Quick 5

It always takes a few days to settle into the rhythm of summer.

1. We kicked off summer last Friday with popsicles with friends. Once a month we do a babysitting swap with some friends from church, and this month was ours to host. So five little blonde girls got to have dinner, eat popsicles and play outside together. Basically it was a cuteness overload.

2. The start of summer means the start of our Super Summer Challenge. There's a whole book about it if you're interested, but basically it is chores and challenges for points and prizes. We've changed points into dollars (play dollars) which the girls can then spend in my store. We started the challenge on Monday, and Alaina earned $50.00 this week, and Joya earned $30.00. Bria doesn't care. The girls have plans for how they want to spend this money, but I'll see how that plays out and fill you in next week.

3. One of Alaina's new challenges/chores is doing the dishes after dinner. I'll clear and put the food away, Alaina has learned how to load the dishwasher and wash the dishes, and Joya dries and puts the dishes away. This is a glorious plan. Yes, this is the first week, but Alaina still is really excited about this new responsibility.

4. Another one of Alaina's new challenges is learning how to cook. This week she made us english muffin pizzas for lunch. She used the oven and everything. (Side note: if you have any recipes that are easy for kids to make, I'd love to hear them!)

 5. Joya's been a true helper by picking up the living room and her bedroom each day. She wanted me to show you this picture of the fruits of her labor:

Bags filled with who-knows-what, removed from her room

And Bria? She's been spending her days enjoying a new magazine from Gramma and Grampa Kimble.

Boom. Week one of summer in the books.

Happy 2nd birthday to my nephew Elisha! We'll see you in a couple of months, buddy!