Summer Lovin'

If you ask Caitlyn what she wants to be when she grows up, she'll tell you she doesn't really want to grow up and "I jus' wanna be a kid. That's it." But if you watch her throughout the day, the kid is going to be a veterinarian. She is constantly trying to get the dogs to do what she wants them to do. I can't count the number of times we go a few hours without seeing Milton and find him trapped in a room by Caitlyn. She says he wants to play with her, my guess is that if Milton could talk, he might tell you something different.

The love isn't solely gifted to Milton. Oliver gets his fair share too. He is just bigger, so he escapes more play dates. One play date he has not successfully managed to dodge is "playtime in the pool." And by dodge I mean he gets wet, but he still protests it.

She loves to play with her brother and sister too. Reagan is often found being pushed in Caitlyn's baby stroller. It's become such a daily routine that Reagan now thinks that's the stroller we should always take for her. Ironically, Caitlyn speaks to Reagan in much the same tone she speaks to the dogs. And occasionally we find Reagan trapped in a room pounding on the door to be let out of one of Caitlyn's play dates.

For the 4th of July we took the play dates to San Diego for fireworks. The kids loved it. We were on the grass next to the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier that is now a Navel museum. They played for about two hours before it got dark and then were mesmerized by the fireworks. It was an impressive display. My favorite part of the day was watching the three of them on the blanket staring into the sky. It made me stop and think about how much I have to be grateful for.