I sit here now, the babies all bathed and sleeping after a wonderful day visiting with friends, swimming, a cookout, laughter, sunshine, all the best parts of summer. I watched them play all afternoon, the babies splashing in the shallow water of the lake, pink cheeked, with their golden hair bleached white from the summer sun. And my big kids, so tan, so tall, freckles falling across their noses, swimming out far in the deeper water, diving and racing, when did they learn to swim so well? All day, I talked with friends that I hadn't seen all summer, because hadn't we all been so busy, aren't we always, but all day, too, I kept thinking...this is it. This is the last cook out, the last swim, the last sand covered baby. School starts here in two days, and while it will be warm enough, and summery enough for another month, maybe, we will be busy with homework, sports, scouts, activities. So this is it, the end of summer, and I am so, so sad. Sometime this week, I will wash the life vests, hose down the sand toys, I will un-inflate the baby float for the last time(the last time!). I will pack away the swim diapers, will they even need diapers by next summer? Did you notice, the days are getting shorter, its darker out in the morning when we wake, and its dark again when we put the babies down to sleep. While many parents are counting down the days with joy, I am not. I like the fall, its my favorite season, but... I would like to keep them a while longer, I would like to keep playing their games and watching them grow. I would like more time to hike and bike and camp and play, to push them on swings, and slide them down slides, to explore new lakes and playgrounds and trails, to teach them more names of flowers and bugs, and tell them more stories that begin with, "when I was your age..." We had a great summer and I don't want it to end. At the playground with a friend the other day, we were marveling over how much all of our children have grown in such a short time, and I decided that it must be sunshine and fresh air that grows children.
How can it be that at the beginning of summer my oldest was just leaving elementary school, but now, in just days he will be in MIDDLE SCHOOL?! As in, he's a BIG kid now! A preteen, even. And all of his pants are 2 inches too short. At the beginning of this summer, I had an 8 year old girl, who had little interest in her "baby" sister. Who would have known that by the time school started, they would be best friends. Speaking of baby sisters, she turned 3 at the start of summer, and the fresh air and sunshine transformed my bubbly, bouncy toddler into a talkative and imaginative preschooler, who grew very tall, AND learned to swim and ride a tricycle. And the baby, my sweet baby, three months ago, he was just taking his first steps, and now, just try to slow him down!! He can run and jump, climb, swing, slide and talk, talk, talk! He has no trouble keeping up with the big kids. I just keep thinking to myself, hey wasn't it just yesterday that...? It couldn't have been, no, but it was. It doesn't slow down does it? I got a little nervous, at the fair the other day, because I saw a lot of kids, not much older than my oldest, walking around in groups without parents, and it reminded me that the day is coming that he, too, would rather be with his friends, and I will have to let him go. I am stuck between the thoughts- "Wow, look how far they've come" and "Hey, why can't they stay small?" But most of all, I am overcome with gratitude, just for being given the chance to witness it all.
How can it be that at the beginning of summer my oldest was just leaving elementary school, but now, in just days he will be in MIDDLE SCHOOL?! As in, he's a BIG kid now! A preteen, even. And all of his pants are 2 inches too short. At the beginning of this summer, I had an 8 year old girl, who had little interest in her "baby" sister. Who would have known that by the time school started, they would be best friends. Speaking of baby sisters, she turned 3 at the start of summer, and the fresh air and sunshine transformed my bubbly, bouncy toddler into a talkative and imaginative preschooler, who grew very tall, AND learned to swim and ride a tricycle. And the baby, my sweet baby, three months ago, he was just taking his first steps, and now, just try to slow him down!! He can run and jump, climb, swing, slide and talk, talk, talk! He has no trouble keeping up with the big kids. I just keep thinking to myself, hey wasn't it just yesterday that...? It couldn't have been, no, but it was. It doesn't slow down does it? I got a little nervous, at the fair the other day, because I saw a lot of kids, not much older than my oldest, walking around in groups without parents, and it reminded me that the day is coming that he, too, would rather be with his friends, and I will have to let him go. I am stuck between the thoughts- "Wow, look how far they've come" and "Hey, why can't they stay small?" But most of all, I am overcome with gratitude, just for being given the chance to witness it all.
