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So what have we been up to lately?

I don't have any great potty stories to tell (thank goodness!). We aren't travelling around the countryside. Nothing too terribly new or exciting is going on. Basically we're just enjoying our summer.

* The girls and I go to the pool at least twice a week. We're all sporting some pretty good tan lines, but as usual 'R' has us all beat. As she does every summer, 'R' looks like a member of the Rodriguez family and certainly doesn't look like my child!

* We went to several water parks and the beach recently with Len and my mom. Even since my last post about their swim lessons, they all continue to get braver and better in the water. I love it!

* We make at least one trip a week to the library where our girls stock up on books galore! They (R & B) each now have their own library card so we usually get about 50 books each time. They are racking up the hours of reading for the local library's summer program.

* I'm watching my belly get larger and larger as baby 'S' continues to beat me up on the inside. He has officially reached my ribs, so the next two months may be even more uncomfortable. I'm also loving the side effects of pregnancy like the mask of pregnancy, grotesque veins in my legs, and the constant intake of Tums throughout the day. I am fastly growing out of that cute baby bump stage to that "Whoa, Momma! When are you due?" stage.

* I am gearing up for an interesting next two months. Looks like Len will be gone at least 5 different weeks before the beginning of October. There will be some stagger and we won't be apart for more than 3 weeks at a time, but I'm sure the in and out will make life a bit hectic around here.

*'R' has an insatiable appetite for books and is reading through more chapter books than I thought possible. She just finished a 26 chapter book in 2 days! She's a bit obsessive!

*'B' is reading too, but doesn't have the desire to go overboard like big sister. She reads the simple books, but right now reading is still a lot of work for her so she prefers for us to read to her. Thankfully 'B's carefree & creative spirit helps pull 'R' away from books to enjoy some pretend, imaginative play time with dolls, dress-up, or whatever.

*'N' is jabbering away in constant fragmented and inarticulate sentences. She may be the youngest girl, but she can hold her own with big sisters. She is always mimicking Len and I and what we tell the big girls. "B, no pway", "R, keen up". And her favorite phrase is "I do it", even when she can't do it! She's hilarious!

All in all, we are just trucking along and enjoying our summer! School doesn't start till after Labor Day so we've got one last month to enjoy this laid back lifestyle!