Cold cake is where it's at! 

Thankfully, August liked it very much.

It's funny that he's just now turning 9, because he seems so much older than he really is. I feel like he's been 9 for a long time. He's an old soul, this one. 

I'm so stinkin proud of him. 

A few weeks ago, I asked August to keep an eye on Wilder who was sleeping on my bed while I ran downstairs for a minute.

I came back upstairs to find both of my sweet boys sleeping soundly. 

August, so sweet and protective, is wonderful with Wilder. 

He is a Baby Whisperer-in-Training, no doubt.

Meet my son, August. 

He's 7 years old and stinkin smart and talented and sensitive and just all around good looking. 

And he plays tennis when he's not keeping the peace around our house in his official capacity as cowboy law-man.

Just recently, we signed him up for an under-8 Jr. Tennis league. He is now an official USTA member. He has been taking weekly lessons since the Spring, and it seemed time to start getting some match experience. His league matches kicked off this past Sunday (after our day in the ER), and he didn't really give it much thought until just before we were getting ready to go.

Then the reality of the situation hit him full force and he was terrified.

Like I said before, he is a really sensitive kid. I have spanked him probably 2 times in his life. A stern look is usually all it takes. He FEELS things, people. DEEPLY. He's tough and all boy, don't get me wrong - those things are definitely not mutually exclusive. But he suddenly became adamant that he DID. NOT. WANT. TO. PLAY. TENNIS. He started crying and we could not get him to stop! 

It was one of those parenting moments when you really have to just make a judgment call.

Obviously, he was simply nervous and scared. We understood that. He'd also committed to do something and his coach and fellow team members were counting on him.

We gently explained all this to him as he sobbed and sobbed. 

Kyle and I each explained how we both got crazy nervous before matches or races or sporting events, and that we had even read about an Ironman triathlon who bawls like a baby right before the start of every race (it's true). Nerves come out in different ways. But you can't let them stop you.

We kept comforting him and encouraging him as everyone put their shoes on. We filled his water bottle and ushered everyone into the car. Tears still a-flowing.

We drove there, all the while he just cried.

And then we parked the car and he climbed out of the car and the tears dried up. 

Stoic August emerged. What I like to call his Poker Face.

No emotion. Just business.

Here he is above, warming up with his Coach Shaun beside him. 

All during warm-up and as the other players warmed up, he was fine. He's never crazy or wild or expressive out there, even in lessons. But he really does love tennis.

He played two matches that day. In this league, it's best of 3 games. There are several things that are unique about this level - they don't overhand serve - they drop hit. They each serve 2 and then switch servers, and they each get 2 attempts to serve. The scoring is different, too. Rather than using love-15-30, etc. They do first to 7 points, using these clips attached to the net. When you score a point, you remove a clip. Then, as absurd as it is, you call out your score by subtracting 7 from the clips on the net. Rather than starting with 0 clips and adding them to the net and counting those. So every time a kid called the points, they had to do a little subtraction problem. It was bizarre.

At this level, the parents are able to help the kids out with calling the score, helping them identify whose point it is, whether the balls are in or out. You let them do as much as they can, but interject when required. For instance, this one kid called a ball out when it was clearly in.  So a parent will say, "Uh, was that in or out?"..."Out?"..."You sure about that?"...."In.....your point...." Keeping them honest, kind of. And you encourage them - we all want our kids to love this game!

August won his first match easily and his second match, he lost in the 3rd set. It was funny because the only reason he lost the second match was because he didn't move to the  ball fast enough or often enough. His strokes were great! There were several good rallies, but his opponent was a hustler and just generally more peppy than August.  As his opponent walked off, I heard him say to his dad, "that kid was good!" I think because August had on his Poker Face, he didn't expect any skill from him! 

With the matches completed, August walked a little taller. I asked him if he had fun - resounding YES. I asked him if he was looking forward to next week - YES! 

Hopefully the big breakdown was just a one-time nerves issue...

On Friday, July 17th, a very important event occurred.

August turned 7.

I know, I find myself wondering how in the world that could be possible.

I remember vividly the morning I went into labor with him. 

A hot, summer morning when I awoke to contractions and the knowledge that our house was going to be filled with a second child in a matter of hours.

Little did I know just how incredibly amazing that child would be.

And how much I would love him and respect him and watch him grow into a boy who can break my heart with his tender sweetness.

This August is a treasure.

