The boys. In the backyard. In the summer.

There was a Saturday morning toward the end of the summer that Bethany had a birthday party to go to. The kids are really only now getting used to the idea of not doing everything together, so the boys were a bit bummed. I figured we needed to get something fun going for them at home, so we filled up the little plastic swimming pool in the backyard, let them trade their clothes for swim trunks, gathered up some toys and turned them loose.
Though JC and I were working on the playroom, painting and organizing, I couldn't help but spy on them out the window. Then I couldn't help but get the camera to capture what I was spying.

They played all along the garden fence with action figures of some sort.
I would like to guess that the dialogue involved mention of super powers, invincibility, battles, and possibly brothers and sisters. They...tend to make even their action-packed play family-oriented. There is almost always moms and dads, brothers and sisters, even grandparents that are in on the action.

I am having to guess what the dialogue was because, considering this is actually where I was taking these pictures from, I couldn't actually hear them in order to know.
Hiding on the porch downstairs so as to not disturb their play.
Thank heavens for the zoom on my camera.

I love watching them play, their toasty little torsos basking in the summer sun!

But, seriously, must their ribs be sticking out?? I swear I feed my children.

Back and forth along the fence they went, never missing a beat in their friendly banter.
I love times like this.

You know...the times I spy on my kids.

I stepped inside to tell JC how cute they were being and found Scout instead. I asked him if he wanted to join the boys outside. You shouldn't be sitting inside on a day like this, I told him. It's over 100 degrees, he told me.
Then I left him alone.
(Like our spotty, half textured, half painted wall behind him?)

Since it WAS, after all, over 100 degrees, the boys found their way back to the little pool we had perched in the sand box.
You know, the whole beach thing we like to do.
They proceeded to be hilarious and adorable.

Getting excited about this or that...

Playing some sort of game with exploding noises...

Laughing together, sharing good times with their action figures...
do Mickey Mouse and a Smurf count as action figures?

I love when they make each other laugh.

And when they make faces like this:

And, anyway, it was a fun end-of-summer morning. Kind of makes me want to go bask in the sun myself! This cooler weather that's blowing into the valley is most certainly welcome, but reminiscing about summer has me eager to soak up the sun's warm rays while I can!
That's it.
We are spending this Saturday outside with the sun on our shoulders.
And...since I can't really decide what to do while Ben is at preschool tomorrow (not that there isn't plenty to do, just can't decide what of it to do first!), maybe I will just scratch everything else and lay in the grass in my backyard with the sun on my face. Could I bring myself to forsake all else and do it?
Eh, probably not. But it's worth daydreaming about!