A Summer of Priorities

I've dubbed our summer as A Summer of Priorities.  My keyboard has been silent and I've been putting my energy into making memories, staying healthy, and wrapping my arms tightly around those that I love.

(The most important of those that I love!)

We spent our summer running to activities...

(Megan, at gymnastics.) 

(Brendan, jumping off the diving board at swimming lessons.) 

 (Megan, at t-ball.)

(Brendan, playing Tyke Ball.)

(Brad, playing softball.)

 (Emily, entertaining herself during the endless running back and forth to activities.)

We went on picnics.

We had a garage sale.

We enjoyed the bounty of our garden.

And we had a Baseball Birthday Party!

(Brendan turned 7!)

We tried our best to stay home in Montevideo and relax...

But we also spiced it up and went here...

(Our Crea family vacation at Rose Lake.)

and here...

(Fawn-Doe-Rosa in St. Croix Falls, WI.)

and even here....

(Split Rock Lighthouse, near Two Harbors, MN)

...with quite a bit of this in between!

(Zzzzzzzzzzzzz....)

We spent time with family...

 (With the Crea's at Rose Lake.)

 (With the Nelson's at their cabin.)

 ...and friends...

(Getting to hang out with Abby and Noah Johnson in Duluth.)

 ..and some days we just snuggled up and spent time together.

(Bedtime books!)

I meant to get a lot done.  I was going to make our house perfect.  And our yard perfect.  And make my body perfect.  And have "school" every day where the kids worked on their numbers and letters and we read books about the theme of the day.

Instead, we caught frogs.

And had dance parties.

And admired God's beauty around us.

(A summer sunset behind our house.)

And things didn't have to be so perfect to have a perfect summer.

(A not-so-perfect rock garden that hasn't been weeded since July.) 

(The bags of rock that are intended for the above rock garden, which have been sitting along the edge of our driveway, driving Brad nuts, since July.) 

(My running shoes didn't get as many miles logged onto them as I had been hoping!)

(My not-so-perfect garden, which I'm usually incredibly anal about, because I like straight rows and organized walking space, and everything appropriately staked, labeled, and weeded.  Not. So. Much.)

As much as those undone things bugged me, I also truly enjoyed my Summer of Priorities.  

I sent Brendan and Megan to school feeling content that we squeezed as much family time out of the summer as we could muster.  

And THAT was our priority!