Why I Love Summer

*I love longer days. I get so much more done in the summer.
*Summer thunderstorms. They make the air smell so fresh and I love the sound of the rain falling.
*The sun-kissed faces of my children. They look so cute with their rosey cheeks.
*Going for long walks after dinner.
*Watching the sun go down and the way the rays of light branch out as they touch the mountains to the west.
*Bird watching. Yeah, I know it makes me sound like an eighty year old, but I love to watch all the different song birds that come to feast at our bird house. We actually have a gang of yellow-headed black birds that come and fight one another for food.
*Sprinklers. I love to run through sprinklers with my kids and making butt prints on the cement still makes me laugh.
*Fruit. Watermelon, cherries, grapes, peaches, nectarines. I love them all.
*Corn on the cob. With butter and salt. Fresh garden tomatoes.
*Summer movies. I miss summer movies. I refuse to be one of those people who take their screaming baby to the movies, and so, I have not been to the theatre since Tuck was born. I will however make an effort to get my kids to Toy Story 3 and I would really like to go see Eclipse.
*Camp Fire dinner nights. Roasting a hot dog and making a s'more for dinner is all one needs to really enjoy a summer evening. Fires are just cool. Burning stuff is fun. I guess it's good that I have boys because we're all into burning stuff around here.

Well....I better be off to bed. Tomorrow will be spent getting ready to go out of town for one of my favorite summer holidays. Happy July 4th Everyone!

Hiking!

Days that I go hiking with my boys and other special people are truly perfect days. It is one of the moments in life where I feel spiritually connected with my hiking mates and with our beautiful surroundings. It's like I get to literally escape the everyday norm and I get to jump into a place where I can relax, explore, and share my inner thoughts with others....I hope they don't mind listening. Luckily for me, I had the opportunity to hike one of our favorite trails twice in one week. The first time was with my mom, my sisters, and all our kids, and the second time was with my sister Wendi and her boys...otherwise known as the "Adventure Club"! Here are some great pictures of our explorations: