It's an August thing

I love summer. I love the pace, the lack of schedules, the fun, swimming, heat and look forward to adopting a "Jimmy Buffet" approach to life. Love that the kids can eat Pop-tarts for breakfast, stay in their pj's till noon and go to bed at 10...it's all good, really good for a while.

Then August hits and everything gets real boring...

The pool is no longer fun, the heat is too hot, not having a schedule becomes a burden instead of a blessing and everyone in my house, me included, starts to long for "normal life" again.

I remember when my kids were all preschoolers and this rhythm was not a part of our life...everyday seememd unkindly like the last...and I longed for a break from the monotony of it all. With the advent of school aged children life seemed a little less bland...there were actually seasons again...seasons are good!

So this summer season is winding down...or at least it feels like it should be...still a month till school starts...VBS starts today, then vacation then two weeks till school...

I promise around September 1 I'll be lamenting the end of summer and will be asking where all the time went...it's a rhythm...it's not boring....it's just predictable.

He's gonna kick MY ass?

Charlie bit my finger - again !

This is too funny! Watch the baby's face.

It's Christian's turn...

Christian leaves for camp this morning...he's really excited...I'm pretty sure he's been awake since 5:30 when Wesley came down the hall crying because of a bad dream. Who can blame him? I couldn't go back to sleep either...however, I'm allowed to come out of my room!

It occurred to me yesterday as we got ready that it's so much easier the second time around...no tears, no anxiety, just excitement. Isn't that weird? I'm so confident that he can do this and that he will be well taken care of and that at the end of the week he'll have had a great time and be completely tired.

He's growing up so fast and that fact has been hitting home on a regular basis lately. A big part of that is his changing stature...5'3! Also his incredible sense of humor and quick wit(which sometimes gets him in trouble) add to how mature he is becoming. Parenting an 11 year old is worlds different from parenting younger kids...there is a tremendous learning curve for me as to what to allow vs. what to crack down on, how much risk is appropriate vs. how much I need to watch over him, how much to listen vs. how much to talk. It seems to me that as soon as I get a good handle on our relationship it changes.

This was hammered home yesterday at church as we said 'good-bye' to one of our youth group young men...he's heading to boot camp. Another one of our 'boys' just had his first child and then was shipped off to Afghanistan...time never stands still. And as I watched my friend Karen's tears fall all morning because it was her son going to boot camp I was struck that I'm glad my son is only going to summer camp...for now.

Good bye Christian...have a great time...look for God's hand, it will be resting on you...I pray you have an open heart to hear his voice this week.

Happy Birthday!

It's July 13 and my little girl is celebrating another birthday...I can hardly believe it...but she's 9 years old~

Emily is the heart and laughter of our family. She has the kindest heart and is always thinking of others. She constantly sings, dances, bounces and kart-wheels everywhere.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Growin' Up

This summer is so different for us than others because in one year I've left all the diapers, strollers, naps, cribs, wipes, bibs, baby food jars, sippy cups and everything else that is baby behind. It really hit me last week when my "girls" came over and literally stripped my garage down to nothing and then put it back together again. We tossed two strollers(kept two), two high chairs, baby shoes, clothes, toys, two car seats and and infant carrier and all the other stuff that defined my life experience for the last 11 years. It was a really strange feeling. It was strange to see how fast I went from needing to pack all that "stuff" with me for every trip and now...traveling is so much lighter.

Although I don't seem to have much alone time any longer because no one is taking naps and my older two are staying up until I go to bed...it's a good thing. I don't feel like I'm a slave to the clock anymore. If we want to go out at 1 in the afternoon we can...if we don't have dinner until 7...no one cares....if we want to stay out past 8 it's all good. I love this pace of life. Schedules are good...and when my kids were small(like last year) I firmly believed in keeping to one...but now, there is so much more freedom.

I wondered if I would mourn the passing of the baby days...and sometimes I still need to hold Wesley and feel his little arms around me or hold Jed's still little hand...but for the most part I'm so content to watch them grow...it's a good thing!