Summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime! One of the best things about this summer has been staying up late to introduce Mac to the joy that is catching fireflies. Growing up in the country forced me to love being outside and it's something I really hope to be able to pass on to my kids. If you know anything about Mac, you know that there's no denying that he's an outdoor kid. He's wild and adventurous and craves the space and the fresh air (not to mention dirt, rocks and bugs). Even as an infant, taking him outside was always one thing that would immediately calm him down. And since he discovered digging for worms last year and catching butterflies this spring we can barely keep him indoors at times. So, I knew that learning how to catch fireflies this summer was going to be a delight for him!
Over the 4th of July weekend we went camping down on the Current River, my husband's favorite little trout stream. We rented a cute little cabin, right on the water with a huge open yard, perfect for chasing fireflies. That night we ate dinner on the front porch and began seeing the tell-tale signs of fireflies in the yard. As the sun set and it get darker, we quickly realized that we were in a firefly goldmine! There were millions of them! The whole yard was glowing with yellow lights and Mac could barely sit through dinner he was so excited. A net wasn't even needed - there were so many fireflies you could walk right up and easily snatch them out of the air. You could definitely tell we weren't in the city anymore. The fireflies in our neighborhood were scarce and quick, but these country fireflies were big and slow and perfect for little hands!
Mac was in heaven the entire weekend we were camping. Four days of no napping, fishing with daddy, chasing minnows in the creek, staying up late to catch fireflies with mommy and being outside every waking minute of the day was possibly the highlight of his little life. He cried when "vacation" was over and has asked us every day since why we don't have a river in our front yard. However, "vacation" doesn't always feel like a "vacation" anymore for Ryan and I. Traveling with two small children, a dog and everything you need to eat, live and sleep for 4 days is exhausting. Not to mention trying to keep up with said small children, entertain them, feed them, and keep them relatively safe while in a new, exciting and hazardous place. They shouldn't call it "vacation" for parents - they should just call it "parenting in a different (and less convenient) location." Yes, it was fun, but mom and dad were in desperate need of a real vacation after our vacation was over.
One of the smartest things we did on vacation was take some frozen pies along with us for quick and easy desserts. After the madness of dinner was over and everyone was fed and happy again, we broke out the highlight of the day - chocolate pie! Before we left, I went to Wal-Mart and picked up an
EDWARDS® HERSHEY’S® Chocolate Crème Pie and
a Cookies and Crème Pie to bring with us. I knew I wasn't going to feel like making dessert, but definitely wanted to partake in some after-dinner indulgences at the end of the day. These were so much easier than bringing ice cream or popsicles (and so much better too). We chowed down on these in pies with wild abandon! They were cold and creamy, decadent without being heavy - the perfect dessert for those hot summer nights. Even Mac took a break from fireflies to enjoy some pie.
Mac went straight for the Cookies & Creme pie (which was fine with me, because I wanted the chocolate one). I obviously couldn't get it cut fast enough and telling him he couldn't have an entire pie to himself lead to hysterics and the 78th meltdown of the day (did I mention he didn't nap for FOUR days?). Being three is SO hard.
Finally (30 seconds later) we got a slice cut for him, which he proceeded to eat straight off the plate with no utensils. Honestly, I was too tired to protest much at this point and decided to just go with it to avoid another meltdown. Ugh, threenagers. I also was secretly cracking up because my favorite scene in "A Christmas Story" is when the mom asks Randy to show her how the piggies eat and lets him shove the food right into his face without utensils (much to the horror and disgust of everyone else at the table). Yeah, so that happened right before my eyes. Life imitates art. Or something.
I mean, look at that face. I just do whatever makes him happy. Anyway, being 36 is hard too, so I helped myself to a giant slice of the Hershey's chocolate pie. OMG. So good. I think I could have eaten the entire pie by myself and passed out on the couch in a heap of happiness. But alas, more parenting had to be done. Back to fireflies...
This summer with the kids has been amazing...exhausting, but still amazing. It seems to have flown by in a whirlwind of sunscreen and swimming trunks, band-aids and basketball, campfires and carnivals, pools and pies, flashlights and fireflies. Sometimes the long days seem to go on for years and we all crash hard at the end of the day, completely spent and wondering how we'll ever get through tomorrow. But I know that pretty soon the days will get shorter and the weather will get cold; we'll trade our t-shirts in for jackets, move our toys indoors and miss those warm nights where we were covered in the dirt of the day and the smell of bug spray.
Yep, there's just something magical about summer nights.
And chocolate pie. :)
*If you want pie too, you can save $1.00 on any EDWARDS® Whole Pie by taking advantage of the Walmart EDWARDS Ibotta digital rebate (while supplies last) (messy threenager not included)
