Summer has dwindled into the hot, humid days of August where some of us mommies begin to say, Now, when does school start? The structure and enthusiasm of earlier weeks has turned into something less shapely, where too much television might be consumed and motherly motivation is lacking.

It was on one of these lazy, hazy days that Livia and I emerged from our pseudo-naptimes (Quiet Time in our house) and simply had to find adventure. Here I was, reading all the Facebook statuses about friends being in cool Colorado, and it was high time to entertain myself in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, instead of merely being envious.

So we wandered through Indigo Bridge Books, picked up the best ice cream in town at Ivanna Cone, and wandered among the trains for a time. Deciding the wandering should be extended, we quickly drove out to Pioneers Park and pet turtles and snakes at the Nature Center. Livia caught—and released—a toad and a moth. I snapped photos and filled up the creative space in my own heart.

A few days ago, Livia told me that I’m very smart, “like a robot with a brain in it.” That’s not exactly how I’d describe myself… but I’ll take it!

It reminds of the this conversation I recorded some time ago…

Liv: Mom, I love you. You’re great! You’re kinda like a servant.
Me: Aw thanks. I kind of am!

And finally, the line that earned her a trip to college and a pony:

Livia: Mom, you have skinny legs.

The End.

There’s nothing like a post-dinner popsicle and a buddy to share it with.

Plucked from a pot of herbs, Scrubby became a household pet for a brief time. With the help of Google, we learned Scrubby was a Papilio polyxene who liked to eat parsley, among other things.

For four days, Livia carried Scrubby’s jar to her room during quiet time. She would sit in her room for an hour, quietly letting the caterpillar climb all over her hands and arms. I was pretty sure that such frequent handling of the insect would prevent him from turning into a butterfly, but I was wrong.

Scrubby began to do what he was made to do. He had a really odd poop, climbed onto a twig, strapped himself in with one strand of silky thread, then stayed still for about 24 hours straight. I went away to a mini-retreat at church and came home to a green chrysalis. Livia said Jeremy kept looking at the jar and only seeing leaves and that she was the one to point out Scrubby’s chrysalis.

For 11 days, we kept vigil by the side of the jar. Towards the end of the time, Scrubby’s chrysalis turned grey, then one night it was almost black—apparently the chrysalis becomes transparent before the butterfly emerges.

We awoke on a Tuesday morning and Scrubby was no longer his green striped chubby caterpillar self; he was a glorious Black Swallowtail butterfly. Livia wasn’t home at the time, so I took the jar, with its transformed inhabitant, and picked her up from my mom’s house. Liv’s jaw almost hit the floor when she saw Scrubby—it was awesome. She chose to release her winged friend and he was last seen testing out his new wings over the lake in my mom’s backyard.

I was surprised by how fascinated I was at Scrubby’s transformation. I knew Livia would love it, but really, I loved the whole experience too. I’m amazed at how God created such an interesting life cycle for this fat little caterpillar. The Master Artist clearly spared no detail in his creation.

There are always more dishes to wash. And don’t get me started on the never-ending laundry piles. There’s always another blog post to read, another email to reply to, another task to check of my list of things-to-do. There’s always another chapter in the good book I finally got into, and there’s always something that catches my eye on Netflix.

But for Pete’s sake, it’s summer. And sometimes you’ve got to get out of the house.

A few days ago Livia and I wandered through our local rose garden and we both snapped pictures of what interested us. Liv took off her shoes and dipped her toes in the gorgeous and cool fountain. She left watery footprints on the hot sidewalk and meandered with me through the rose bushes.

I can get completely caught up in the mundane activities of my life and need these Rose Garden moments to give me breath and joy again. Thank God for a six-year-old who holds my hand and explores with me.

“Have fun at work!” Liv called out to Jeremy as he climbed the stairs to his office.

Then she turns to me with a smile… “Cuz work is boring. Alls he do is just sit there, typing,” she said with a grin in her voice.

I couldn’t help but laugh. Web programming, though exciting to Jeremy, doesn’t look so great to a six-year-old.

Sometimes it’s fun just to sit in an empty pool with your good bud.

And sometimes it’s fun to sit in that empty pool and pretend your good bud’s baby brother is a monster. Because then you get to scream.

And scream.

And scream some more.

Here we have Josh and Liv, throwing their illegal pickings into the air with glee and gusto. (And no, I didn’t know that the grapes were off limits when I snapped this shot.)

These kids, who apparently are planning on marrying one another, feed off each other’s energies and have a wildly fun time about 50% of the time they’re together. Hopefully, by the time they’re ready to walk down the aisle they’ve bumped up that number to at least 75%.

I have many hilarious shots of Josh and Livia playing. Now to narrow them down.