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:

Romantic Forest Brunch Picnic

Charms of a Summertime Picnic

Majestic Mountainside Fall Picnic

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This post is linked to: Under the Table & Dreamin, Nifty Thrifty,  Made by You Monday, Met Monday, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, Works for Me Wednesday, Snap Creativity, Organize and Decorate Everything, Transformation Thursday, Tablescape Thursday, Strut Your Stuff, 36th Ave, Foodie Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up, Six Sisters Saturday