Ah. Summer. When we moved here to FL we were warned by everyone about the miserably horribly hot summers. I was afraid my sweet summer days were over, but I am happy to say that this summer has been one of the best summers I have ever ever had. Let me paint the picture for you.
I sleep in until about 8:30, that's when I here my little songbird singing and playing with her teddy bears. I slowly get out of bed, no rush at all. Take my sweet time. Find my boys either in their bed or up playing with their legos. Sophie is so excited to see me and yells "MOMMY!" as soon as she sees my face. We all head downstairs for breakfast, big bowls of cereal for Dad, & James, little bowls for Harrison & Sophie. We have a family prayer & Ben heads out the door for work. All the kids give him big hugs. Then it's swim suit time. Everyone gets their swimsuits on and grabs a towel and we are off to spend a solid 3 hrs at the pool for lessons.
Lessons are wonderful, I work with Sophie, teach her how to get floating after falling in the pool. then how to flip on over and swim to the edge of the pool and climb on out. She is doing wonderfully. She can even stay afloat with James and his wild friends jumping in & out of the pool around her. Harrison continues to get braver each time we go. I am SO proud of him. James continues to be an olympic swimmer and has definite talent. I will post more on their swim lessons when they have finished. We have 2 more weeks.
The time at the pool flies by, the kids play, we all swim, we have a snack, get a drink, play more, each kids takes their turn with their teacher and I am happy to say the kids have behaved really well while at their lessons. Once we are all worn out, hungry and ready for naps we head on home for lunch. Here we have either pancakes & bacon, giant bowls of cereal, or cold crisp watermelon & sandwiches. hmmm. no matter what it is, it is always delicious.
Then the kids change, make beds, clean their room and play play play. I get the kitchen cleaned up and do a few chores around the house. After a couple hours it is quiet time. Sophie goes down for a nap, the boys read or play something quietly and I lay down on the couch and do whatever I want. Blog. Read. Nap. Daydream. Bless-ed quiet time. Once again I soon here my little songbird letting me know she is awake. I get her up, she is of course excited to see me (I'll never get tired of that) and the kids play together while I get dinner made. Ben gets home, plays with the kids for a bit, we eat dinner, clean it up and head out the door to the YMCA.
The kids love this place, as do I. They love the daycare there and always have a good time. Sometimes they do Yoga or Kid fitness, sometimes they go for walks around the lake or have dance parties, but they seem to always have a good time there and I never worry about leaving them there. Ben & I will find a fitness class to go to together. Spin, Circuit training, Total Body, Yoga. It doesn't matter, we just have fun working out together & we love the classes. It is almost like a little mini date each night and I love it.
After sweating for a good 1 1/2 hrs, we pick the kids up and head on home. We'll then sit on the porch while drinking some protein shake and watch the kids ride their bikes around until it is too dark. The evening is perfectly cool and we never want to go inside, but it is late & the kids need bed. Once they are in bed and things are picked up & put away. Ben & I will sit & watch some TV show on Netflix while enjoying a bowl (or 2) of ice cream. Then we realize we need to be adults and go to bed at a decent hour and head off to bed. We always think we will go right to sleep, but we usually end up talking and laughing until 1 am or later, & sleep takes over.
Now imagine all that, PLUS a weekly trip to the beach where you bury your toes in the hot hot sand, and then cool off in the cool water, letting the waves crash around you. Taking the body board out and riding the waves in. And then coming back to hot sand and warming up with the sun while you watch your kids build sand castles and play in the water.
OR you spend a magical evening at Disney World. not caring what rides you really go on because you can always come back, just enjoying being there together as a family and having a good time no matter what. And after a full evening of fun, watching the fireworks as you cross the river on a ferry. Now, that's magical.
OR going on a family walk & bike ride around the lake, sitting on a bench watching the fish jump. Or going to the park and watching a movie while enjoying popcorn & treats. Or doing any of the many things we have spent our summer doing. And this is only the FL part of our summer. Don't forget that we spent the first half of our summer in UT enjoying the mountains, family, & BBQs. Going to Europe with family. Running Marathons & relays. Watching fireworks light up the sky and hearing your kids excitement about each one.
Yes, that has been my summer. How more perfect could a summer be?
