Summer Memories

Fall is most definitely in the air.  The children are back in school and we are planning to close our pool this weekend.  Cooler temperatures are also predicted here over the weekend.  I'm seeing apple and pumpkin everything online and in the stores.  I even got a coupon for a Halloween store earlier this week!  Yes, fall is in the air and summer is quickly becoming a fading memory.

Part of me is ready.  Okay, most of me is ready.  I'm ready for cooler days, jeans, colorful leaves, and some structure returing to our days.  We are three weeks into the school year and we are finally Finding our Rhythm.

This week's Finish The Sentence Friday prompt, however, has me feeling a bit nostalgic for summer.  The prompt is "My best summertime memory this year was . . . ."

I have been thinking about it all week and I just can't narrow it down to one.  Overall, we had a wonderful, lazy summer.  We started with this Summer Bucket List and got most of it accomplished.   Some of my favorite memories are the little ones.  So, here is a list of several of my favorite memories!

1. Going to the Beach - We went to the beach with David's family for a week in June.  It is a long-standing tradition in his family.  This year, his two younger brothers and their wives went as well as his parents.  We rent a big house together and get lots of quality family time.  (The family time is great and it is also nice to have others to help with the kids and the household chores!)  
2. Going to the Mountains - In July, the girls and I spent several days with my parents.  This has also become a summer tradition.  We love going to the mountains with them.  We also enjoy hanging out with my brother and his kids who are about the same ages as my girls.  Of course, it is wonderful to have my mom take care of me a little bit, too!
3. Going to a baseball game - We put Fourth of July Fireworks on our Summer bucket list, but the weather did not cooperate.  The girls were very disappointed and we promised to see some fireworks at some point.  We found the perfect opportunity when the local minor league team had a Christmas in July event that included Santa AND fireworks with Christmas music playing in the background.  Emily especially thought it was awesome to see Santa in the middle of July and she even got a candy cane from him.  It was lots fun and I enjoyed teaching my girls a little bit about the great American pastime of baseball!!  (My dad coached it for over 30 years, so I know more than most gals!)
4. Family time - Some of my favorite moments were just simple family times when all five of us hung out, relaxed, and laughed together.  We had a game night and played a drawing game together.  Another night, we all sat on the couch together and just snuggled while we watched TV.  A few other nights we all jumped in the pool together.       
5. Natural Science Center and the Zoo - Especially my two oldest girls love animals.  One day, David took the afternoon off and we went to our local science center's new aquarium.  We saw all the new animals there and, then, visited the other animals they had outside.  All the animals were very active that day and the girls loved seeing them.  They kept saying, "This is the best day ever!"  However, they said that again when we went to the zoo.  It was an unusually pleasant August day and, again, the animals were active.  David couldn't go that day, but his mom and our niece joined us.  It was lots of fun!

As summer was coming to an end, I was a little disappointed by what I perceived to be our lack of excitement and accomplishment.  Although we mostly completed our bucket list, we didn't do anything big or extraordinary.  We didn't go anywhere new.  But, looking back, I realize that we did something much more important.  We were just together.  David didn't travel much for work like he normally does and our "lack" of doing big things made for the calmest, most carefree summer that we have had.  Our whole summer is one great memory that I will cherish!    

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This post was written as part of Finish The Sentence Friday which is hosted by some wonderful blogging ladies.  Please give them a visit and check out all the other blogs that participate as well!

Janine at Janine’s Confessions of a Mommyaholic

Stephanie at Mommy, for Real

Kate at Can I Get Another Bottle of Whine?

Kristi at Finding Ninee