We had a great weekend - part of the weekend in Cold Spring and part of it at home.  The heat was somewhere between gross and unbearable all weekend, and we spent much of our time just trying to stay cool.  It also made me daydream about cool fall days that are right around the corner.  Not that I want time to rush ahead, but just looking forward to the next season.  We've had a great summer, mostly filled with taking the kids to do things that I loved in my own childhood.

Looking back at the entries this summer is like a repeat of many of my favorite childhood memories.  Days at the lake swimming and waterskiing, fishing with my dad, playing in the kid pool, going to the park, lots of walks, swimming lessons, dance class (even though this definitely won't be one of Martin's favorite things), baseball games, and turtle races (photos from this event pending due to lost USB camera cable).  I had a great childhood, so I guess it's no surprise that I'd want to recreate those memories for my kids.

My cousin Jenine's recent post made me realize that I'm not alone in doing this.  Maybe this is the best way to go - make it possible for your kids to do the fun things you remember from your own childhood, plus add new experiences along the way.  My dad spent a lot of time with his family at Grand Lake when he was a kid, and he wanted us to do the same when we were growing up.  My mom spent her days at the South St. Paul city pool, and we went swimming in lakes or the high school pool many times.  And now they are part of bringing my favorite childhood memories to my kids by having us to the lake and taking us to everything Cold Spring still has to offer.

I was an awfully lucky kid, someday I hope my kids look back and feel the same.