The joys of the summer

 It is summer and I LOVE summer! I do. 
I love heading home from swimming and being able to stop and pick up a movie for impromptu family movie night instead of having lessons, practices, and homework. 
I love leaving on a Friday afternoon and whisking away to the beach for a day. 
I love that it is watermelon season.
I love that if they want to wear their swim suit ALL day, they can!
I love the that we light up the grill nearly every night.
I love the different opportunities they have to go to sports camps (and I love that they both have discovered something that they LOVE and want to spend all day every day doing it if I would let them.  For C that is soccer.  For E, basketball.)
I love taking them to a matinee movie, just because. 
I love going on bike rides.
I love how many Popsicles have already been consumed at our home.
I love that the boys can stay in their jammies sometimes if they want.
I love the sunkissed glow of my boy's skin.
I also love the smell of sunscreen.
I love camping.
I love seeing family.
I love going to the library.  For some reason, it's not the same any other time of year.
I love the 4th of July.
I love everything about summer.

One of the things that I have come to love the absolute most, is that even though they CAN be lazy, they usually aren't.  Their first day of summer vacation, we came downstairs to one of them doing a work book and one of them reading a novel.  Nearly every day is like that.  I haven't even had to nag them to make their beds. 
I LOVE my boys.  I love everything that they are.  Big E and I could not be more proud of who they are becoming. Yes, it is bragging a little, but they absolutely deserve it (and I want to remember this time of my life.)
We can not wait to see who they become.  And I love that I get to be a part of it.  Summer reminds me of the times they were at home with me all day and the fun adventures that we had. I loved that time of my life.  I have learned to love every phase.  To be honest, I never thought it would be just the two of them and that my days of being at home with them while they were little would be over so fast. It makes me appreciate every phase so much.
With all of that said, my favorite time of year is now, despite the 110 degree heat, the summer.
And I am the most grateful that we have many more summers of adventure ahead of us.

Just Hangin Out

Nothing like a lazy Sunday Afternoon with Grandpa on his cot that he got for Fathers Day......