Summer

As I worked up the courage to raise my body out of bed this morning, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't lift the twins so much today.  Within 20 seconds, I was lifting Pea out of his bed and carrying him down the stairs; my neck and back protesting the entire flight. My official diagnosis is Trapezius Myalgia - also known as "pain in the neck".  I have been given exercises to do and I'm hoping that these relieve some of the pain associated with the condition.  It doesn't help that I have 60 pounds of toddler in my arms at any given point in the day. 

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It's been unusually hot in the GTA as of late and the kids and I have been fairly cooped up in the house as a result.  Our kids do not do well being cooped up.  Today, it's 114˚F with humidity, so the twins and I are holed up in the house trying to find ways to occupy our minds and bodies.  The air mattress has already made an appearance today.

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Catherine and Hannah invited us to go for a swim at her parents' house last night and we quickly took her up on her offer.  Usually, it's Chick who is so excited to jump in the pool over and over again, but the pool water was a little too chilly and Chick just couldn't warm up enough to enjoy it. So, I sat on the ledge with her wrapped in a warm towel until her teeth stopped chattering.  Pea, on the other hand, spent the entire time jumping into J.'s arms from the ledge.  He had the BEST time and it was so great to see him have so much fun.  Typically, he is content to float around within a blow up ring, but last night he really wore himself out with all that jumping.  Catherine took this amazing shot of J. and Pea.

And here is Chick trying to tough it out in the chilly water.

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We are still enjoying our CSA and receive beautiful and tasty produce each week.  When we arrived at the farm to pick up our veggie bin this week, the twins were given some very yummy chocolate chip cookies. I think they enjoyed them.

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We are beginning to gather our thoughts for our upcoming cottage trip.  Since we have never been to a cottage overnight with the twins, we are a little overwhelmed with what we need to bring.  Besides the basics (like coffee, food, bug spray, swimsuits, PFDs, etc.) what are some recommendations on what to bring to make our time at the cottage super fun?