Hello, fall!!!
… hello fall? …
Who’s ready for Pumpkin Spice?!!!
… not me!
Contrary to belief … there’s a Mom out there that doesn’t like fall … the cooler weather … the pumpkin spice drinks … the leaves falling …
… that Mom is … ME!
Hello! I am a summer girl … ! A summer Mom! As soon as the weather starts warming up, the sun shines more and more, the margarita specials start to happen … this Mom is happy!
And it’s not just the sun that is shining, it’s so much more … well, I mean the sun is higher in the summertime than it is in the winter … but, it’s more than the warmth that makes my heart happy … it’s all the fun that boosts my endorphins in the summertime WAY more than the winter.
I adore outside time in the summer. The first sign that it’s summertime is when I see my kids and all of our neighborhood friends running from house to house to get their friends so that they can all gather in our cul-de-sac and play together! They play basketball … the littles play in the dirt next to our special gathering tree … our neighbors (who have become some of our closest friends!) will get chairs and bring them down and we just sit outside and watch the kids play and we catch up! On all the things! Parenthood fails or successes! Life … we talk about everything and it’s just nice to be surrounded by a wonderful community of families that value their kids playing outside like we do! The friendships the kids have made are so special and it makes my heart so happy and full to see all of them together!
Not just that though! The warm and beautiful weather make it so my husband and I can enjoy our nights together once the day is done. We can talk! Without being interrupted! And we will catch up on our shows and look up at the stars and I always look up and think … my Mom is WAAAY up there, beyond the stars and the moon … Hey Mommy!
I adore being able to get together with my closest Mom friends … sitting on a patio and looking at the menu to see what specials they have on a yummy and tasty margarita!
Swimming. I mean … I don’t really need to say more! Do I? The sun is shining so bright that it warms the pool water to the perfect temp! The summertime meetups at our neighborhood pool with friends or by ourselves, watching the kids splash and play and just enjoying being a kid … my kids running into several friends from school that they haven’t seen all summer! The smiles and laughter … the dunks in the new pool basketball hoop … ! It’s one of our favorite things to do in the summer!
TRIPS! Summer vacations are something that our family values. I never, not once, had a summer vacation with my family because my Mom simply couldn’t afford it. It’s SO important for us to create memories with summer vacations. And this year we took some sweet vacays! At the beginning of the summer, we went to Branson with my in-laws and enjoyed it all! We stayed at Nantucket and it had a cape cod vibe … ! We swam, of course, but we also did all the fun things you can do in Branson! We went to the car museum for our car enthusiasts (my husband and my oldest son) and! We took a trip on the train to Arkansas and enjoyed the beautiful scenery! Along with tons of other stuff!
Of course, my husband and I took the most magical and dreamy trip to Saint Lucia (where we got married!) to celebrate our 10 YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! We did so many firsts there….zip lining! Still can’t believe we did that! We lived it up in the beautiful sunshine of the Caribbean islands! (That sun shining is like none other!) I am thinking there will be a full blog on this epic trip in the very near future! Stay tuned!
I think one of my most favorite memories from this summer was taking a walk (before it became too hot) with my oldest son … every morning … before we got our day fully started. Just him and I … underneath the sun shining … getting our exercise … but, enjoying the beautiful outside and having the best conversations.
… I will be counting down the days until winter solstice (December 21st) this year so the days will get longer and not shorter and that sunshine will shine brighter and higher and we will be able to get to summertime and do it all over again!!!!
