The joy of summer

It is finally here- summer, and the bliss that comes with it. No obligations, no practices or games, no early morning starts, no lunches to pack. We can wake up when we want, eat when we want, go where we want, play in the water, have Wii tournaments, etc. It has been a great week so far! I love this calm and the fun of watching the kids work out their disagreements and interact in the way that only siblings can. It makes me remember all the summers I spent as a kid in Idaho. We have such great memories! I was talking to my dad about the way we were raised tonight and he was saying that there are things he regrets- being too strict. I feel so bad that he would worry about that. We got to do such amazing things. I rode in a tank, sat in a helicopter and an F-16, and shot a machine gun. I raced sailboats and rode mountain bikes in Moab with Hans Ray. I rode and wrecked motorcycles before the age of 10. We had Smartie olympics and made salads with weeds. We searched for Oregon Trail artifacts, survived a tornado in a tent and camped on the trampoline more nights than we slept in our beds. If anyone asked I think we would have said we had a normal childhood. I think looking back I can now say that we had an exceptional childhood. We didn't just grow up, we were raised. We were taught and loved. I know that my kid's stories will be different, but I hope that someday they will look back and tell people that they were raised to be exceptional people.