summer lovin'

I don't think my kids are ready for what summer in the US will mean for us.  Their endurance is low at this point, very low.  In Ecuador, since we enjoyed spring-like weather the whole year round, there was never quite the same urgency to get outside.  Don't get me wrong, we loved to be outside and tried to be outside as much as we could.  But if you didn't get out to enjoy the sun, no worries, cause it will be sunny the next day and the next and the next.  Or maybe from time to time it would be rainy and cold...but the longest I think we ever had to wait to get a day that was a great day to play outside was about 2 weeks.

 I feel like part of what makes summer so great here is that you know it won't last forever. You have to take advantage of every bit of sunshine and warmth. Every day there is a yearning to get out and feel the green grass under your feet and enjoy the shade that giant trees offer - because you know in only a matter of months the air will turn crisp again, daylight will fade and more and more time will be spent within the walls of our homes.

And I think my kids are not yet seasoned to this intense play that the summer months demand of us here where our life is set to rhythm by four seasons.  Granted, Elsa hasn't had enough life yet to be seasoned to much of anything, but for Breck this is a whole new ball game.  I think he will adjust, but for now it is taking it's toll.  He has gone back to taking a nap almost everyday (no complaining here!) and Elsa is back to two naps a day.  They play hard in the hot sun and we stay outside too late into the afternoon, thus pushing dinner time back.  Almost always this results in a pre-dinner meltdown because they are so exhausted and hungry.  But isn't it worth it?

Here's to hoping that our house becomes a glorious mess this summer only because we chose to get out into the great outdoors every second we can, instead of worrying that that there are dishes piled up in the kitchen sink.

 Love that these 4 little rascals all live under one roof!