Oh What Do You Do In the Summertime, Verse 3

3. Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?
Do you march in parades, or drink lemonades, or count all the stars in the sky?
Is that what you do? So do I!

It's been a decade now that Michael and I have been parents.  A decade!  And this is our oldest.  The one who gets to go through the "firsts" with us.  Lizzie and Sabrina are unique and will require different parenting, but Kate... she gets all our first mistakes!  Good thing she's a pretty good sport about it.  We sure do love her.

Kate got a nice padded gig-bag for her ukulele.  It even has a nice strap for hauling it around to and from school. She also got some art supplies, including a book teaching how to draw pets.

We "stopped by" Grandma's house and Kate was surprised by a whole bunch of cousins, aunts, and uncles who put up some streamers and had a party with us!  I don't know that any adult ever could experience the unbridled joy of a not-quite-2-year-old with a frosted chocolate cupcake.

We found another excuse to get together to make a baby blanket!  This one is going to friends in China.  Kate has particularly enjoyed having a pen-pal in China.  She got to help with the blanket for the first time!

Kate and Sabrina also kept us supplied with background music via African drums.  Lizzie worked as part time photography assistant.

 

Randomly inserted here: the first two blackberries from our own yard.  We've had many more since.

Finally, on a tender note.  We made our July visit to the local cemetery and left flowers on many of the children's graves again.  Don't know how to finish this bit properly, so I'll just say I'm grateful for eternal families, but even that surety does not remove the grief and loss felt now.