Evenings on the porch

Chris has been travelling a fair amount this month. It's the end of the fiscal year, so there are a lot of events and last minute visits he is trying to cram in. Since the hardest part of my day is between the hours of 4 and 7 pm, this is kind of a bummer for me. The babies start getting tired and hungry for food, the girls are whiny and hungry, and I have to make dinner, get everyone fed, and get everyone ready for bed all in a short window. I'm definitely looking forward to July and August and having Chris home more! Lately I have been trying to get all the kids down by 7 or 7:15 so I can relax a little bit and eat dinner (I can't figure out a way to eat dinner at the same time as them while feeding the other four since two need to be fed by me and the other two occasionally need help eating, too). A few times though, Eleanor ends up coming out of her room again after Jane falls asleep and sitting up with me. It's such a sweet time to have with her! We sit out on the front porch and "chat." She has been trying to catch fireflies, and if it happens to be a weekend, sometimes our neighbors are outside so we say hi to them. One time Ben even joined us (not as relaxing as just Eleanor).

This girl is turning five at the end of the summer and she is just getting so big. These evening times with her have been so special. We are starting to make the transition from preschooler to elementary schooler and I am just loving seeing how she is growing and changing.