SSS Fun

It's so hard to believe that summer is almost over. For many school starts back this week, for us it's the end of an 'era' because the boys will start preschool in less than two weeks and we no longer will have our sitter. That officially marks the end of summer for the Schralls. Usually we don't ever notice because our schedules just continued as normal. Now it's about to turn topsy turvy as we adjust to preschool schedules. 

Anyhoozle, I thought it was a good time to reflect on some of the Sun and Sand time we had this Summer. (SSS get it? sand sun summer. It was the best I could come up with people. The children are making me sleep deprived.) 

I already told you about the mountains here but we also had plenty of time on the other end of the spectrum. Ahhh, I love sand and sun. 

The boys and I went to visit Nana and Pop-E at the beach for a week while poor daddy had to work. The new trick we learned this year was dribbling. No, not dribbling that you think of when you typically associate dribbling and boys (although that happens often too and I find it gross). I'm talking about when you take a bucket of watery sand and dribble it to make tall columns or castle tops. That was a huge hit with Charlie...

Cole preferred a more destructive pattern of pouring his out and stomping on it or anything else he found someone made. One thing they both loved was sitting with Pop-E and building sand castles. 

I think one of the cutest moments I captured was finding Pop-E and Charlie in the hammock. They were sharing squirrel stories. Yep, you read that right. Stories about squirrels.  It was a cute little moment that warmed my heart. I can picture many more conversations and stories being shared between them. I couldn't ask for a better influence for my boys. 

OK moving on before I start to cry...

Cole has just started getting in to dressing up. Not cross dressing thankfully but dressing as bad guys, super hero's or in this moment, a pirate. (but notice the super hero t-shirt)

It started as a little walk to the bank with Pop-E (all of 1/2 block down the street)...an hour later they came rolling in with pirate gear, candy and pirate money. Apparently they got lost on the way home and went to the museum, rode a trolly, found some ice cream and bought some pirate gear. 

This is Cole's "ARRGGH MATEY" face over a bowl of oatmeal. Yep, he wore the eye patch to breakfast the next morning. 

And not to be bested by his little brother...

Nana and Pop-E's is always an adventure...and full of lots of love. 

Perhaps one of the things we did most this summer for the first time was go to the lake. The "Other Anna" has a lake house and we got to go on day trips throughout the summer. The boys were so excited each time we got to go. I mean, wake me up at 6am with "can we go to the lake house now?" excited. I'm sure I never did that as a child. I was always patient. 

(see how I distracted you from that whopper of a lie with a cute picture of Cole?)

They would play and play and play with their best little friends and even some new friends! On the last day trip we took them out tubing for the first time. I thought for sure Charlie would skip it (he usually doesn't like to try new things) but he jumped right on! At one point, after being popped up high by a wave he yelled "woohoo! yeah!" 

It helped that his best friend, Christopher, was joining him. 

Somehow when I joined them I think they were a little less enthusiastic and a little more "what is she doing" . I mean I have no idea what they're talking about...isn't this how most people ride? 

Needless to say, there were some happy kiddos every time we got together.

Summer may be over but the memories are not. I'm excited about starting a new season of life and building some more fun memories as the holidays approach. 

Wait, is anyone else panicking that Christmas is only 19 weeks away???

You can thank me for that panic attack later.