***The Vanderhoff Four!*** Tim, Sarah, Leah, & Chase: I Surrender!

*warning: complaints!!

Okay okay Yuma...you win already! Enough with the unbearable heat! For those of you who have never been to Yuma in the months of July, August, or September I want u to go to your kitchen...turn your oven on to about 400• let it bake for a few minutes...get your face down really close and then open the door really fast...that's kind of what it feels like when we open our front door. Now imagine you're actually IN the oven...that's kind of what it feels like to get in your car that's been baking in the sun all day. Our seatbelts and door handles LITERALLY burn us if we are not careful. I don't know how people live here their whole lives! Hence the reason we are moving to Maryland as soon as possible (but that's another post entirely). Here is what the weather forecast generally looks like on a typical summer day...and this is when we would say "oh look! Its only supposed to be 102 on Sunday!":

Anyways my point is that when you're a stay-at-home mom with small children...there's not a whole lot to do during the summer. It's sort of like having a rainy day EVERY day.
So let's just say I have been very very creative this summer. We've done finger painting, macaroni crafts, set up a tent and went camping in the living room, lots of play doh, you name it we've tried it!

My poor Leah BEGS me to go outside almost every day. We try to take a walk each evening when the sun starts to set just so she can get outside some. I can't really take her swimming because Chase is still too young. She looks outside longingly at her swing.
I have been looking on craigslist all summer (i never buy anything new!) for some kind of small jungle gym to put inside. There's never anything good since our town is so small but today I finally found one! We called right away and went to go pick up our new playset (that i got for a STEAL)! When Leah saw it she was SO excited. We came home and put it up in the living room (it will eventually live in Chase's room and then we will take it with us when we move). Leah pushed Chase in the swing (he laughed!!) and she was just so excited the whole night. So if we can't go outside we will bring the outside to us!