Summer

Summer is one of those few things in life that's universal. No matter where or how you grew up, you probably have vivid memories of summer. As a kid, my summers read like a book. I spent a lot of time at the pool (wearing very little to no sunscreen) and many summers we were lucky enough to take vacations to Colorado.  In my college years, summer meant searching to find myself, and one summer in particular played a big part of that (thank you, Walt Disney World College Program!). In my early adulthood, summer meant always working for the weekend and finding our way to the closest pool with lots of cold beverages. I really miss leisurely pool days, I'm not going to lie! #passthepinacolada This is also when vacationing really hit its peak (Mexico, Miami, Mexico, Vegas, Mexico, Napa, Mexico...).

Admittedly, since having kids, summer has taken a different turn. Everything has to be planned around naps and schedules and God forbid you don't have to pack all of your belongings just to take a trip to the pool. In our case, during the past four years our summers have been dictated by kids (Earth to Nicole: your kids dictate your lives from the time they are born until forever!). Walt was just six months old in 2011, so that summer was spent showing him new things, but not really doing anything exciting ourselves (Look, Walt! Water!...oooh!) The next summer we really hit our stride when Walt was 18 months with swim lessons and fun outings, but then --BAM-- 2013 we were hit with a newborn :) That summer was spent trying to keep Walt entertained and wondering when in the world we would ever sleep again.

While I think we had some pretty amazing summers up until now, it's been Summer 2014 that has truly felt like what I imagine summer to be for my kids.  All I want to do is rush home from work and do summer things like ice cream, movies, fireworks, swimming, etc. It's the first summer that I've seen this vision into our next 16 years and boy, if it's not exciting. This summer we took our first family vacation, we have made countless trips to the pool, we indulge in treats like lemonade and ice cream, and are ok with breaking the rules every now and again.  All this to say, the summer isn't even over yet! I just needed to document how much I'm loving this summer. Here are some random pics to enjoy:

Walt is such a great swimmer this summer!

Play dates at Starbucks with our friends is awesome (so are electronics)

Splash parks are SUPER awesome!

Oscar loves swinging

Walt loves snow cones (Thanks, Henry Duncan!)

Oscar is a MANIAC on the playground. Totally has no fear.
 I know this summer is a microcosm of what summers to come will be like. It's a very, very, very special time and we are loving every second!