As I write this I’m somewhere along the coast line of Spain on a cruise ship with my family, having visited 5 countries in twice as many days.

This gives me perspective that of course I’m having a blast but my favorite part is being with my family, spending lots of time together since we aren’t taking time off work. We actually eat sit down meals together (from Tapas in Barcelona to multiple course entrees on the ship) and explore the new places together. Of course this gives one more time to talk too….not just passing logistical conversations (though there’s many of those while traveling too!) so there’s a few more arguments as well, but that’s to be expected from the quality time together! At least in our family…. yours too?

Yes, I’m enjoying time together even more than my next favorite, no cooking or dishes! Laundry in the sink is more difficult than laundry in a machine, of course, but I’d do that any day to not meal prep or wash up!

Thirdly I’m enjoying exploring around the world, especially learning about the culture and history.

Which brings me back to that perspective thing. Am I really excited to be traveling the world? Absolutely! It’s an opportunity of a lifetime I’m sure we’ll be remembering decades from now. But while these stories are more likely what we’ll tell others about I have a feeling we’ll remember memories like the ones below with equal fondness. Time together experiencing life together.

Here are some random fun memories we’ve really enjoyed over the summer in the backyards of Seattle.

Uncle Chris teaching Kaya that cool water comes from the hose on a hot day.

Alex and I having more fun together on the carousel than our one year old! But also getting to hear her identify the horses by name (well, almost…”neigh” counts, right?) and sit with her daddy after a long day of work.

Playing cornhole together at the extended zoo day where Alex would purposely (and not purposely) miss so Kaya could put the bean bag into the hole with an excited grin.

There were a lot of other fun moments this summer, mainly involving playing with Kaya or reading her bedtime stories. Just daily things I didn’t think to take a picture of, despite them happening daily, as we build our little family life together.

What are some memories you love from this summer that you wouldn’t necessarily post about on facebook or tell around a dinner table with friends because they might not seem as “significant” as say, traveling overseas?