Wishin' It Away...

My children are still fast asleep (knock on wood), and there's a giant pile of laundry sitting on my couch that needs to be folded (story of my life), but I'm watching my youngest (for a few more months) nephew giggle on the floor and digging through pictures for a blog, per my sister's pesky request... 

*sigh*

Where is this summer going?

I love it: the freedom, the sunshine, the beautiful sunsets, the smell of bar-b-ques, the backyard, the ability to eat berries for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snacks, having my husband home, the list goes on and on, but I hate the feeling of feeling like I haven't gotten half the things on my to do list done and realizing that summer will be over before I know it! 

I blame Hallmark. I mean, seriously, I was walking through Target on June 30th, JUNE THIRTIETH, and their summer things had already been put on clearance and school supplies were adorning the aisles! Don't get me wrong, I love a good clearance aisle, but JUNE THIRTIETH?!?! Someone needed to tell them that summer was only 9 days old.  It's time to stop getting our panties in a wedge before we even put them on!

But I fall for it every time.  I start to think about all the things that will be happening between now and the time Matt goes back to school (4.5 weeks) and second guess the idea that we'll ever get half the wish-list done...

Jess comes to town next week and the next two(+) weeks will be encompassed with wedding bustle and out of town visitors, not to mention the annual camping trip sandwiched in the middle and Matt just starting his Masters' program this week. 

And yet somehow I still start to panic about the closets not being perfectly organized and my freezers not having an appropriate "inventory" list taped to the outside of them.  I haven't picked broccoli or green beans or canned a THING yet this year. I'm a complete Laura Ingalls failure and it might just be my destiny this year. 

Please don't judge me.  She is my hero. 

And so, instead of wishing away time (anymore than I already have), I'll just embrace what we have been doing...

Watching these little ones grow up way. too. fast. 

Lounging in the backyard with our cousins...

Eating breakfast on the back porch and wearing sunglasses in the shade...

Rockin' side ponies like all the cool girls on Daddy's basketball team:

And smoochin' these cheeks for as long as she'll let us when she wakes up every morning...

Eating lunch and playing at the park after swim lessons...

Practicing our hoop skills while watching Hoopla:

Snuggling our baby cousin this week before he starts his new daycare in August...

So take that Hallmark. I refuse to buy school supplies until at least August (which is still SIX days away)....

Unless the deals are just that good.  Then I'll probably reconsider.