Savoring those Sweet Days of Summer

Today officially marks all the mini Magnolias are back at school. Those sweet carefree days of Summer Break are a thing of the past, and it's full steam ahead until May next year. Which is all sorts of crazy considering it still very much Summer.

I hate that we have such a short Summer Break, and have been savoring the sweet memories of the last few weeks. We've had a ton of fun!

We beat the heat as often as we could at the beach or at the pool...

We took in new cultural experiences...

We played with our friends any chance we could get...

We fished until the sun went down...

We checked out the new stadium, made various trips to the lake on the boat, saw new movies, slept in, danced at concerts, swung bats at camp, ate donuts for breakfast and just generally rocked the short time we had at home together.

It all went so fast, and we loved every minute of it. Yes, even those crazy, "I'm SO bored!", "Please stop touching your sister!", and my personal favorite, "I'M HUNGRY!" moments. Summer can last forever in my book.

And I'm determined to savor what little Summer freedom we have left. Because, again, it's still Summer!

Luckily it's still early enough in the school year that not much is going on to make our after school hours too chaotic. Homework has been light and some Fall activities are still a few weeks off from starting - you know, so they can actually start in Fall.

I love that I am still able to grab Cute off the bus in the afternoons and head straight to the pool, go on a hiking adventure, run on the playground or whatever might suit us that day.  

We live within walking distance to a Walmart shopping center and one of L.C.'s favorite things is grabbing special snack or cool treat for everyone to enjoy after school before we switch into "Summer mode" for a few hours.  

I am more than happy to oblige because it entertains her while brother is in school, and takes care of the snack part of our adventures. Because not having snacks on hand would make it a whole different kind of summer adventure. The kind mommy doesn't like. 

More often than not she choose these yummy little Danimals smoothies. The kids first tried them at Carrie Beth's house earlier this Summer and they fell in snack love. I can't keep them stocked! L.C. takes her snack picking job seriously, and checks to see what characters are on the cartons before picking "the perfect ones" for her and her siblings. 

We usually walk home, unpack our purchase and then she surprises Cute with their afternoon snack when he gets off the bus.  They commence a big discussion over what their plans should be for the afternoon, and once negotiations are done we head out. 

Sometimes she opts to do a little taste test before Cute gets home, which makes me super thankful for snacks that come in a variety of sizes. 

I've learned to never underestimate the lure of a cool smoothie on a hot day and always opt for the 12 pack.  

The summer-like fun has made the fact that our summer is so short just a little more tolerable. Seeing their is contagious and hearing those sweet giggles in the late afternoon summer sun makes me swoon. I am so thankful I get a front row seat to enjoy it all and the chance to savor summer just a little big longer. 

Especially because I know in just a few weeks, summer weather or not, we are going to be in full Fall frenzy and mommy will need something much stronger than a yummy smoothie to get her through until Summer returns once again.

To learn more about our favorite Danimals smoothie snacks, and how you can savor Summer just a little bit longer visit here. 

How are you savoring your Summer? 

Jen

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