The Dog Days of Summer

I've always wondered what that's supposed to mean. When I hear the phrase, I picture the black lab we had as a kid, sleeping on the asphalt at the top of our driveway. She always looked so hot up there. I remember wishing I could take her coat off for her. I was sure she was miserable.
This year I've been nervous about taking the kids swimming by myself because none of them can swim, and I'm worried about keeping all of them alive. But, I finally broke down and took them to my friend Cathy's house for a swim. Surprisingly enough, no one drowned, and the arm floaties and life jackets kept everyone on the surface.
Encouraged by my success, I took the kids and some friends to the Bear River yesterday. It was great, and I didn't even get a sunburn!
Nathan was really into eating the river rocks. It took me 4 or 5 tries to get a pic of him without a rock or a binky in his mouth. He didn't just gnaw on the rocks and then spit them out, he was actually trying to eat them, and he'd put another one in as soon as I got one out.
And here's Sadie with one of her favorite books. Fancy Nancy is a celebrity ar our house.