and along Northbrook Drive

The Momma was working,

Gathering supplies. 

The bags were all packed,

Waiting by the front door, 

In hopes that the morning

Would soon be here!

ah, summer, you rascally fantastically awesome time of year.  I love you.  I love your noises and scents, your heat and even your humidity.  I love your playtime and your laziness and your juicy-being-in-it-ness.  I love a sweaty walk or run, a fresh tomato off the withering vine and the terrible mess your weeds make of my gardens.  I love how you come back around each year and toast us up, brown and itchy.  I love how you relax all the wound up tendencies of this person and force Popsicles down our throats.  I love mowing and sprinkling and swimming and reading magazines in the sun.  I love your light and your wide open possibility.  I love the weight of humid days and the release of cold dips in lakes or pools.  I love your foods and how you make me just a little less hungry for junk. I love the extra time in the day and the early light in the morning.  I love your fullness.  You have wrung us out this summer and we are better for it.  I’m not ready for you to leave just yet although I know you must.  I will miss you terribly. Please hurry back!

xoxo- Me

I have such a great post for these two pics. One I took on the beach, the other Sam sent in a text today. How is this the same girl???  

Saying goodbye until next year to the beach in the morning. *sniff*sniff*

Thinking about September and the excitement it holds for us.

New math and spelling curriculum is on its way.

We will be home soon, Sam! Xoxo

Some flavors we tried this vacation:

• chocolate
• chocolate and vanilla twist
• chocolate and peanut butter twist
• pumpkin pie
• raspberry ice
• Hawaiian Punch bomb pop
• chocolate popsicle
• Oreo cookie ice cream sandwich
• orange creamsicle water ice
• cotton candy
• chocolate peanut butter
• with and without rainbow sprinkles

just pulling in after a night of pizza, rides and ice cream on the boardwalk. Transfer from car to bed-successful, fingers crossed!

There were some good waves today…finally.  Since we have been here the riptides and lifeguards have kept us closer to the shore than is fun.  But today we had a lenient guard and by the afternoon the waves were big and we could swim out past the breakers.  So. much. fun.

Today’s treasures

Emmy may need a new suit that fits her…

Lily would spend all day digging in the sand and be happy as a clam!

Ollie working on his twisty maze in the sand

Which is why you need the tiniest bit of bravery. People get scared when you try to do something, especially when it looks like you’re succeeding. People do not get scared when you’re failing. It calms them. That’s why the show Intervention is a hit and everyone loves “worrying about” Amanda Bynes. But when you’re winning, it makes them feel like they’re losing or, worse yet, that maybe they should’ve tried to do something too, but now it’s too late. And since they didn’t, they want to stop you. You can’t let them.

Killer Confidence