Thursday, August 15, 2013

Early Morning Summer Picnic: resting, reading, stretching, and just being



Have you ever seen a PICNIC candybar? 
Me either.
One lil candybar inspired me to gather up my boys and head out into the sunshine to eat.  



I'm a traditional girl, who loves doing classic things.  Almost nothing (besides the beach and ice cream!) shouts SUMMERTIME as much as an old fashioned picnic.  

We gathered up a giant quilt, cold drinks, and a basket of napkins and food. 



Let's go picnic-ing. 


Oh, as we were rushing around, packing the car, 
I grabbed this little vase of flowers off the table.  
Because...
 picnics need a bit of pretty nestled in between the food. 


We decided to do an early morning picnic, to avoid the firey mid summer sun.  
We headed outside,
as the day was brand new, 
before the world activated the daily noisy buzz of life.



The boys found the perfect tree for our picnic.


As soon as I smoothed out the quilt and pulled out the picnic basket, 
Titus ran over and plopped down on the cozy blanket,
excited to eat.
He is precious. 



He loved the feeling of the fresh new morning air
and the feel of the green grass under the quilt.

It truly felt like moments of peaceful heaven
 as we relaxed under the sky.


The boys played with our giant frisbee as I unloaded our breakfast basket.


Hungry tummies were anxious to run over to our classic set up
to fuel up on breakfast goodness.


mini blueberry muffins



We also ate more of the Overnight Chilled Summer Oatmeal.  
I shared that recipe and details in my last blog post! 



Fresh Yummm



It is so funny to watch the ways kids problem solve:
"How can I pour this juice and not make a mess?"

Butterfly those legs and don't spill!



Balancing cups with toes!





After breakfast, I forced, made, encouraged the boys to 
rest and read outside!


Umm, this photo was staged.  
Yeah, I did that.



 BUT!  This photo was not staged. ;)  
It cracks me up to see the serious face expressions on their faces
 every time they read.


 Dakotah, of course, didn't stay on the quilt to read.
I found him wandering off like this,
book tucked in back:


 He reads in trees.  

My mom just started a beautiful new blog and in one of her blog posts she asked the question, "WHERE are you reading?"  This is an excellent question to ask our family because you'll always find our boys reading in the most interesting and unique spots. 



 Meanwhile, my other two boys are predictably still reading on the quilt...


It's really hard for boys to sit still TOO long though...
Titus stopped mid chapter and discovered some cool trees!


My beautiful youngest



Right before we packed up to head back home,
I gave the boys a quick lesson on the importance of morning stretching 
and we discussed the ways stretching benefits our health.  

*Quick Mama Tip* !!!

I love to mix in a just a little bit of learning and lessons with every fun activity we do.





I love these boys!


My responsible one,
with a tender conscience...



My one who is full of joy,
ready to explore...


My one with quiet wisdom,
and always ready to laugh...




Spending moments with my boys expands my spirit and makes my minutes on earth feel satisfied.
  I can't express enough how much LIFE 
my family breathes into my days.  

This unassuming,
early morning picnic
was by far my favorite moment of summer this year. 
Dakotah must have shared my heartfelt gratitude for this day because he hugged me on the quilt and whispered by my cheek, saying that this was the best day he's had all summer.

I think it was because we stopped life for one morning.
We opened the gifts that nature gave us,
we silenced our minds,
and relaxed with those we love.




We have quite a PICNIC collection!
To see MORE picnics on Moore Minutes, click links below:





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This post is linked to: Under the Table & DreaminNifty Thrifty,  Made by You MondayMet Monday, Tuesday Tutorials and TipsHOMEWORK: Be InspiredTip JunkieGet Your Craft OnWorks for Me WednesdaySnap CreativityOrganize and Decorate EverythingTransformation ThursdayTablescape ThursdayStrut Your Stuff36th AveFoodie FridayI'm Lovin ItTickled PinkFriday FlairBe Different Act NormalFunky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up, Six Sisters Saturday 



11 comments:

~Damita's Pretty Wrap~ said...

Looks like a wonderful picnic!! Love the quilt so very pretty! :) xx Holly

Jessica Loukota Leimback said...

What a great day mom!! Those boys are growing up so quick...I am so glad you take every day like you do and share, dream, learn and breath life!!! Miss you guys!

Blondie's Journal said...

It brought a tear to my eye when you wrote that Dakotah told you it was his best day all summer! Aw..... You really are a sweet mom!

XO,
Jane

caveman said...

I really love how you take time to make our moments beautiful. Adding the flowers is one of those touches that most people would forget, not realizing that the beauty found in all the little things add up to very special memories.

Colette (Coco) said...

Remember the old show "My Three Sons?" Yours are so sweet!
And the breakfast picnic is a brilliant way to spend time with them.
I've got to work it into our family scheduled.
Thanks!

Jane said...

And perfect summer morning! Your boys have really changed this summer...they all look much older. Especially Cameron. Enjoy every minute with them. They grow up so quickly!

What wonderful memories you are making for them. One day they will be going on their own picnics and they will remember the flowers...

Jane said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
KC Coake said...

Sounds like a fantastic way to spend a summer morning! Love the days and moments like that in the parenting journey.
Thanks for sharing yours with us.
KC

Unknown said...

Great picnic picture awesome fun. You must do Stretching with picnic this is best for your health

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irwan.s.m said...

indeed picnic activities we need to do to calm our minds of busy work. Your article gave me a very good motivation.

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