Ahh Summer - Just As It Should Be

These past few weeks have been glorious!  Coming from a June that seemed like summer had died, with rain, rain and more rain.  Gray and cold and bleh for weeks on end - I thought summer would never get here!

My kids felt the same way.  Hence all the posts on the Facebook page about great indoor activities for the kiddos.  What are we doing today, mom?  Well, since it's raining a-gain, let's...

and we'd go bowling or paint pictures or play Wii games, but we can do these things all year round.

Nothing can compare to endless hours of sunshine and free playtime outside.

We Pennsylvanians depend on summer for our yearly dose of vitamin D, a mood boost, and a little bit of color.  We don't ask much.  Just 3 months of the year with decent weather. 

And then - it came!  

Sunshine all day long, crickets cricking every night.  Sending the children outside to play as often as possible, cold water and popsicles at the ready for any thirsty small people that might show up at the door.

Swimming, amusement parks, backyard camping - we're finally hitting those things we put on our bucket list!  Water balloons, drive-in movies, family reunions...

As I type, I'm sitting on the back porch enjoying the serenade of lawn mowers, happy children, and the first cicadas of the season.

The clothesline hangs heavy with wet towels and swimsuits and when they are dry, they will all smell of fresh cut grass and summer breeze.   

Backyard baseball is an evening favorite!

And so, each night we lay our summer-drenched children in their beds and tuck them in.  Exhausted from their day of play and sunshine, they sleep heavily.  They dream.  And they grow.

Summer - just as it should be.