Cloudy with a Chance of Cozy Reading: making a backyard reading room picnic!

Cloudy with a chance

 of cozy reading...

 We made a backyard reading room.  I can't decide if this made a better photo shoot or a better summer experience!  Every angle was peacefully beautiful...JUST the sort of thing I double love.  I was excited to snap picture perfect moments and the boys (except our Kotah Bear) were excited to read, read, read!

I am a lover of picnics and we try to celebrate at least one each summer.  At the end of this post, I will share a list of our past picnics if you all want ideas!

Last summer we also had a summer reading day on a cloudy day.  It ended up being one of our favorite days of the summer.  We created a time-out from the world and simply soaked up the nothingness of relaxation underneath the big sky.  We did it again this year in our new backyard instead of the park.

It only took 5 minutes to rush around the house, grabbing every cozy blanket and pillow we could find.  I snatched a bouquet of wilty flowers, the boys found some outdoor tables, Cameron gathered piles of books, and we made up some quick snacks.  A few minutes later, we brought the inside OUTSIDE, making our own outdoor room.  Our home expanded outside for the day. 

We waited for this weather.  Most of our summer days are spent running barefoot under the giant sun, cooling off in sprays of water,  being carefree and loud.  However, a handful of summer days give us cozy skies, stuffed with grey clouds, covering our world with a quiet shade.  These are the days to relax, to read, and to simply be.

Bringing out the watermelon and cheese tray...

Rows of books ready to read...

 

Blankets sprawled and pillows piled...

Let's rest and read and just hang out...

(this is so real, not staged...cracked me up how intensely still my busy boys were!)

Cameron's love of reading is unlike anything I've seen.  That kid is crazy in love with books.  He literally stayed reading here for hours and hours...long after the rest of us had moved on for the day.

My oldest bookworm,

nothing makes him happier than a good book.

Dakotah is entirely the opposite.  He just can't sit still! Books only hold his interest for maybe 25 seconds.  He is our busy boy, always on the go.  Every couple of minutes he would interrupt our peaceful silence and ask us questions: ask if we were ready for snacks, ask if our books were done, 

ask if anyone wanted to play tag.

That's our Kotah. 

Easy-going Titus can get zoomed into a story if he is given one.  He won't usually pick up books on his own, but once he gets started, he is hooked, just like Cameron.  

His brow furrows as he studies each paragraph 

and I watch his face expressions as the book takes him into another exciting world.  

Our very-loved Titus.

This makes me laugh lots!  I spy lil legs and toes sticking out from the teepee tent.  love.

I also enjoy reading and always have!  

Taking pictures is my most favorite, but I read some chapters in between snapping moments and cleaning up tens of sticky fingers.

Reading outside made me want to sleep alllllll day.  

Taking a break for watermelon rounds and string cheese.

 

 We soaked up the cozy weather, 

listening to the stillness of outside, 

and letting the books take us away for a couple hours. 

These boys have my heart 

and I am extra happy about the minutes

that I get to spend with them.

 Moore Picnic ideas:

Early Morning Summer Reading Picnic at the Park

Romantic Forest Brunch Picnic

Charms of a Summertime Picnic

Majestic Mountainside Fall Picnic

Autumn Boxed-Soup Picnic

Moore Reading ideas:

Summer Library at Home and Reading Incentives

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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