Sprinkler Fun in the Summer Sun

The summer sun can be a bit of a rough one in the Midwest.  Recently, we were on an excessive heat warning for several days in a row.  You likely know that this means not only was the actual temperature blazing hot (mid 90's), but it felt even hotter (low 100's).  You might think this means that water play was a must, but actually, it means we spend a lot of our time indoors.  And if we head outdoors to do much of anything, it needs to be as the sun is taking her final bow.

This particular evening, my husband decided that with all this insane heat, in order for our grass to survive, it needed water.  My kids are no stranger to playing in the sprinkler, and I certainly have photographed it my fair share.  This night though, I was feeling pretty blah.  I really wanted to just hang on the couch and be a lazy bum.  But then came the calls from my kids and husband, and once FOMO (fear of missing out) kicked in, I decided last minute to just suck it up and head out, camera in hand.

When the kids first got out there, the sun made for all sorts of fun with the water playing in its rays.  Part of playing in our front yard is my daughter saying hi to our neighbor's dog, affectionately known as Silly Lilly.  We joke that with Lilly still being young, her energy overwhelms her when people come over to see her.  Not so when my girl goes to say hi.  Lilly sits patiently for her and almost never makes my daughter scared, which is amazing because as you can see, they are about the same size.  We have dubbed her as the Lilly whisperer.

I really do love to watch my kids play and interact together.  Don't get me wrong, there are certainly times that I get frustrated with them and send them to their separate corners, but when they are loving each other, I enjoy seeing how they can take care of and teach each other.

 Of course, my husband likes to get in on the action too.  And when he sees an opportunity to have some fun of his own, he certainly doesn't shy away from it.

Even in the heat of a day like this, running through cool water can certainly chill you down.  So in the end, my kiddos soaked up the end of the sun's warmth and gave their typical responses to my camera.

On a more personal note, I sometimes fear that people have the wrong impression of our family.  In sharing a small portion of our regular life through pictures, I wonder if people somehow forget the other days of my life that my camera didn't get picked up, but instead, my voice did.  If we have met in person, you know I am just as hot mess of a human as the next person.  And that making it through the frustrating days is hard enough sometimes, so I just don't think to grab my camera every day.  More days than I care to admit, my kids don't get along, I get irritated, or I simply don't want to engage in what is happening.  Our house is lived in - I just do what I feel needs to get done for the day.  So know that our life has the same back and forth of good and bad as everyone else.  I have to practice the art of being present and I grab my camera to remember those moments I am thankful for.  I hope in seeing some of our moments, you are inspired to practice the art of being present too.

Until next time,