It’s the last week of school which means Summer is officially here. And, while I am a little frightened by the juggling that comes with camp schedules, daily swimming lessons and my day job, I am looking forward to a Summer filled with long days outside. The kids are finally old enough to play without constant supervision. Thomas’ pass time of choice is Wall Ball while Samuel enjoys running around making his own fun with the occasional hit of the baseball and water gun fight mixed in.

Recently, the evenings have been warm and dry so we’ve developed an after dinner ritual where I water the garden while the kids and Kei enjoy their various outdoor activities for an hour or so. Then it’s time for shower and a story before we try and convince the boys that it really is time for bed despite the fact that sun won’t go down for another couple of hours. I’m extremely grateful that we invested in some blackout blinds when we renovated upstairs. One of the best decisions we ever made.

Following are a few photos that I took during a recent family walk around the neighborhood.

These dogs wait all day for a kind passer-by to throw their icky tennis ball. Good thing my kids are kind passers-by.

Always a good time to stop for some impromptu hoop-shooting.

I’ve lost count of the number of photos I have taken with the kids walking along this wall. It’s an essential end to any neighborhood stroll.

Feeling grateful for where we live right now. There’s nothing quite Portland in the Summertime.