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J is for June

I like June. It’s a good month. It’s one of those nice summer months where it’s warm enough to go swimming, but not sweltering hot like August. Where you eat ice cream outside for lunch, because you can. And your favorite pair of flip-flips is the only pair of shoes you need.

This time of year with warm weather one day and freezing cold the next, I start dreaming of June and all the fun things we will do when it’s warm. Swimming, hanging out at the park, meeting friends at the park for lunch, really, just being outside all the time.

I’m not the only one in my family who likes summer. My kids have this thing against shoes, coats, and cold weather. Snow days are so boring around here. “It’s cold outside” they protest after 5 minutes in the snow. And we spend the next 2 hours recovering with hot chocolate and blankets and refusals to ever go out again.

In contrast, on hot summer days, they stop in for a popsicle, some more water, or requests for large amounts of food for their lunch that must be eaten outside, then return to the yard until it’s dark or they’re just too tired to play anymore. I think my kids live on fresh fruit and popsicles all summer long.

photo_35251_20141229My daughters have been begging to wear flip-flops and sandals for weeks now. We’re getting ready to go out the door, it’s 35 degrees out. They have their coats, leggings, hats, etc. on and would like to know if they can please wear their flip-flops today. It’s not raining or snowing so it must be ok.

My 7yr old wants to know when she can plant her garden. Just as soon as it stops getting down to freezing at night, I tell her. Plant too early and that very last frost will kill everything and you’ll have to start over. She would still like to plant something.

Oh, and don’t forget ice cream. The kids have been begging for an ice cream party. I’ve already started planning it and Easter hasn’t even arrived yet!

I’m beginning to thing that right about now we need a vacation to southern Florida. A week of warm weather, flip-flops, and swimming.

Of course, spring is right around the corner, and summer is so soon. And summer is my favorite time of year. And I’m so hoping it’s a good one.

What do you love about summer?

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Daddys

With Father’s Day coming up, I start thinking about my Dad and my husband. Both great men. And just think about how blessed I am to be surrounded my entire life by men who care about me. Starting with my Dad.

Now that I have kids of my own it’s so much fun to watch my husband play with my daughters. It always brings back so many memories of my own childhood.

I remember…

1. Dad pulling me around in diaper boxes (I don’t remember this so much as I have pictures of it, because I was pretty little). He would attach a string, I would climb in, and he would pull me around the house.

2. Dad chasing me through the house. When my dad blows his nose it’s basically like he’s trumpeting. So as a child, whenever he blew his nose I would go running through the house screaming “Ahhhh, it’s the Water Buffalo!”. And he would chase me. Until he ran into a doorway and broke his toe. After that, I did all the running.

3. Dad swimming with me. Actually, what I remember is playing in my little kiddie pool and mom constantly telling me to stay in the pool and not get so much grass in the pool by climbing in and out. Then, when my dad finished his yard work he would come flop into my pool and make a gigantic splash – also he would get LOTS of grass in my pool.

Once I got older and we graduated to one of those back-yard 3ft pools. We would all walk in one direction around the edge of the pool and make a whirlpool.

4. Horse rides. Riding on Dad’s back down the hall to bed at night. Also, I would walk on his feet. Stand facing him holding hands and put my feet on top of his. He walks backwards and I walk forwards. It’s better than just sticking my feet in Dad’s shoes and clomping around.

5. Angry Alligator. Basically, just chasing us kids around on a playground. But it’s way more fun if you’re trying to escape an alligator.

We would build “tents” from chairs and blankets and “shoot bears”, and we would even play this game (I can’t remember what we called it) where dad sat in the middle and we ran around him trying to get as close as we could without getting caught. Kinda like blind man’s bluff without any blindfolds.

I received lots of good advice from my dad, and he always did a good job taking care of his family, but thinking back to when I was a kid, I most remember all the fun, laughter, and play.

So, Daddys, play with your children. It means so much more than you think it does. And please, don’t run into any doors.