Summer

 This is the greenest summer I ever remember seeing. We are nearing the end of June and it is still green like May out there! We've had a few scorchers, but for the most part the weather has been mild...

 I'm not sure why I thought that it would be a good idea to start the habit of blogging again at the beginning of summer! Oh, the days are long this time of year, and there is always so much to do. Yesterday, we took the trek out to my grandparent's farm again, which is always a trip down memory lane. Watching Christopher, our one year old, toddle around the downstairs while Wesley played outside with kitties and Grandma's marbles was just the slow paced afternoon we all needed after the last few weeks of trying to stay busy all the time while Josh is working on farming so that we don't go mad!!

Really, we live in such a neat area and even though we are a bit isolated geographically, we are surrounded by so many little gems that are just a short drive away. We have been to the new splash pad in Strong City, which is a neat little town situated right next to its sister, Cottonwood Falls which has an old bridge and river walk to explore, several parks and I just read that someone is opening a juice bar with freshly squeezed juice! We have been to Council Grove and visited the Hermit Cave. We went to the Chase County Falls at Chase Lake and visited with a traveler from Iowa who taught Wesley how to skip rocks. She told us about her career in Swift Water Rescue and we got to visit about prairie traditions and wildflowers a bit! We are also near to the Prairie Preserve on 177 which we have not visited recently but is always a good place to hike around, get some wiggles out, and maybe see some bison to boot! Wesley is getting swimming lessons in Marion at the indoor pool and he has the sweetest teacher; he has been looking forward to reconnecting with Miss Elizabeth and has good memories from his swimming lessons last year even though he was fairly hesitant about the water. We are so blessed and have a lot to be grateful for. 

 For as pleasant as this spring and early summer have been so far, we have not spent as much time out of doors as we typically do. Our best days are when we leave the house early and spend several hours outside, at least, if not the whole day. I think we have struggled to get many of those kinds of days in because of naptime and how it has been falling this year. When we get in at naptime I start feeling the pressure to get our reading in (with Wesley) and then by the time Christopher wakes up I have lost motivation to do anything out of doors. I'm looking forward to the Independence Celebration in Council Grove tomorrow and getting in a bunch of outdoor time as we wait for the fireworks to start. We tend to stick to a pretty strict schedule with the boys so it will be nice to stay up late and do something out of the ordinary! 

My goal to write some every day was a bit lofty, especially starting it in the beginning of summer, but I have been writing more, and have already noticed how I am thinking differently about things and reflecting on my experiences more. Ah, I hear my baby waking up: later!



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