Not letting summer go

Ryley said to me yesterday that when she goes back to school, she is going to write in her school journal that she had the best summer. She doesn't think there is going to be enough room because of all the fun adventures she had. The last full week of summer vacation is approaching. I am happy that we still have 1 more week, but I am so sad to see these guys go back to school. Owen has no interest in starting school. Joey is looking forward to Kindergarten and TJ says he wants to stay with mommy. Ryley needs another month. So do I! For now, we just have to keep the fun coming!

On Thursday, we met GG and Grandpa and Uncle Denny, Cailey and Denny Ryan. Family is most important to the Dargan kids. They will pick hanging out with their cousins over anything. We went on a hike to Nyack State Park. We hiked along the Hudson River. We had a picnic lunch along the river. They skipped rocks, looked for bear caves, and spotted deer right in front of them on the trail. The highlight may have been going in the water with their clothes on, shoes and all. Thank God for crocs. (except for Owen who did it with socks and sneakers) You just have let kids be kids and not care. They had the best time doing it.

Anything goes

As I write this, I have TJ sleeping next to me in bed. Ryley, Joey and Owen are sleeping in their sleeping bags on the floor. They said, "mommy, can we please sleep on the floor in your room?" It is summer so why not? How much longer will they do this? This summer, Joey, Owen & TJ have slept on the floor in Ryley's room almost every night. I know that someday they will want their own space so why not enjoy it while I have it. It is summer and our theme this summer is that anything goes. Today we went hiking along the river with our cousins. I just watched as the kids threw their shoes and went into the Hudson River knee deep. They were soaked. I watched them try to push a huge log into the Hudson. Their clothes were wet, their shoes were off and their feet were covered in dust and mud. Owen had socks and sneakers on and not a care in the world that they were in the water. They all had a huge smile on their face. Some days or most days with me, you just have to go with it. Enjoy each second especially when you have 4 kids who are so innocent and just living life doing the most simple things.

Enjoying each day

It's summer 2012!

Ryley, Joey, Owen & TJ - I am loving every second of every day being with you guys. I love our beach days, pool days and rollerblading days, bike rides, hikes, and mornings in our PJ's. I love not knowing what day it is or what time it is and not caring. I love being in bathing suits and flip flops. I love our morning breakfast chats and love not having to be anywhere. I love our summer freedom and being together and doing what we want. I love enjoying our summer together.

Joe, I love that you are home with us in the afternoons and get to be part of all this too. We appreciate everything you do for us. We have been married for 9 years and life is amazing! So if you are reading this at work in the middle of the night, I love you.

Making Memories

We count the days starting in January for our summer vacation in Sea Isle. It's something we look forward to all year long. GG and Grandpa get a house so that all of us can be together. We have been building memories here since Ryley was 10 months old. Ryley first crawled in Sea Isle. Joey was 6 weeks old when he first went and almost a year later he took his first steps there. Owen spent his first birthday and TJ said his first words. Most importantly we are all together. The cousins bond, we laugh and smile, and GG and Grandpa are proud of the family they have created. We spend long beautiful days at the beach. This year, the kids were so proud of themselves. Ryley can ride waves like a pro. Joey made it past the breaks in the waves by himself. Owen rode waves by himself for the first time and TJ boogie boarded like he has been doing it for years! I could cry thinking about how much I enjoyed myself and how much I enjoyed watching the kids have fun and make new memories. They smiled for 7 days straight and giggled each day.