Things I Loved About This Summer {Friend Makin' Monday}

Friend Makin' Monday will be spending some time hosted by Amber over the next little bit. Today, it's back and ready to go ~ the topic: Things I Loved About Summer.

1. Having some down time. While we still did some school during the summer months, it was all low-key and very relaxed. We were able to just play and have fun. Visit with friends. And Mommy had some time to unwind and get excited about the upcoming school year.

2. Visiting Rick's family. This summers vacation was a little easier than year's past ~ mainly because the kids are getting a little more independent and that makes road trips go much more smoothly. We also took a little 'mini~trip' with the kids and Rick's parents to go on a boat ride and tour Thousand Islands. Very fun.

3. Swim team. While swim team involves a LOT of nights at the pool, this year we saw such great growth in the kids. I used to be scared to take all four to the pool by myself and after this summer it's become so.much.easier! And watching the excitement in the kids as they improved their strokes and times ~ that was just so much fun.

4. Capris. Getting older for some reason has made me be a little more umm....reserved in the shorts department. For some reason I feel rather 'indecent' wearing shorts most of the time, and jeans are just way too hot. So I've been loving my capris.

5. Flip Flops. Just love 'em. For me and the kids. While I don't enjoy the nasty, yucky feet that are the result for my kids, they make life so much easier since the kids can get them on all.by.themselves.

6. Ice Pops. This is the first year that I bought ice pops for the kids. I'm not sure WHY I didn't do it before now, but it's such a great treat for us on those nice hot days. And the fact that I get to eat them too ~ just an added bonus.

7. McDonald's Sweet Tea. It's become rather addicting and possibly a link to why it's difficult to loose weight when I'm literally inhaling pounds of sugar. And while sweet tea is great anytime, there's just something about the summer months that make it so much better!

8. Reading. So much reading for me. Love it, love it, love it!

9. Our Garden. This year we added a few extra veggie plants into our garden and while it hasn't been as productive as I would like it to be, we've still gotten some great tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini and peppers!

10. Last Minute Beach Trip with the Girls! I took a trip to the beach to do some last minute school planning with a few friends and it was JUST what I needed to help unload some stress and just laugh and have fun {and I so hope this happens again in years to come!}.

Well, that's it for now ~ there were so many other wonderful things about this summer, but that's just a few of them! Be sure to visit Amber at {aefilkins} to hang out and make some new friends!