Saying Goodbye to Summer

I have been hesitant to let go of summer. When you have young children, there is something so precious about each passing season and when it is done, you know it will never be the same. Couple that, with Quinn starting kindergarten, and I just wasn’t ready. The summer to do list stayed up through most of September.

By the end of the summer, it looked like this:

You can find lots of our summer adventures on instagram #brayssummertodolist and #brayssummer

One of my most fun memories from summer was the water balloon fight. After years of doing this–I finally got it right! You can buy a bazillion balloons for like $1.99. You then need the patience of a saint to fill them all. In the past, it took the kids less time to use all the balloons then it did me to fill them.

This year, instead of a free-for-all, it was a little more controlled. A few balloons for water balloon toss. A few balloons for water balloon basketball and baseball.

Hudson had his own basket to explore with, because he is one and popping water balloons is as good as it gets.

 

The bulk of the water balloons were used for water balloon tag. Man was that fun! I felt like a kid and I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard.

At one point Ross was it and he threw a water balloon way high in the air. I stopped to watch the balloon (and make sure it wasn’t coming down on me) and while I’m standing there staring at his decoy balloon, he just nailed me in the stomach. I gotta be honest– I didn’t see it coming.

We managed to sneak in a trip to Chicago:

 

And Madison:

Along with lots of our other favorite summer things. There are a few we didn’t get crossed off, but I am pretty proud of the dent we made. There was lots of couch snuggling and backyard playtime mixed in with fun summertime adventures.

 

Enjoy the remnants of a summer well loved and well lived.

 

 

 

 

 

When I finally came to terms that summer was over, I let Eleanor do a job– because doing jobs is her favorite thing–and she erased the summer to do list.

 

So I take a deep breath and hold on to these memories and we keep on living a life well loved and well lived.