Girl's Night

Despite the fact that according to science summer officially begins tomorrow, it began ~ in my mind ~ last Thursday night when I saw my first firefly of the season. To me the arrival of fireflies means the onset of summer. And despite the typical overbearing heat (and humidity) we have here, summer is my favorite time of year! It simply seems that everyone relaxes and takes a bit more time to savor the simple things like sandwiches on white bread with Duke's mayo using the tomatoes fresh from your garden, the juicy sweetness of a slice of cold watermelon, the rush of air on your face as you swing at the park, the refreshing coolness of a pool, and the joy of running through open fields in pursuit of catching the first firefly of the season. Yes sir, summer is the time for me!

Tuesday night to continue celebrating Abigail's (formerly known as Abby, but now that she's six...) birthday and her completion of kindergarten, she, Kylie and I had a "girls night." We picked her up from her 4-H day camp and then the fun began.

First stop was a park to slide and play before dinner. Abigail got to pick where we went, thankfully (without me twisting her arm) she chose Zaxby's so I could get a salad...

Then it was off to my mom's house to swim for a bit.

What summer night is complete without ice cream?
**I have a girl after her mommy's heart, clearly ice cream is more important than smiling for a picture...

Bath-time followed and hopefully Kylie will remember that Abigail didn't cry when her hair got washed... We read books and Kylie was so very excited that Abby was going to sleep "wif me in my bid durl behd!"

Abby passed out within two minutes of the light going out, but Kylie was a hoot. She would roll over and face the wall (her normal sleeping position) and then when I thought she was asleep she would flip over quickly and look down on the trundle part of the bed to make sure Abby was still there. It was as if she couldn't believe she actually had someone spend the night. The first thing Kylie said to me yesterday morning was, "Abby spen ni wif me!" (Cute note, Abigail is correcting adults when they slip up and call her Abby, but she told me that it was okay if Kylie called her Abby because Kylie might get confused. Sweet!)

Breakfast ~ and yes, Kylie ate every single one of those raspberries... (It's a good thing our raspberry patch is going crazy, we can't afford to buy as many of the things as she eats!)

Abigail is a great helper with Kylie, and Kylie absolutely adores her cousin. I had one of those teary eyed moments when Kylie went on and on as we ate over how fun it was to have Abby spend the night. Hopefully we can do it again soon ~ this is the good stuff!