Time Has Wings

Well, I blinked my eyes, and Summer has come to an end.

How does that happen??

How is it that one minute, it's the beginning of June and we have 12 glorious weeks of summer break ahead of us...

and the next minute, it's the end of August and the kids are walking back into their classrooms.

I know that most parents can relate

to that bittersweet blend of joy in growth and sadness at time passing.

I love that my kids are growing.  Growing bigger and smarter and stronger and...I could go on and on.
But,
Oh.My.Goodness.

Time!
it has wings and it sure does fly

While summer was busy flying by, we didn't forget to enjoy every bit of it -

We looked forward to watching sunsets almost every night,

ran around the yard catching lightning bugs, 

watched summer storms roll in...

We Took long walks, 

rode our bikes,

and took drives in the country - with our windows down, breathing in the country air.

The kids played with their cousins,

We spent time at grandma and grandpa's lake house in the Ozarks,

We went to the fair and rode rides, enjoyed lemonade shake ups and cheese on a stick, watched the harness races...

We spent an afternoon in Hannibal,

spent lots of time making art - experimenting, coloring, making crafts - 

and spent countless hours of swimming and being in the water, 

The kids were able to participate in our neighborhood 4th of July parade - a 1st for us - and just one more reason we're thankful for our new home.

We picked fresh strawberries...except for Mia.  She spent her time in the patch eating the strawberries.  She ate and ate and ate.  If they were red, green, or white.  She ate them.

We got to spend time at the campground - riding bikes, swimming, sitting around the campfire.

What's a summer without a sprinkler and eating watermelon?
Funny the joy I received from watching the kids run in and out and through the sprinkler!

We took a vacation to Texas to visit Aunt Nina...

The kids developed a love for fishing this summer.  Mason has gotten really good at casting and taking the fish off the hook. 

We park hopped, 

played at spash pads, 

and went out for ice cream.  a lot.

We took a little trip to downtown Chicago...

...and splashed around in Lake Michigan.

The kids spent many days playing house, school, restaurant...just the good ol' imaginary play...
This particular picture is when they were playing tattoo parlor.  
(a tattoo on Mia's thigh of a pear)

Makayla's favorite thing about the summer was going swimming.
Mason's favorite thing about the summer was going to the Ozarks.
Mia's favorite thing about the summer was when Santa came to visit.
(santa delivered a new kitty to our home, Zeke, after we lost Chief in an accident)

Summer was filled with chaos 

and goodness

and awesome people.

And while the summer season went entirely too fast, I have my arms open wide, ready to fall into autumn.