What I Live For. We're Not Saying Goodbye to Summer Just Yet.

What I Live For. We're Not Saying Goodbye to Summer Just Yet.

• 8.29.2014

I have mixed feelings about the school year starting again and summer coming to a close, about adhering to a regular schedule again, colder weather, and sending my little boy far away from me for four hours a day four days a week.  They're all good changes I suppose, but this summer has really hit a sweet spot with my soul.  The boys are the perfect ages for taking to the lake or just playing around the house.  It's been a ton of fun.  And we've made a lot of cherished memories.  Lucky for us, while everyone else starts school next week, we still have two more weeks to soak in the last rays of summer because preschool doesn't start till mid September.  Woohoo!  Maybe... maybe by then I'll finally be ready to welcome Fall.

This week we've been fitting in our last summer hurrahs with friends.  We met the Youngs at Dierkes Lake and the kids had a blast running down the hill together and sliding onto their towels.  We also sat on the edge of the dock admiring the little fish that hung out there just waiting anxiously to be fed.  The boys begged me to catch a fish for them in a giant purple bucket.  I tried.  It was never going to happen.  Maybe if I had a net... 

Then last night we met several family friends after dinner at Natsoopah, a natural hot springs pool.  We practically had the place to ourselves!  Levi was just a cute little fish.  He enjoyed "swimming" with his water wings and being thrown up into the air.  I channeled teenage Jessie and did a back flip off the high dive.  But absolutely the best part of the whole night was riding the water slide a hundred times over with Jed.  Jed's enthusiasm was contagious.  Bron and I took turns sending him down with a big shove on an orange mat while Jed wore a giant grin.  He loved it and claimed, "This is the best day ever!"  Moments like that make my heart swell with happiness.  I love my family.

Finally, I can't forget to mention where all these pictures came from: last Sunday evening's walk around the neighborhood.  The weather was dreamy and the boys were being hams, riding their bikes with gusto and insisting on wearing sunglasses.  It's an evening I wish I could bottle up and repeat.

So Summer, we're not saying goodbye just yet.

  ^^I wish you couldn't see my reflection.  Those aviators kill me with their cuteness!^^

^^We need to buy Jed a helmet his size.  Problems of being the first child.^^

^^Practicing his off-roading downhill skills.^^

^^My favorite four year old stud.^^    

^^Cruising fast!  No feet!^^

^^Sometimes I can't believe I actually live here.  It's so peaceful and beautiful.^^

^^Rural Idaho is like a petting zoo.  We visited the neighbor's goats.^^

^^Then we walked across this "bridge" a dozen times.^^

^^What the walk home looked like.  Haha.  Bron was smart enough to bring the double stroller.  It was a one-way bike ride for the boys' short legs.^^


P.S. I guest posted on Savouring Simplicity about my photography workflow for blogging and how I keep it as short and sweet as possible.  Check it out!