Farewell to Summer

I don't know that I'm ready to bid summer farewell, but as often happens, it's not really my choice. We have had a great summer that even though felt short, was cram packed with adventures. Here's a quick look at what the second half of our summer entailed.

We took a little neighborhood nature hike at Stonybrook State Park. The boys loved walking up along side the stream to the different waterfalls. And even though they had no desire to walk into the waterfall, they were all too happy to throw rocks into the water. A few of our neighbors gathered for a little fun in the sun (minus the sun) at Roseland water park about an hour away. This was our second trip in two years and the boys loved the Splash Zone, Lazy River, and Water Slides just as much this year as last. Too bad both years found us at the park on the darkest, coldest days of the summers. The boys loved it though, so that's what's really important.

About mid-July Jordan mentioned the idea of running a 5K. I am so not a runner. Once in Jr. High our track coach needed someone to run the mile just to get the points- time didn't matter, someone just needed to finish the race. I ended up being that someone and I promise you there has never been a slower mile in the history of Jr. High track meets. Everyone lapped me and they were ready to start the next event before I crossed the line. I am so not a runner. And let's be honest, Jordan isn't really built for any kind of distance running either. But we trained and I found a sort of peace in my morning runs (at least the ones without the boys). I still can't fathom marathon runners, but I do enjoy a good solid run now. Mid-August found us at the starting line, and Jordan and I ran together all but the last 100 meters or so; my finishing pace is way slower than his. If I ever run another 5K, my goal is to treat it more like a race instead of a normal daily run. (ie, Pick up the Pace!)

The boys discovered the joy of riding bikes, and we kind of stopped leaving our bubble in the course of a normal day. They have spent hours riding around and around our complex, both on the sidewalks and grass. Hunter has actually now abandoned his "three wheeler" for the much bigger and cooler "four wheeler". Yes, it is purple. Yes, it's in pretty sad shape. Yes, it's technically a girl bike. But to Hunter, it's bigger and faster than his "three wheeler" and it's Husky color. What more could a boy ask for. We're trying not to ruin his three year old innocence. The end of August found us packing for a trip to Idaho (our first in over a year). I found this little intruder curled up on a bag of blankets in our basement as I reached for the luggage. I promise it was bigger than it looks in the picture. At first I thought it was a toy, but a quick check by our neighbor boy told me it was definitely real. Pest control asked me if I realized that, "Pets are not allowed in our housing". A Pet! Seriously, not my idea of a pet! All the neighborhood kids loved the zoo moment as pest control showed it too them all and talked to them about the dangers of touching wild animals. I still don't feel the same about my basement; it's just creepy!

We've had a great summer and truth be told, we're ready to welcome fall.