Winding Down

Well, we've reached that week. That week being my last week before returning to work for another hopefully great, always busy, professionally challenging year.

It has been a great summer--full but not jam-packed. We started with our big trip to Cali, subjected ourselves (myself) to a weekend of camping, and filled all the days in between with play dates, berry picking, trips to the park, and lots of time on the slip 'n' slide. I love that I feel satisfied. I don't feel like summer escaped me or that I didn't have time to enjoy my kids. I often found myself in awe of them, knowing full well that this time in their lives goes too fast. But at the same time I was able to savor the minutes, and really, in the back of my mind I know that it's okay for them to get older. After all, even though I think I want them to stay a certain age forever, when they do grow I find myself saying EVERY TIME, "Wow, today is even more fun than yesterday." Still though, to think that Molly won't be a HILARIOUS, cuter than cute toddler forever does put a little lump in my throat. All the more reason that I loved this summer--because for the duration of this summer at least, she was my hilarious, cuter than cute toddler day in and day out. Sure, she exhausted me, but the joy and the laughter that she also brings to the table way exceeds the exhaustion! Speaking of the table, the other night we were in the middle of eating dinner, it was relatively quiet, and all of a sudden our little comic shouts out, "Oh, poppycock!" after dropping some food or something. Excuse me?! "Oh, poppycock?" What 2-year-old says that, and where did she hear it?! Hilarious, I tell ya.

So, this summer is almost a wrap. Grayson is closing it out with a round of swim lessons this week. I'm so proud of him. All I can say is what a difference a year makes! Last June he would barely put his big toe into pool his first week of lessons. Now he's putting his head underwater, practicing his strokes, and loving the slide! See, it's always fun when they grow up--we just have to remember that...