Sweet Summer Memories: Week One

With each of our boys still young enough to appreciate the small joys in life, we are celebrating summer very simply.

On our kitchen counter sits a bright orange pail labeled 'Summer Bucket List' with dozens of simple summer activities written on strips of paper and stuffed inside. Selecting a 'bucket activity' (as my three-year-old calls it) each day after breakfast has now become the highlight of our mornings. The boys look forward to their activity all morning long.

They are making sweet memories and I am cherishing each and every one.

This week:

We ate cool, crisp cherries in the sunshine before heading inside for naps. My oldest remembered their sweetness from last summer but, watching my two-year-old's face as he took his first bite was the best part for me.

We played Huckle Buckle Beanstalk in the backyard. My oldest hid froggy in the garden every single time. Whenever it was my time to hide froggy, I tried to come up with spots that would provoke a few giggles from my boys - under my littlest's t-shirt was the most successful at that.

We went on a dinosaur hunt that ended with a dinosaur picnic during a thunderstorm. They even dressed in dad's 'hunting' hats. 

We played food store complete with shopping bags and money. My oldest and I took turns pretending to be a shopper or a grocer. My middle son just liked playing with the two quarters I gave him. In the midst of playing, my oldest said to me: "Mommy, this is a really fun bucket activity!"

We celebrated 'Beatrix Potter' Week. My animal loving boys adored all of her exquisite illustrations. There were many moments when, finding it was a little too quiet, I discovered them side by side on the couch, poring over these books. My oldest's favorite was The Tale of Jemima Puddleduck. My middle son's favorite was The Tale of Tom Kitten. (He pointed to every single kitten and said 'Pippa.') My favorite was The Tale of Two Bad Mice. 

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~ sweet summer memories that I never want to forget ~