Fading Away

The slow, easy days of summer are slowly slipping away. September starts tomorrow and with it, cooler weather, falling leaves and the start of school. 

Summer is fading away.

But yet...

The memories of bright sun, warm rays and easy days are still fresh in mind.

A family canoe trip.

 A high school reunion, fifteen years in the making.

The Atlantic whispering a friendly hello, it's nice to see you again.

Pretty dirty faced babies swinging into the evening.

Fires so warm, protection from your hand is needed.

S'mores so sweet they stick to your hands long after consumption.

Determination to make it across the bar without falling.

Celebrations of little boys turning one.

Glimpses into the future of what this little man will look like.

Tiny flowers being held by up by brown-eyed girls.

Giggly brothers, taking a ride on their little sister's newly given Big Wheel.

These are the moments of summer.

These are the moments that will be remembered as the leaves begin the fall, the air turns crisp and the sun sets early.

These fading days of summer always seem the very sweetest of all.

Scenes of Summer

 View at my Grandparent's house.

While stores may be heralding "Back to School" and the fall roll out has begun to pop up, there is a still a good solid month or more of summer. Good, hot, summer.

Let's not get too carried away here, folks.

So, in honor of summer and enjoying it until it's last heated breathe... here are some scenes of our summer thus far.

 Popsicles and silly faces.

 

Too big sun hats.

Very first boat rides, in super cool shades.

 Pokemon birthdays!

Babies on blankets, always wanting the same toy.

 

Sharing puffs with Great Grandpa.

Trekking down to the river, off on boat ride.

Ever-present visitors of the avian variety.

Smiles for cousins who grow and graduate so soon.

Very first frappacinos on a date with mom. Strawberries and cream, of course.

Fishy umbrellas that help accessorize our Sunday best.

And, finally, brother's taking a watermelon and strawberry popsicle break, talking away.

Here's to many more summer memories to be made.

Have a great week!

The day we went to the beach...but forgot our swimsuits...

 

 Before the celebrations of the 4th of July and Jack's 6th birthday, we decided to join my family and head to Lake Michigan and enjoy a day at the beach.

The weather was forecasted to be cooler than normal and I packed loads of layers.

And no swimsuits.

I had shorts and long sleeve shirts, pants and sweatshirts.

But no actual swim wear.

Oops.

It did not, however, stop my boys and they jumped right in.

Quite literally

 Beach baby doesn't like her sun hat. Or any hat. Or bow. Or headband.

Lake Michigan. So beautiful.

 

Handsome hubby.

Of course Colin would find a stick in the water. The boy can find a stick anywhere.

Building in the sand, regardless of attire.

"Ahhh. I am just relaxing here, Mom."

Colin bird nest.

Macy and my Dad playing in the sand. She loved to grab big handfuls and let the sand pour through her fingers.

Colin birds like to be buried in the sand.

However, my sister remembered my niece's cute tutu suit!

Even though forgetfulness and lack of communication left us without the most basic beach apparel, it was still such a fun day. We loved spending time at the beach, walking the boardwalk in Grand Haven and getting some ice cream and pizza at the end of the day.

The Last Scenes of Summer

The first week of September is in full swing and the mornings here in Michigan are starting to get cool, hinting of fall to come. So before I jump into the craziness that will be September (hello, new baby, new kindergartner, new blog name/design and loads of other news) I want to cherish the last few outing of the summer before the leaves fall and whisk away the thoughts of summer.

Jack and Colin spending some time at the Children's Museum in Grand Rapids with my mom. Bubbles take a lot of concentration!

The boys taking a time to play some Star Wars LEGOs while the mounds of boxes were unpacked. (Let's be honest, they are still a LOT of boxes to unpack!)

I was granted permission to go 3 hours northwest for a last weekend of travel before baby comes to where all our family lives to celebrate a very special birthday with my whole family.

My grandma turned 80! She has come through quite a lot in the last few years and still looks incredible! It was such a treat to be able to be at the big family party and not be 17hrs away!

Gigi had lots of help opening presents from her great grandchildren.

Jack showed Addy how to play Star Wars LEGO game on his aunt's iPhone while Ryan and Audrey spent some time bouncing and dancing.

Our last family of four picture. I am around 37 weeks here.

We braved the crowds and headed to the Michigan State Fair with my sister's family and her in-laws. It was a pretty small fair, but the boys enjoyed seeing all the farm animals and petting as many as they could. Here they both learned how to milk a cow!

These little piglets were my favorite, although I felt much sympathy for the tired, large momma. The boys laughed and laughed at their silly noises. We also got to see pig racing, which is hilarious and my favorite fair activity to watch.

Summer 2013 was nothing that I expected it to be. Everything did not go as planned and yet, it still all worked out. I still feel like I am recovering from a whirlwind about to head into a hurricane. But, it was a good summer, filled will good memories and leaving us excited for the great, new things ahead.