postcard

Hi from Cannon Beach.

reason to love summer::6

We're on vacation this week. See you soon! xoxo

reason to love summer::5

al fresco dining

We're on vacation this week. See you soon! xoxo

reason to love summer::4

We're on vacation this week. See you soon! xoxo

reason to love summer::3

We're on vacation this week. See you soon! xoxo

reason to love summer::2

We're on vacation this week. See you soon! xoxo

reason to love summer::1

Fishing at our local pier.

halfway

Here we are at the halfway point of summer. We've settled comfortably into a rhythm...simple pleasures, unstructured time, later nights, later mornings...

We're heading out on a vacation, and I've scheduled a series of photos to post for the next week in my absence - comments closed, as I won't be available to respond - 'reasons to love summer'. Feel free to play along if you like.

I hope your week to come is full of 'lazy hazy crazy days of summer'.

how it happens

So here I am at the Museum of Flight with the boys; a favorite destination of theirs. They love to soak it all in. In the evening I look through my photos, such as these, with Alexi, and tell him the day's stories. It's a great way to unwind and catch up with each other. Then I write my blog posts, and schedule them to 'publish' automatically the next day. This is one of my favorite times of reflection and thinking. I like the habit of it all, the ritual, the rhythm.

(at the Museum of Flight)

Fort Ebey State Park

We camped over the weekend at Fort Ebey State Park on Whidbey Island. This park has much to offer - hiking and biking trails, a long stretch of beach, a pond (that can be fished), big open grassy spaces (very windy; great for flying kites)... an ideal spot.

joy

been camping

When we travel, just like at home, the activities of daily life, of parenting take up much of our time. Cleaning up from one meal just in time to begin another. Soothing after a fall. Making sure everyone gets to have a turn at whatever it may be. Trying to help solve the challenges of sibling life. Picking up wet clothes. And so on.

Just like at home, but more so, there are moments of quiet beauty in the day. Some of these moments over the weekend occurred sitting by the campfire after the kids were sleeping, listening to the wind rustle in the trees. Feeling Cal run his thumb back and forth across my palm as we held hands. Noting the vastness of the ocean while the kids ran through the tall grass on the bluff above it. Abbott sitting beside me telling me what was on his mind, planning tours for the other campers. Such beauty we were so blessed with.

Time stands still a bit in these out of the ordinary times. It makes the long hours of preparing, packing, traveling, unpacking, doing laundry, all the extra effort, all so worth it.

to the woods

We're headed out to play in the woods for a few days.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

possibilities

I've been resistant to buying Star Wars paraphenalia - toys with weapons - for a long, long time - since Abbott first heard about Star Wars at school (and became instantly obsessed), really. His interest has been so intense and so sustained - and he pretends even his hands are weapons, so would a toy really make it any worse? - I decided to buy him one Star Wars ship, just to see how it would go. And you know what? His weapon type play is virtually all channeled into the toy now.

We just got a lego catalog in the mail, and now he really, really wants more. So for the first time ever he's gotten curious about money. How to get more? How much do I have? He's counted up his spending money, and sought out ways to earn more.

We've come up with laundry folding and watering the garden. (The boys get allowance without strings attached. They can earn extra money for doing extra chores.) And he's talked Cal into doing extra chores with him so they can pool their money and buy a new toy together, sooner.

He made this sticker of a Republic Attack Shuttle to show what he's saving up for.