Clouds passing by....

The clouds, fluffy and bright, pass overhead lazily on these July days.  The sun is hot, but I refuse to complain after such a harsh winter.  Both girls are asleep for an afternoon snooze, but not for long.  Plans to bike to the park and play and swing await after they awake.  We have been spending our summer days playing outside, running, biking, going to the zoo, visiting the library, reading and having many snacks and naps.  

It is a simple time, this summer.  We enjoy each other for the most part, although there is the occasional squabble over toys or personal space.  It is nice to just be and do whatever we feel and move wherever the breeze takes us.  The Fourth of July weekend was a good time, full of sugar and late nights and fireworks...and some mosquito bites as souvenirs.  

Now we hit the dog days of summer, and we are loving it.  Possible baseball games are on the horizon, swim lessons every day, and always the endless trips around the block on bikes await us.  The nights are warm, and it is nice to leave the windows open sometimes and enjoy the cool breeze and hear crickets.  Other times, it is stormy, and I sit and watch the display of lightning and harsh winds with all of the lights out.

No matter what, I am savoring this summer, as we are never guaranteed another, and I mean to enjoy every minute of it with my family.  I truly appreciate the moment-to-moment roller coaster of experiences that is life.  Even sitting here now, I hear my cat purring softly next to me, both of us sprawled on the couch while everyone else snoozes upstairs.  What a lucky thing, to be here, now.  I wish everyone else the same, to really recognize what an amazing thing it is to be alive and be able to take it all in.

-a

Audrey and Violet, having lunch outside on the veranda. 

Violet monkey.

Audrey monkey.

Summer...just hanging out in the backyard.

At the zoo, Audrey telling me about the Okapi.

Violet and the opossum.

Audrey and the opossum.

Taking a rest at the Firefly house in Brookfield Zoo.

Violet planning where to go next at the zoo.

Peacock.

We are always on the lookout to add to our collection of Mold-a-Rama collection.  

Today the girls added a blue leopard and an orange lion to the Mold-a-Rama collection!

Audrey on the tapir carousel animal.

Violet on the turtle carousel animal.