Summer is unofficially here now that it’s almost Memorial Day Weekend. I’ll be sharing my favorite things around Springfield for families next week but I felt more led to write this post instead. There are so many things I love about summer. Barbecues. Dreamsicles on a warm evening. Watching Lightning bugs. Taking the kids somewhere they’ve never been before. Hopefully taking time to enjoy life with a more relaxed everyday routine/schedule. My son goes to a year round preschool (which is lovely) but I really grappled with leaving him in school this summer. In today’s culture of you’ve got to get ahead, there’s a push to get kids into activities and learning opportunities at an early age so they have a leg up on their future. (This wasn’t the attitude of my son’s preschool at all but just something I’ve come to find in general.)
I’ve said this in my last few blog posts but I’m becoming more aware of just how fast time goes. My son will be 4 in a couple weeks and I realized that he only has two more summers with me before he’s a kindergartner. This may not sound like a big deal but I clearly remember those looong days in his infancy when I was up all throughout the night feeling like I would never get good sleep again and I’d be lugging baby gear out and about forever. These days my kids are at such fun ages where I want to freeze them at 3 and 1 and a half for a whole year. They play together, can communicate their needs and love to explore.
Through watching them, I’ve come to understand that so many things don’t matter. Laundry and texts can wait in exchange for some good quality fun with my children. I was looking over old photos again and found that there were some things about the early days with my son that I’ve forgotten even happened. His first trip to the zoo when he was a month old (WAY more for me than him) and just the way he looked as a baby. Although, I saw a picture of him in the hospital and I could LITERALLY smell his newborn scent.
My point is life and time are moving WAY too fast and the question arises: Am I spending my time doing what REALLY matters? What I really enjoy doing. Obviously this can’t be done all the time (the house won’t clean itself) but it is worth trying to be as present as possible when I have those opportunities. So this summer, I plan to take a breath and savor those little joy-filled moments. Watching my kids play in the sprinklers. Getting on the floor and playing WITH them. Building forts. Painting pictures. Making s’mores. Eating popsicles on the patio. The little things in life that make up lasting life long memories.
Exhibit A: The featured photo for today’s blog. Earlier this week my husband and I were sharing summer memories from our childhoods and talking about our favorite things. One of mine was playing out in the rain as a kid in my swimsuit and sandals. I didn’t have a pool near my home growing up and whenever my parents let me go outside and play in a good warm weather rain storm, as long as there wasn’t any lightning, I did. There’s just something about the humidity in the air during a summer rain that makes the rain on your skin feel so refreshing. A few days ago, I let my kids go outside and play in the rain. My son kept on insisting that he needed a jacket until I explained to him that if I say you can go outside and play in the rain in the summertime, you don’t need one. My son put on his swimsuit and my daughter had on a onesie.
They were both a little hesitant at first and enjoyed putting things in the gutter water (it was clean!!!) while washing the rain water over a few toys. Finally, my little guy looked at his sister and said, “Hold my hand.”. They went out into the rain holding hands, dancing and laughing. It was a moment, I know I will remember for the rest of my life and made me a little teary. The joy on their faces, their feet in the grass enjoying one of the simple pleasures of summer is a memory from my childhood that they got to experience for themselves. I know I will treasure this moment for years to come. The beauty of it was that it wasn’t something I was trying to make perfect for them. They were just being kids, having fun. I hope that they have a lot more moments like this in the summer, just enjoying being a kid. 💗
What are some simple things you guys like to enjoy during the summer months? Comment below!