Summer!

Oh, how we love the summer-time around here!  Dave is out of school, my tutoring has slowed, and the days are nice and long and warm.  Just right for doing all sorts of fun things:

Eating snacks and playing in water on the back deck...

Exploring creeks and the "dirt park" near our house...

 Swimming with Mrs. Carolyn (a 70-something Australian lady who taught all the Cummings girls to swim!  Note Ev's expression in the picture above; swim lessons were not her favorite activity to date:))...

 

And picnicking outside whenever possible!

And just in case we need to play inside for a while, we can always dress up and have a dance party:

Friends

Everybody needs a friend or two, right?

Someone who will share a snack... 

...float with you in the tub... 

...peek out of log cabin windows by your side... 

...or bird-watch with you outside.

Happy Thursday, friends!

According to Evelyn...

While fingerpainting outside on the deck:  "I paint myself, Mama!" (and proceeded to do so:))

Upon the prospect of meeting new baby cousin Estelle for the first time:  "Pet her.  I want to pet her."

After donning several kitchen towels:  "Sleep in my capes, Mama."

When asked what she wants for breakfast:  "Ice cream.  Birthday cake.  Marshmallows."

Happy weekend, friends!

Happy Sunday, Friends!

May you take some time this week to slow down and marvel at the world around you...

 ...whether you share a book with someone you love...

...hang out with a sweet friend...

 ...count and sort and organize...

...admire something beautiful...

...or stand in a field and watch for a train.

Lately

Since we last checked in, Little Miss Priss has been into all sorts of things...

 ...trying on new dress-up shoes/clothes from cousin Lily and sweet friend Morgan...

 ...playing with water on the deck...

...riding dinosaurs at the playground...

...and sharing snacks with her friends.

Also, please watch these two cutie patooties riding the train at the zoo last week.  So fun!

And finally, my favorite thing out of Evelyn's mouth so far this week...

                      Ev, while playing with her play kitchen food:  "Mama, try the ham."

                      Me:  "How delicious!  What did you do to make it so tasty?"

                      Ev:  "I cooked it for forty days."

There you have it, folks.  Enjoy the rest of your week!

Spring Break (Chattanooga)

Happy Friday, friends!  It is amazingly beautiful in Nashville today, so we have been outside enjoying the weather.  And speaking of being outside, let's hearken back to the rest of our spring break vacation. When we last left off our spring break travels, we were headed out of Atlanta after a lovely visit with Mac and Eddie, and we drove back up I-24 to Chattanooga, where we promptly established residence in a train car at the Chattanooga Choo Choo.  SO. FUN.

After a brief swim in the indoor pool, an inspection of the rest of the train, and supper, we bedded down for the night and looked forward to the next day, when we headed out on the town for a morning at the Aquarium, a stroll across the pedestrian bridge, a ride on a beautiful old carousel and lunch at a delicious little deli, and then ice cream before we packed up the car for the trip back to Nashvegas:

 We began our day with perhaps the highlight of our entire Chattanooga trip:  the bus ride downtown to the Aquarium from our hotel:)

If you haven't been to the Chattanooga Aquarium, you must go.  Great size for toddlers and pre-schoolers.  Touch sting-rays, run around with butterflys, gape at all sorts of other aquatic creatures.

 This park sits right across the river from the Aquarium, underneath the pedestrian bridge.

Yay for carousels!

So much fun, friends.  Go visit Chattanooga soon if you haven't done that lately!  And happy Friday:)

He is Risen!