Cheap food and lots of together time

I feel like when I talk about baseball, I am really just talking about Harry, but it is important to note that this guy is playing, too, and is doing a really good job.  And, most importantly, he is LIKING baseball again.  Which, of course led to use signing him up for fall ball which means our fall schedule is officially f*cked.  Thank goodness Dorothy is still in half-day school and can do her dance and gymnastics in the afternoons.  And also, could be be anymore stereotypical in our course enrollments?

 This book!  A Texas dress code article going around the Facebook made me order it, and I LOVE IT!  jack and I are reading it because Harry hates anything I suggest on instinct.  I read it in grade school and have remembered it every since.  And writing this made me click over to another window and order another Stephen Manes classic I remember reading until it almost fell apart when I was Jack's age.  MAYBE JACK WILL LIKE IT? (Hope. It springs eternal).

 I feel you, sister.  (And yes, we keep the house so cold the kids wear robes).

 So.  This summer.  We have been doing this thing where we don't buy the kids junk at the pool concession stand and when we go to meal-time sporting events, we pack a picnic.  The truth is, it doesn't even bother me a little,and I have not missed junk food meals AT ALL.  I also haven't really paid any attention to the cost saving aspect, either, until the other day when I took the kids to the pool the second it opened and stayed until dinner time.  We bought lunch and a round of snacks, and it was $50!!  I used to spend that like 4 times a week plus beer and wine!  And I used my house account, so iInever even considered the price.  But like $200 a WEEK?  Sooooooo not worth it!

 ALL OF THE KIDS CAN SWIM AND I CAN RAD A BOOK IN MY CHAIR.  It is amazing.

 But, as you can tell from my wet hair, I actually like going in the water with them.  WHO AM I, EVEN?

 He swam in this hat, and it was adorable.

 We hot the Terrace for brats, beer, and ice cream on Friday night.  Family date nights are my favorite!!  Another thing we have cut out of our lives: getting sitters and going out like 3 times a week.  I cannot even imagine how much money this is saving, and again, I DO NOT MISS IT.  I thin because our kids are old enough to be FUN.  This is an excellent phase of life.

 Gorgeous night.  Perfect ice cream.  Great company.

 We saw this dog blissfully fetching sticks from the lake.  And then we saw him smiling and walking to his car. And then we saw him riding in his topless Jeep.  LIVING HIS BEST LIFE.

 Did I mention the corn?

Seriously-- yay for family date night, and I have no idea where the hell Cooper was in this pic.  Oops.

 Harry's team only won one of their baseball tournament games this weekend, but we had fun watching as a family on Saturday.  And Harry played great and is hitting really well ever since he decided to adopt a completely adorable Kris Bryant batting stance.

Ben put up a tent for the kids because it was completely shadeless at the brand new baseball park.

 Some extra tent pieces.  NBD.

 Dorothy and I both wore shapeless house dresses and braids  TWINS!

 Great hit to the outfield!

 He got a single and then stole all of the rest of the bases-- that's his at-bat strategy.

 This book is great!  and the kids played and let me read it in the sun!

 Picnic!

 My little twin.

(She is not quite at the age where she will go away and leave me the hell alone like Jack and Cooper.  But!  She is still cuddly.  So it's a win.

Aldi!  Where have you and your terribly cheap organic grass fed meat been all my life? $4.49 a POUND?!  What is this magic?