spontaneous.

well i have tried to craft my attitude towards this summer to be flexible and fairly spontaneous - open to fun times or a slower pace or whatever might come to our days & weeks. i realize we don't have too many seasons of non-scheduled life, and i treasure these days we are able to be free from such time pressures. it has been good practice for me.

case in point: today, the typically-not-spontaneous mommy had just a small (spontaneous) hankering for some ice cream and for a chance to celebrate the last days of summer together as a family... the result - a trip to the portland malt shoppe! complete with a long wait in line, several well-worth-it cones, and a dry-clothes-defying trip to throw rocks in the lake (you can't be that close to the lake & not throw a few rocks in!!). it was a lovely, spontaneous afternoon (cue the eye-roll from nj :)), a sweet way to end the summer.

soccer.

kj had her first experience with organized sports this month... introducing: soccer! i would say that she "took a lot of notes" and got especially good at water breaks. her little brother was anxious to get out on the field with them, but he will have his chance soon enough... :)

porkies.

what a wonderful first time tent-camping as a family of four! the drive to the porcupine mountains in the UP was simple, the quiet campground with a lakeside spot was restful (with the short exception of a near-miss with a skunk! he strolled within 10ft of lj, before realizing his poor choice in route... whew! it was a close one!), the chance to be outside 24/7 in the dirt & beauty was refreshing, the rocks for throwing in the lake & building towers were abundant, the beach was surprisingly delightful (a little stream full of frogs & older friends to teach us how to catch them? hard to beat it...), the short hike was family-perfect, and the frequent bike rides to the restroom were not only the most fun, but built such confidence in our little girl! this was definitely a trip for the memory books! :)

handpicked.

not sure if these are edible or not, but they may be our record showing for our produce this year... luckily we had lots more (smaller & tastier) morsels to eat from our garden this summer!

yard.

having friends come over to play outside in our yard is such a wonderful part of summer. welcome, friends!

camp.

nanna & poppa camp, post-fishing trip 2013, was a success all-around! just look at those happy, happy faces... and nanna & poppa were still smiling at the end of it all, so that is always a good sign. :)