Last of Summer Days

Today is the last day of Summer vacation.  

We are spending it school shopping.  Blah.  I thought that for sure we had enough school supplies in the house.  We gathered everything up last week, took inventory, and compared it to the school list.  We have about 1/3 of it covered.  

I would so much rather be spending it at the creek.   But it's cool and rainy-ish anyway, so it would probably be too cold.  I love our days at the creek, when we all pile into our junky Suburban with the windows down and drive through the field to a spot where we feel like parking it.  This year, the kids always ask to go to Picnic Rock.  It's the deepest part of our little creek, over Spencer's head in on spot, and they like climbing the rocks.  I like going there, but it isn't the easiest place with the little ones.

I hope that we can fit a few more days here - after school and on Saturdays - before it gets too cold.

Saying, "Hey!" to Cookie.

It is popular around here to run home.  Jiles had shut the gate and then just started to run, so Kate and Ezra jumped out and joined him.

We stopped by the loading shoot to see what Mazy had found.

And then Kate and Ezra stood on the gate... 

and hollered and listened to their echos perfectly clear somewhere against the hill.  

And they laughed and laughed.  And each laugh echoed a perfect echo-laugh.  

Which made them laugh harder.

 And I stood still and took happy pictures of my girl that usually hides when I point a camera in her direction.

I was not going to miss this golden opportunity of capturing something that I adore: the laughter and blissful face of Miss Kate.

After that we went and parked under an apple tree, in its shade.  Ollie fell asleep in my arms, Spencer read a book next to me, the 4 middles climbed on top of the Suburban and ate apples to their heart's content, and I sat and held Ollie and took it all in.

These are the days.