Campfires, S'mores, and Other Classic Summer Weekend Fun / Nelson Notes

Campfires, S'mores, and Other Classic Summer Weekend Fun

7.13.2015

This weekend was just the kind of slow, relaxing, and rejuvenating weekend that we'd been craving... and needing! Even the weather decided to cooperate. Instead of scorching sunny desert days, we've been graced with a series of thunderstorms that just keep rolling through. The cooler weather has been welcomed with open arms. (I love leaving my windows open all day!) And listening to the pitter patter of rain has been kind of therapeutic.

Bron has been out of town on overnight trips this entire last month; I feel like I've been a single mom during the weekdays and only enjoyed my husband's company on the weekends. Summer has been busy and fun but honestly, exhausting feeling like I'm holding down the fort on my own. However, it looks like Bron is scheduled to be working around home the next two weeks, so we're all settling in to chill and simply enjoy some much needed family time.

A look at a classic Idaho summer weekend!

FRIDAY:

Friday evening we headed up to a secluded spot in the South Hills for a hot dog and s'mores cookout. The boys ate it up! (Both literally and figuratively.) They were sooo excited. As little boys do, they never sat still for more than a minute. They were too busy exploring, searching for dry fire wood, picking wild flowers, and of course, cooking over an open flame. Did you know that Jed can roast a marshmallow better than I can?!? Bron gave him some specific instructions and Jed surprisingly had the patience to wait for that perfect crispy brown outside and melty-gooey inside. We were quite impressed! Despite all their energy though, Jed and Levi did notice how quiet it is way up there among the trees. They agreed: it felt peaceful. By the time we wrapped up our Friday night, all felt right with our family and in the world again.

SATURDAY:

I'd totally put the idea on the back-burner that this weekend was the annual Kimberly Good Neighbor Day celebration until someone texted me. We made it into town just as the parade was wrapping up. No worries, Levi still got to stop and watch some tractors drive by with his jaw open to the ground and even received a free popsicle! We live in such a neat little community. My love for Southern Idaho and its genuinely kind people seems to expand every year. Anyway, we hit up the carnival at the park where the boys got to slide down some giant bounce houses, see friends, and come away with some ice cream for lunch. :)

Then that evening, Bron and I escaped on a mountain bike ride with two other guy friends. (Yeah, the other couple was waaay ugly! Haha.) We rode around down inside the Snake River Canyon and grabbed some of the most delicious tasting pizza from Papa John's on the way home. Yum! Nothing like exercise to work up a good appetite. Bron and I probably won't enjoy a sit down dinner date or a movie till December, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love that we have such an adrenaline rushing hobby we can share! (Be sure to check out Instagram for more pictures!)

SUNDAY:

After church and naps, (I love our Sunday routine!) we headed into the hills once again for a cookout--except this time we enjoyed the company of our good friends, the Horsleys. I honestly think we should just set up a summer camp up there. Roasting food over a campfire and simply enjoying the quiet sounds of nature just doesn't ever get old! And as a mom, sometimes I feel like the dirtier my boys are getting, the better I'm doing my job. Exploration is some of the best kind of play. We rolled out of there just as the most spectacular thunderstorm lit up the sky! Awesome.

Now if only I could put this kind of weekend on repeat.
Pictures from our Friday night family adventure below.

^^Roasting hot dogs for the first time, I think.^^