what do you want to do this summer?

I've mentioned before that I am a listmaker. I like lists. They keep me sane and help me to feel as if I've actually got things together. Every summer for the last five years or so, I've asked my kids to come up with their own list of what they'd like to do over summer vacation. These lists are great for a variety of reasons. They serve as inspiration when you have one of those "what should we do today days?" They also help me plan some bigger excursions. And lastly, they serve as a huge reminder to me that it's the little things in life that really count. Overwhelmingly, the items on their lists are things like "do cartwheels on the beach", "go swimming", "go fishing", make things, and ride bikes (not that they can yet but whatever). The things I look back fondly on from my own childhood are the same kinds of things my kids count as unforgettable. I love this. It frees me up from feeling like we have to have all kinds of big entertainment built into our summer or I've somehow failed my children, which allows me to just kick back with my kids and enjoy the summer with them.

Katie dictated her list to me. She made sure to sign her name in several places so everyone would know this was indeed her list.

1. swimming
2. fishing
3. go to beach
4. take boogie boards to Matunuck
5. go to Preschool (in September but the anticipation is killing her!)
6. do a garden when the dogs are older
7.make a quilt for my American Girl Doll
8. grow a flower
9. walk to the bogs
10. make presents and give them to the whole family (isn't that just the sweetest?)
11. go to my friend's house
12. look for heart shaped rocks
13. build a treehouse (Daddy will do it)
14. have a lemonade stand
15. Imagination Island (indoor playspace)
16. play in the sand
17. cook gingerbreads
18. go to a show...like a recital with singing and dancing
19. make cookies
20. bike riding
21. playground
22. ice skating
23. go to our cousin's houses to play
24. have a big sleepover
25. have a pool party
26. paint a very big picture

Teresa is a champion listmaker. She titles her list. She makes sure to number everything and she even lettered her paper too. I love the little drawings she added, unfortunately I cut the letters and most of the pictures out when I took the picture and I'm too lazy to take another and upload it. Because that's just so much work. You'll just have to use your imagination.

1. go out to dinner, lunch, and breakfast and desert. (all in one day mind you)
2. make a bird feeder
3. make two quilts for Rebecca and Chrissa (American Girl Dolls)
4. do cartwheels at the beach.
5. Happy birthday Teresa ! (as if we could forget)
6. wait till Tom Brady leaves (an inside family joke that's really not all that funny but...)
7. make a lemanad stand
8. go letterboxing
9. have a play day with Hadi
10. give hugs to everyone (so sweet)
11. teach Sam to hoola hoop (makes me laugh to even picture it)
12. I will go to movies
13. bike ridering
14. I will rollerskateing
15. Gatment game (Gatemen are a local college kid summer baseball team)
16. Sam going to Gatment
17. going to Storyland
18. sleepover
19. pool party
20 plant seeds
21. look in bright ideas book and do
22. take an art class with Mommy (awwww)
23. Day with dad and Day with Mom
24. have a fashion show
25. plant a tree 2x

Sam's list is short and sweet
1. swimming
2. swimming in pool (in case he wasn't clear enough in #1)
3. fishing
4. swimming at pond
5. swimming at beach (do you think he's made his point?)
6. miny golf
7. mic donalds
8. paw Sox
9. sleep over
10. make tree house with Dad
11. castle iland
12. lemondade stand
13. imragination iland
14. play date
15. do obstical corse mom forgot to do (back in November I told him I'd set up an obstacle course for him and I kept forgetting to make it...I guess he didn't)

I added a few things of my own. Blueberry picking, swan boats, chasing fireflies, outdoor concerts, camping out in the backyard are just a few of the things on my list. We have been busy enjoying our summer and I'm happy to say we could cross many requests off already. But instead of looking at the lists as must do's...something to be done and checked off...we're viewing them as a place to jump off of and simply basking in where ever it takes us.