In a complete reverse order of events, I show you the opening of his gifts. In our family, we have adopted a non-party policy that really works amazingly well. Rather than spending tons of money on party after party, we turn the day into a family affair that revolves around the special birthday child, but doesn't overdo the elements that get so expensive and exhausting (aka...all the party guests).

If the birthday falls on a weekday, then Kyle takes off work and hangs out with us all day.

We spend the day doing special things for the birthday boy/girl, and conclude the day with presents.

Hence the backwardness of these photos.  

We love books in our household...in particular books by William Joyce and Patricia Polacco.

August is OBSESSED with the book The Mischevians, which makes perfect sense when you read it. It's truly wonderful! Especially if you're a 7 year old boy. I won't spoil it for you - go check it out from the library. Now that August has his own copy of the book, the odds are much greater than the library will have a copy in stock.

As you can see, Brooklyn was also pretty excited about The Junkyard Wonder book. It's another favorite around our house. I HIGHLY recommend it. Now, I will qualify this by saying that Patricia Polacco has some books which I don't check out for my kids - books that address certain topics that I'm not yet ready to discuss with my children. As a Christ-follower who definitely has a world-view different from Mrs. Polacco, I like to proof-read all the books I check out by her. But, on the whole, she is an amazing author and we own several of her books and love them. She's definitely someone you don't want to miss.

August had a very specific list of requested birthday items. Top of his list were a watch and a wallet. They've actually been on his list for quite some time, but this is the first birthday we felt it was the perfect time. Kyle made him an awesome "Drivers License" and a few "Business Cards" to include in his wallet. Have I mentioned lately how amazing my husband is? Not just as a husband, but he is a stellar dad. He also found August a Lea and Luke pair (Luke is disguised as a Storm Trooper) which was very well received.

Bringing the day back to the correct order - we served up August his breakfast of choice and then headed out to explore someplace we'd never been before as a family - the Big Dam Bridge!

We decided to make a picnic of it, so we grabbed lunch from our favorite place - Boulevard!

Yes, Wyeth is Cheesing it up again.

As an aside - the Main Street Boulevard is my favorite location, largely because there is a Mexican gentleman who works in the kitchen who makes my day every time I'm there. He makes it a point to come give hugs to all my kids, congratulates me over and over on having such a large, beautiful family, and just generally spreads a lovely blanket of joy around us when we see him.

This time, Kyle was with us, and he soundly congratulated Kyle on his success as a father. I love it!

Yes, we tackled the Big Dam Bridge smack dab in the middle of the day when it was blazing hot, and we felt every degree of it! But we did it anyway and it was great!

I wore Wyeth on my back in his Boba carrier (which he seriously loves!), and we proceeded to walk all the way over the Bridge. I have run and ridden this bridge many many times before, but never walked it. And it's quite a walk, particularly when keeping up with 4 kids.

There was a mild bit of complaining from Brooklyn and Dorien, but not from August. He loved it.

I'm not sure the kids really get the whole "almost cuss word" thing going on with the BDB, but they still took every opportunity to throw out the three words. It made me and Kyle exchange some grins.

Reminds me of a funny article I read recently about "Christian Cussing."

One reason we thought it would be neat to check out the bridge is because we studied hydro-electric power generation at the end of our school year in May, and I really wanted to show the kids just how powerful water is. And when you stand on the Bridge and see the Arkansas River flowing and then EXPLODING out the other side of the Dam, it's pretty plain to see just how powerful it is. 

Mind-blowing, even.

We talked a lot about what was happening, how the locks on the Dam worked...it was education as well as really fun.

After we wore ourselves out on BDB, we drove over to 2 Rivers Park (where we were THE ONLY people out), walked over another longish bridge and found the world's biggest picnic table in a gloriously shady area. Amazingly, there were no bugs. It was as if God blessed us with a perfect picnic for August's birthday.

We chowed down on turkey sandwiches, soup, veggie hummus sandwiches, fruit cups and chocolate chip cookies. It was seriously delicious stuff.

The table was plenty big for Wyeth to just plop down in the middle of it.

Here is the birthday boy - hot, sweaty and exhilarated to be outside for his birthday. 

Later that evening, we headed to the "Train Store" (Barnes & Noble) for some train time. Brooklyn and August got funky with their footwear for the occasion.

It was a lovely birthday. We wrapped it up with August's dinner of choice and a dessert I made, and a good time was had by all.

Happy birthday, my August Banner.