It’s no secret that I have a bit of an eff you attitude towards Summer.  I’m sorry Summer!!  It’s not totally your fault.  We certainly have our good days.  I even get sad thinking you will be gone soon.  And while I wonder if the heat might do me in once and for all this year, that’s not the real issue.

It’s more that poor Summer has just gotten a bad rap.  It includes a break from school, which is the link to sanity for me and Stevie.  We get those few hours away from each other to recharge, and without that – the days start at 6am and don’t end for a long, long time.  So long, in fact, that last night we taped black trash bags over Stevie’s windows so he’d hopefully fall asleep before 9pm.  (8:30!  Hey, beggars can’t be choosers.)

But Summer, I gotta say, you just redeemed yourself.  Because SUMMER CAMP has begun.  And it’s even longer than school.  By 30 minutes. (Again, the beggar/chooser thing.)  So now that we all know Mama Jaana will survive the next few weeks, let’s take a look at what’s been keeping us busy the last little while, shall we?

Sheesh, I can’t remember where I left off… Good thing I take pictures or my whole life would be forgotten.  By me.

Heart Check-Up: went great!!  I was trying so hard to project a sense of calm and chill to the max, but of course I was a tiny bit nervous, and definitely preparing myself to hear the dreaded “time for surgery” speech. But the check-up ended with a “see ya next year”  chat and we all breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Eye Check-up:  unfortunately, this surgery can’t be avoided much longer.  We are on the schedule for August 15th.  This will be take 2 on this right eyelid.  Ugh. Please work!

Sister’s Bachelorette Party/Wedding: both were so fun and perfect!  The bachelorette was in Newport Beach and we enjoyed spa time, beach time, eating time, biking time, pool time, etc.  I have to say, I’m getting pretty good at planning girl weekends, if anyone wants to go play.  *cough cough*  The wedding was great too. Everything came together in the best way, and my sister looked breathtaking, obviously. We had fun with family and friends and sidebar: I loved my bridesmaid dress too.

Graduation Party: we celebrated the kiddos in the family that were moving onto their next grades.  The cousins had a blast playing together and I love that Stevie is getting to spend time with them; built-in friends.

Underwood Family Farms: we have been there twice this summer, and both times have gone surprisingly well.  I mean, I guess I shouldn’t have been that surprised, because they have a slide, so it’s like a park.  And the only thing Stevie likes nearly as much as cars is a park.  But I also made him pick berries and look at animals, so it was a well-rounded cultural experience.  Or whatever.

Are you guys still reading?  There’s more!  It’s like the marathon of blog posts.  Show me what you’re made of, people! Go, go, go!

RHOC Wrap Party: file under “EEEEEE!!!!!!”

Fourth of July: we were kind of bummed to not have plans.  Fergus had just come home the day before, and we were just too worried to leave him alone on such a noisy, crazy night.  So we stayed home.  But at the last minute, our neighbors from the old condo came by and we had BBQ and s’mores and wine and just a fantastic evening in general.  It was the best surprise ending to our holiday!

I think I edited these in black and white because I was feeling overwhelmed.  SO MUCH HAPPENING. Monochromatic good. Everything will be ok.

Hosting the Utah Bestie: my favorite lady (we’ve known each other 20+ years and it hurts so good when you have these great long time friendships, but then you also realize how the time is flying) came into California with her brood of 6 and stayed with us for a family vacation.  They invited me and Stevie to tag along to Universal Studios and the beach.  And please know that Stevie was in hog heaven with his pal Brekka.  I mean he looked like a man with a plan, so busy, and so happy just to be by her side.  It was about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.  We hate that they live so far away.

Almost there! The last paragraph.  Don’t give up now, when you’ve come so far!

General Tom-Foolery: From play dates to girl dinners to birthdays to backyard parties and everything in between.

Whew!  You did it!  I did it!  We all did it, and we couldn’t have done it without each other.  Let’s celebrate: