Bits of Summer Memories

Summer days come and summer days go. Today was probably a day that I will not remember much of in the near future. It was one of those days where I woke up to an empty refrigerator, piles of laundry, and much on my mind. It was the kind of day that moms everywhere have regularly, mundane to be sure, but vital to the building of something greater. It may not be the kind of day that anyone will remember, but faithful labor day after day is what I pray the Lord will use in the building of something much less mundane.

There are summer days I do want to remember before they become too distant in my memory. As I sit here remembering our time in Canada earlier this month, I am reminded that taking time out with family is important, even if it's only for a couple minutes between jobs on a busy day. I'm the type that can get so consumed with accomplishing items on my to-do list and I often fail to savor little moments.

Note to self: People are more important than things/accomplishments.

So before too much more time lapses, I thought I should post a few more pictures of our time up north..

My dad spent a morning building bird houses with my kids. It was sweet of him to plan and prepare a special activity with them, and we even brought one of the houses home with us to hang once we move in the fall.

To be sure, one of the best parts of our stay with my sister was getting to know my little nephew. He is such a cutie and has such a sweet and fun personality. I would love to be there when my next little nephew arrives in just a few weeks!

He has the best hair ever! He would fit in well around here with his surfer hair, especially as we will be moving closer to the coast. 

We spent a lovely day at the lake, where my kids swam in un-chlorinated fresh water for the first time! When not in the water or eating, they lounged in the hammock.

That afternoon, I forced myself to do what I didn't feel like doing at the time, but it was well worth it. I gave my full attention to my boys instead of sitting and relaxing. At this stage, there is rarely a relaxing moment with the boys. They made me get wet and covered me in stand, then we swam for a good long time along the shore. I think I will remember those moments because they were so thrilled to play with just me.

We also spent some time strawberry picking, a yearly activity for me when I was little. Michael took me into the woods where there was a little clearing by a creek. He had found wild strawberries and a few raspberries that were beginning to ripen. Olivia also requested that we go to a berry farm so that we could make some jam. My sister took us to the cutest little berry farm ever.

We arrived at lunch time, took the tractor ride to the strawberry field, and settled in. It was delicious! And we did manage to bring several baskets back.

I had never gone strawberry picking with Jon before. His enthusiasm surprises me sometimes.

Michael's one objective during his time in Canada was to catch a frog. He searched and searched the whole time we were in Quebec, but to no avail. So back in Ottawa, Grandma came to the rescue. No kidding, she was the one who searched and found this guy for Michael.

Pretty soon the boys had found more frogs, and I found myself with frogs in my lap. So these pictures are for their memories.

Jacob cried when he had to put them back in the water before we left. Little boys simply don't understand why we couldn't take them in Grandma's car and keep them forever as pets. The boys held hands to console each other as the made their way back.

And finally, a highlight for the kids this trip were the nearly unlimited number of sparklers they played with. They are not available in California, but sold everywhere back home. They make a great birthday candle alternative, or they are simply fun to run with barefoot and in your PJ's at night.

Thank you, family, for fun summer memories!

~Katherine