Sweet Summer Wrap Up

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye to hard."

-Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie

Every year as summer comes to a close I feel a little as if a good childhood friend has left. I hang on by the skin of my teeth but am forced to let go when the temperatures turn and the leaves begin turning gorgeous shades of red, yellow and orange that are distinct to the New England landscape.

When I look back over these photos it seems as if the beginning of the summer was worlds away. Here we are at the onset of Fall and so many moments, memories and events have transpired. 

I feel warmth easing up my chest as I realize how much my littles have changed and grown over the past few months.  

I am reminded how blessed our lives truly are and know. I KNOW that I am enjoying them. Not just trudging through but actually enjoying my children and watching them grow into the little people that they are.

Our summer was filled with lots of exciting moments and, although some might seem insignificant or small at first glance, I believe they are important moments that are helping to shape our goal of 2012 being a year of adventure.

*Visits from good friends.

(London seems like eons ago and we're pretty happy about that.)

*The beach.

 

Especially when we incorporate friends.

*The lemonade stand that remained a mainstay of our Sunday afternoons and taught our kids the value of a dollar and saving for the future. 

*Fun forts.

*Recognizing the importance of time out....for Mommies too.

*Our first pedicure.

*Morning beach walks with my newest little that reiterated the views we're so blessed to have.

*Learning to let go of my set plan for my littles so they can explore who they want to be. Many times they decide it's not really for them but they needed to figure it out on their own. 

(Sissy's dresses were a short-lived week event.)

*Developing enough self-confidence to let my kitchen look un-perfect to gift me with more time to experience moments with my kids which is what pure perfection is all about.

(Oh, the post it notes? Yeah, I'm a pretty lucky wife.)

(Sioux chefs tend to have dirty feet.)

*Mommy-Daughter dates.

(She only wanted to read books about football and baseball. Love that girl!)

*Celebrating beautiful weather and a pretty darn cool yard.

(Because I don't ever want to forget what that cute little ponytail looked like.)

*Seeing our bunny rabbit again this summer.

*Watching their artwork evolve

*Spending time with our favorite summer babysitters who were home from school.

*Wednesday night outdoor concerts with our friends.

....where we discovered face paint and decided that we really liked it. 

(I was a little torn when he selected the Rainbow Princess option...

...but decided to stick to my "its good to try new things" motto.)

(He even talked other boys into thinking it was cool.)

(We practiced a lot at home too.)

(Fortunately we moved on to the tiger option all on our own which stuck the rest of the summer.)

And my personal favorite....

*Pool time with Daddy every Sunday early morning and then meeting up with Mommy and Baby Cash at church.

(This is how they always greet me when they arrive--running full speed ahead yelling 

"Mommmmmy!" with a huge smile on their face. Yeah, I feel pretty special.)

*Trips to Atlanta to see grandparents, 

cousins,

friends-like-cousins,

step sisters, 

best-friend-like-sister,

(Don't let the face fool you--he was head-over-heels smitten for her.)

beautiful-bride-like-little-sister,

and no-words-to-describe-how-special-friend-like-sister.

*Loveys that continue to go everywhere with us. 

(Puppy is a part of our family. Thanks again Allison for gifting my kids with their special friends.)

*Long summer locks.

*Creating our own free entertainment with chalk rainbows and roadways that lead to fun places.

*His magic wand.

*Our fascination with beach rocks...

...and throwing them.

*The rain boots that will soon go away but I'll never forget.

*Popsicles.

*Hermit crab hunts.

(This is the face he most often makes that I don't want to forget.)

*Summer races and feeling the joys of winning.

Just as summers go quickly, life also passes by in the blink of an eye. I say it often but, before we know it, moments and memories of cold lemonade, sand between our toes, and the smell of summer rain will be distant.

I hope to continue to find small pockets of time to hold on tight to the memories by keeping this blog. 

Because I don't want to forget one. 

                                                        single. 

                                                                     little. 

                                                                              bit. 

Delight in the little moments that make your life special.