A Simple Summer

Today was a great day spent in our jammies :)  Rylan and Bryce took one of our comforters and made a "fort" in the living room on the couch.  So many of my own summer memories came flooding back to me!

• My brother and I cleaning our bedrooms and placing our stuffed animals strategically all over the room!
• A sleepover in our backyard in the large shed...my parents took out some mattresses and even a TV for us!!!  I remember watching Miss America...LOL!!!
• Summer activities in the pavilion at the Roanoke park!  We even rode our bikes there several times.
• Climbing trees way up high!
• Exploring through the woods and the unfinished concrete basement next door to us...we would always find bird nests there!
• The 4th of July fireworks at my Aunt Cathy's house on blankets in her backyard.
• Running through the pine trees to get to my neighbors house...we called them grandma & grandpa!  
• Snapping green beans with our neighbors...Grandma and Grandpa Worster.
• Playing restaurant in the Worster's shed with Jodi and Cory (their grandkids).
• Picking raspberries with my mom. 
• Camping with my dad in his pop-up camper. 
• Canoe rides through all the lily pads with my Grandma Barnes in search of turtles.
• Making homemade ice cream with my Grandpa Ward.
  
  
  

I'm left pondering today...what is on my summer agenda that will instill Simple Memories that will be treasured many years from now for my children?  I'm listing a few, in hopes that you might be inspired as I was today to provide simple moments for your children!

  

• Making tents and Forts!
•  Singing and Dancing on the bed...shhhh!  I'm not supposed to know about this one...they would get in big trouble for this ;)
• Sleeping in the basement on the pull-out couch and having a movie night...popcorn too!  
• Legos, Legos, Legos!  
• Hours of Hot Wheels...lining them up, making houses, playing on the town mat that we got from a garage sale! 
• The Brother Band...love this!  Braydon and Rylan are guitarists and Bryce is the drummer...they made signs for their band, too!  Our loft was transformed into a stage...LOL!
• Smores...they now have JUMBO marshmallows & strawberry marshmallows!  Oh so tasty!
• Campfire Pudgy Pies...apple is the family favorite!  
• One Stop Snack Shop...the kids set up a potato chip and water stand at our garage sale...cash register and signs included!
• Neighborhood Fun...riding bikes & scooters, playing baseball, hanging out at the neighbor's houses...oh we love our cul-de-sac!
• Swingset Smiles :)
• Catching Fireflies in our bug jars!
• Making paper airplanes and sending them in flight from the loft!
• Sidewalk Chalk, Water Guns, Sprinklers, & of course, POPSICLES!
• Letterboxing!!!  (see previous post!)
• Swimming at the lake.
• Library visits to participate in their summer activities...The Hot Wheels Rally was this week and the boys had great success with their chosen Hot Wheel cars!
• Rave Summer Movies...the free ones each week!!!
• Annual KidsFest...our church's version of VBS.

We have many special "day" trips planned this summer as well, but my heart was focused on the simple pleasures today!  Thank you Lord, for whispering in my heart to Treasure even the Simplest of our Summer Moments!  What simple things have your kids been up to?