Summer Days

Once again we had a lovely weekend that included this place, sprinkler fun, thunder storms and Buttons' first movie. Does life get any better? I hardly think so.

(BTW, if you click on the picture, you can see the pretty cool effect the water gives this picture.)

The Lazy Days of Summer are Passing...

Things are cooling off a bit with the weather, but our schedules are heating up like crazy. I already missed a swim lesson for Buttons. I'm getting estimates for a new fence and new windows. The stuff I volunteer for is getting busy. I know the new year starts in January, but I've always felt like autumn was a new beginning for me. I want to clean out my house, buy new clothes, get things settled. I've finished my oldest knitting WIP (work in progress) and it feels so good. I want to get everything in order and at the same time enjoy these last warm days.

By the way, Hubby taught Buttons to say "Cowabunga" as she slid down into the water, so that would be my caption for this photo. What joy a small pool in the backyard can bring. Jumping in freshly raked leaves can be fun too . What are you missing about summer already? What are you looking forward to for the fall?

(Next post will be about a first autumn event for Buttons.)

Let's Go Fly A Kite (3 Things About Today)

~We went to an FCC picnic today and flew a kite decorated by Buttons. Oh boy did she love flying that thing. It wasn't in the air for very long, but we ran and laughed when she ran away from the wind or dropped the string. She didn't care because it was all about just enjoying what was happening. When we had trouble getting it airborn, she told me the kite was having issues. Excuse me...issues? Oh, boy does she listen.

~She also made friends instantaneously with 3 other girls and they started playing their own made up game right away. All I could see was running around in circles, bumping into each other sometimes and giggling like it was the funniest thing ever. Sometimes I think I remember being that young.

~So, Buttons says other funny things that I know she heard from us like "I'm a big fan of movies" and she'll say something like "I'm a big fan of Caillou". Snort. We wore nametags today and in the car on the way home she was looking at mine and we were asking her what our names were and she answered correctly. Then I asked her what her full name was and she said "S as in Sam". Huh? I figured out she must hear me spell out our last name as I always do using names to emphasize the letters. I always thought she had regulation size ears, but now I know they're huge!

10 Things I Love About Summer

1. Buttons. I love watching her love summer. The sandbox and her little pool are two of her most favorite things. She also has a fondness for bopping carpenter bees with her father. That's their thing not mine, but I'm glad they have a "thing".

2. Music. Windows down, volume up, singing loudly. Blondie, Abba, Erasure...anything I can sing along with in the car and know at least the chorus very well.

3. Movies. There is something heavenly about going into a cold movie theater in the middle of the hottest summer day and needing a sweater when you're inside. I love coming out with the memory of the movie while the sun blinds me with its bright beauty. Sometimes the movies are even pretty good.

4. Gardens. I love seeing the flowers and picking veggies out of a garden. In fact, we need to plant some flowers soon. We just have our perennials up right now. The beauty of the flowers and the grass reminds me of when we lived in San Diego.5. Swimming. Yes, Buttons and I do it all year long indoors, but there's something about being outside at a lake, pool, or even just your own backyard mini-pool that screams summer.

6. Camping. Not that I've really done much of it since I married, but I love it. My family went camping every summer usually in a pretty nice but modest trailer. Hubby and I don't have a trailer, but we have a tent with very few camping supplies. I hope that as Buttons gets a little older, we'll go camping just as I did as a kid. Campfires? Hiking? S'mores? Sleeping hard in your sleeping bag? Oh yeah baby, I'm so there.
7. Grilling. Love the taste of charcoal, but with the ease of gas we wind up doing it more often. Ok, Hubby winds up doing it more often. Veggies and chicken are my fave, but I like grilled bananas too. Yes, you read that correctly...grilled bananas.

8. Shorts. Not on me, but I love to see Buttons and Hubby in shorts. I get to see how much she's grown from last summer when her legs are bare. Last year is was mostly knees and feet. Now she has legs! And Hubby in shorts? He has great legs.

9. Anniversary. Ok, technically ours was a spring wedding, but it's in June so I count it as a summer wedding. We were married on my grandparents farm on the most beautiful day in Michigan in 1994. I got the best one. (Raising Arizona quote.)

10. Food of summer. Watermelon, lemonade, sun tea, corn on the cob, potato salad. Need I say more? I am a foodie after all.

What's your favorite part of summer?

Summer Music

Yes, she loves the Wiggles. However, my girl loves Blondie too. We will rock this summer!