Officially Summer

For the last 180 days, at 3:45 p.m., Bus #6 has pulled up to the corner with  dozens of screaming kids. Screaming with the joy of a finished school day. Honestly, I don't know how the driver dealt with it. We should have given her a much better gift than we did...

 

But today it pulled up for the last time. And I can't speak for everyone else, but I think I was as excited as my kids. There's just something about summer that brings a breath of fresh air. A slower pace. Simplicity.

I can't fathom the fact that we've been here almost a year. A year of new friendships, systems, ways of doing things. We've navigated our way through a new city, a new school, and I think we've come out on top. There's a satisfaction that comes with familiarity. It gets old being unsure of knowing what to do and where to go.

And there's relief that next year, my 4th grader will face the school year with that familiarity and anticipation, rather than fear and doubt. He's had a great year, and weathered through. I'm proud of him.

I totally stole an idea from my (amazing) friend Sarah, and made this giant chocolate chip cookie to celebrate the last day. We've been sharing with the neighborhood for days.

And about 5 minutes after they ate it, Kyle headed out with a friend to Rita's, for more celebration. What's a little sugar on the last day of school?

I'm fairly certain that Summer 2012 is going to ROCK!

I've missed you

I did some major photo organizing this weekend and was ashamed of myself. Three FULL memory cards, people. Three. I had pictures dating back to November of 2010 (San Diego trip, Brian & Natalie?!?) for heaven's sake! I laughed and cried as I looked back at these photos, and smiled because of the people who were in them. Life is good. Oh, so good.

I've given myself a guilt trip over this blog many times. And I've wanted to do it for posterity's sake. But, this weekend I realized something. I've missed it. Guilt and laziness aside, I've missed documenting my life and remembering the little moments. Because I have an awful memory. And if I don't write it here, I'm not going to remember it.

So, I'm back. But if we're going to make this work, my posts aren't going to be well thought-out. And my photos aren't going to be edited (as if that's really going to make a difference - I really have no idea what I'm doing in Photoshop). We're talking straight out of the camera. And they're going to be crappy point-and-shoot photos a lot of the time. But you know what? I like the crappy ones almost as well as the good ones. Real life, you know?

I might do some catch-up posts, or those might go straight to the Blurb book. We'll see how it goes. But I'm back!

I've missed you.

Taste of Summer

I've been longing for the beach since October. And being that we now live in the (semi?) Northeast, the beach is no longer a winter destination. At least, I don't think so..maybe I need to do more research there...

Needless to say, Memorial Day weekend came, and I jumped at the chance to go to the beach. Traffic jams? Who cares. Crowded beaches? It's worth it.

And happily, it was. We found ourselves at Delaware's Seashore State Park with a relatively small crowd of people. Bright and sunny, warm Atlantic water...snacks, toys, and a good book...it was a perfect day at the beach. And a perfect taste of summer.

 

 

 Oh yes, it happened. Only grandma could be cold at the beach. Nevermind the grandpa and uncle that stayed under the shade of the umbrella the whole time. Something about sunburns?

Oh yes, this happened, too. However, in Kyle's (slight) defense, the beach is not his favorite. A distant memory of sand in unmentionable places has given him a somewhat sour opinion of the beach. And this was after 4 or 5 hours of beach fun...

Kevin enjoyed one of his favorite pastimes also...unfortunately, it left him with a scorched head and face. I'm still peeling it a week later.

The rest of the weekend was spent at Grandpa & Grandma's. Uncle Chad & Aunt Emily joined us for a BBQ in the backyard, playing on the swings, and a mean game of croquet...

 

 Followed by an impromptu juggling show:

We tried to cap the weekend with a relaxing game of disc golf, but it was kind of a bust. High temps and high humidity will do that to you. We made it through 6 holes before the kids started melting, Marie was begging for the playground, and the women bowed out. We may or may not have rushed to the air-conditioned cars for shelter, while our manly men finished out the round.

 

Good weekend, indeed. Summer can't come fast enough!

Photo Dump

Fireflies...and slowing down

It was dusk. The kids were in their pj's and settling into bed. Kevin was at a meeting. And for some reason, in the midst of the bedtime routine, I sat down on the stairs. I didn't rush to finish dishes, fold the laundry, or clean up the messy post-bathtime bathroom. I didn't even grab my phone to check email. Instead, I plopped down on the stairs and stared out the front windows.

And there it was - a flicker of light, out of the corner of my eye. Then another. And another. Before long, my yard was aglow with dozens of fireflies. I just sat there for awhile, soaking in the beauty of a gorgeous night. I sat there remembering my first encounter with fireflies as a 14-year-old on a trip to Nauvoo, IL. Even as a moody teenager, fireflies were magical.

And then I wanted to share them with my children. So up the stairs I ran, and pulled them out of bed, to join me in this magical moment. We ran around, with that magical air and magical light all around us, and caught fireflies. We caught them and we let them go, over and over again. Dad came home and wondered what in the world was going on, and then he joined us in the fun. Because when fireflies are out, bedtime can wait.

 

 

  

Monthly Photo Dump

Grandparents Day 2012

There were a few years of elementary school that we lived within a few hours of my Grandpa & Grandma Johnson, and I remember them coming to Grandparents Day every year. I'm sure it was tedious for them, but it was a pretty exciting day in my book. In fact, one year I made a homemade bumper sticker for them that said, "Grandparents - the older they get, the better they are!" It hangs on their fridge to this day.

Well, we finally live close to grandparents! If you call 160 miles close...in any case, it was close enough to make the drive for Grandparents Day. It was kind of a sacrifice for them, but I know it meant a lot to Kyle. We live in a very close-knit community (sometimes a little too close?), and I think there was literally one kid in his class that didn't have grandparents attending. I know Kyle was happy to NOT be that kid.

It was short, but sweet. In typical boy fashion, Kyle didn't have much to say about the morning. But my parents' comments:

"We felt like such spry, young things walking up those stairs all by ourselves!" (the child-bearing age is much later here...I have friends whose parents are literally 90 years old.)

"Wow, Kyle's penmanship really is awful! And he could care less!" (Yes, indeed.)

Photo Dump

I've got music...

Kyle's a music lover. He's loves musicals, has been begging to take piano lessons for over a year, and is always up for a good dance party in the kitchen. So it doesn't surprise me that music is one of his favorite classes, second only to gym. 

However, he was quick to notice that most of his friends didn't share his opinion. In fact, music was their least favorite subject. So even though he kept quiet about his love, he looked forward to music class every week.

 

We were treated to a special show this past week. So we crowded into that music room, along with 24 other students and their parents. And it was...well, it was everything you'd imagine from 25 third-graders playing xylophones! There aren't words...

Marie loved it, though. She's spent quite a bit of time at the school this year, and is counting the days (no longer years!) until she gets to go. And she, quite obviously, loves her brother. And I'm loving those bright yellow tye-dyed shirts they got to wear over and over again towards the end of the year.

And for your viewing enjoyment: