The Cotta Family: Summer has arrived.

The little one has been sleeping for forty-five minutes already and it is only 6:45. We have sticky sunlotioned fingers, red shoulders and sunkissed cheeks, and bags of wet towels and suits that may or may not be taken care of this evening.

Summer. is. here.

And so are the juiciest watermelons you've ever tasted...

I'm not sure what it is about kids eating watermelon, but I love it. I love how they soak up every last bite, right down to the rind, and don't mind one bit that they get covered in all the juicy droppings.

It's tasty, Momma, he kept saying as Phil and I kept looking at each other bursting out laughing wondering where he picked up that word.

Saturday morning we headed down to Arkansas to visit some of Phil's family. I learned something very valuable after the first six hours of driving: It is not fair to ask your two-year-old to pose for a picture when he needs to wiggle and stretch his legs.

But this kid has moves...

And loves trains. And it's not just a one day phase, he wants to play with them the minute he wakes and build the set one last time before bedtime. You can imagine his excitement when I introduced him to the Thomas and Friends DVD for the trip down there.

You know your child is getting ready for baby sister when he wants to do anything and everything possible to get his little hands on one.

And how do you like the fact that the four month old is the only one smiling?

The greatest, most fantastic part about summer is that you are absolutely never at a loss of things to do. When all else fails, head outdoors and the possibilities are positively endless....

Not to mention the fact that after a good chunk of outdoor play, they can take the most fantastic three hour nap on the drive home.

Love seeing these little cousins together, the way they are so timid when they first see each other after months of not being around each other, and then can't stop hugging and loving on each other when it's time to say goodbye.

And after fifteen hours of driving, of which I had to drive absolutely none of them (thanks to my amazing husband), we returned home. Home to the start of summer, the start of late pool days and early morning walks, and the start of some equally lazy and busy filled happy moments.