Summer

You know the drill--creeks (I walked up the creek for a while--the sound of the water, the crayfish darting backwards to avoid my step), games (Husker du, apples to apples picture version, Sorry, wiffleball, the kids think they are dying if there are any breaks between games).

 

Q and I brought donuts home for the family after mass.

There was a little rain, so Blaze danced in it. 

In the evening the whole family worked together and made chicken caesar salad for dinner. At dinner we read the Declaration, the Preamble to the Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address. 

In the evening, we headed up to my aunt and uncle's mountaintop for an evening swim, a bonfire, and some fireworks. You wouldn't believe what a blast my boys had with their older cousins. There was so much laughter; so much running around the orchard after dark wearing glow stick jewelry and playing games. 

My boys were in awe as my uncle set of a small cannon in memory of another uncle; as my uncle shot at his kids with bottle rockets, which they dodged. (This happens every year and my kids are very intrigued. No one shoots bottle rockets at them.)

Oh, and I questioned my cousins about AI (about 4 of the people at the gathering are currently in college). They said 100 percent of students use AI, and there are no assignments I can give, aside from in-class writing, that will avoid the use of AI. They said AI can totally generate reflective essays. So that was dispiriting. This is one thing that I'm walking into that I have no idea about. Another is how to be the furniture.