Ahhhhhh...

That was me sighing contentedly. Did you hear it? Today has been such a wonderful day.

We spent the earlier part of the morning (my kids didn't wake up until 7 that's very late for them) playing inside with all of Gramma's cool toys. I don't think there is a single piece of new Fisher-Price anything in this house - all of it is from circa 1970. And the kids love the stuff. I have a few older items at my house that the kids are allowed to play with, but it's nothing compared with what Gramma's house (and Nana's, too) is filled with. And because they are allowed to play with the vintage toys (not only F-P, but also lots of Raggedy Ann & Andy stuff and other toys, books, and games), my children are already gaining an appreciation for antiques. I love that.

After breakfast and a few falls on the sidewalks (Gabriel was the first kid to get a scraped knee on this vacation), we went to Kidsburg in Bloomsburg. The kids were in heaven. They were so well behaved, too. There was no time-out, no yelling, no nothing. Jon, Gabriel, and Elliott played on the equipment while Janna and I took a walk. I haven't walked up and down the streets of Bloomsburg since I was in college, so it was a nice change from all of the trail walking I do at home. Janna liked it, too. After our walk, we went back to the park and played with Big Brother and Sister. Everyone took turns on the swings (including me), and then we had a picnic. Everyone ate, then we played some more. When it was time to leave, everyone piled in the van with no complaining.

My afternoon was spent being idle. Jon was working on his laptop, the kids were sleeping soundly, and Devin was mowing the lawn. I literally had nothing to do. No dishes, no laundry, no cooking - it was so peaceful. I finally dragged myself away from the computer (damn that eBay with their tens of thousands of Vera Bradley listings) and forced myself to sit in the sun and crochet.

The kids got up from naps after 4, and each kid had their own "afternoon event": Jon took Gabriel running, Elliott went to the grocery store with me, and Janna chatted with Gramma. So when everyone reconvened on the back porch, each kid had their own exciting stories to tell about their afternoons. While Gabriel and Jon were running they saw a rattlesnake in a tree! I was freaked out just hearing about it, but everyone else thought it was cool (I hate snakes - HATE them. I am so afraid of them that just thinking about them makes me want to pull my feet up underneath me.). Jon pointed it out to Gabe, and thinking it was a black snake, poked it with a stick (it was at head level in the tree). It started rattling, and Jon made sure to tell The Boy to never, ever poke snakes with sticks!! Elliott was very excited to let everyone know that she saw a huge, big truck carrying lots and lots of hay. She was pretty sure it was going to find some hungry horses and cows. And Janna was just chattering up a storm to anyone who would listen.

The only bad part of the late afternoon/evening was when Gabriel pushed Elliott over in a lawn chair. She smashed her head on the sidewalk (she's just fine), and of course he had to be sent to time-out. Gramma also decided that since Gabriel didn't know how to be nice with the chair (a very cool Thomas chair), that the chair got to go to the garbage. We'll see if it comes out...

Dinner-time was totally uneventful. The kids ate their steak, rice, broccoli, and watermelon without whining. Gabriel entertained everyone with his stories about tornadoes. The kid has never seen a tornado. But he knows an awful lot about them. I guess I need to monitor how much Weather Channel he watches.

Jon and I decided that since it was such a beautiful evening (and because the kids had been so good all day), we would let them chase fireflies. It was a first for the kids, and they loved it. Elliott kept running through the yard screaming, "I got one!! I got one!!" When you asked if she had really caught one, she replied, "Nope. But I'm tryin'!!" It was hilarious. Gabriel was much more calm about the whole thing. He would look for one bug, and then spin in circles trying to find it after its light went out. And when he wasn't looking for bugs, he was singing about goin' on a bug hunt (sung to the tune of "Goin' On a Bear Hunt)A neighbor girl, Allie, was helping the kids catch a bunch. She was so sweet and patient (she was probably 8 or so), and Elliott thought she was very cool. By the end of the "Bug Hunt", the kids had about 20 lightning bugs in a ball jar. Yes, I let them go!!

Today was a perfect summer day. Watching my children enjoy the things that I loved as a child is so awesome. I loved my Fisher-Price toys. I loved going to the playground (but only when my Mother didn't shove me out the door at 8am every week day during the summer). I loved eating drippy watermelon outside. I loved spending time with my Gramma. Catching lightning bugs with my Mom was one of the best things to do on a summer evening.

Some of the most memorable summer moments of my childhood were played out in front of me by my children today. And it was sweet.