Slow Down Summer

Last week was a little rough.

Fabulous.  But tricky. 

Which, unfortunately for my family, led to me being a bit of an impatient screaming maniac.  I taught the kids VBS crew in the morning.  This is one of my favorite weeks in the summer but a lot of added stuff happened on top of it which doesn’t usually hit the same week. 

The boys baseball team had practices on Monday and Tuesday.  I had to drive to Austin on Tuesday for meetings Wednesday morning.  They resulted in a big career victory but also resulted in me rushing home so little bit could get to her swim meet, the baby to an Astros game, and the eldest went with dad to batting cages. I had evening work calls with Asia, the ballet Thursday night, lots of work to catch up on Friday at the office, and baseball tournaments and swim meets over the weekend. 

Ack.

It. Is. Now. Over.

We’re entering the slow down season.  Swim and baseball end after this week.  No sports on the horizon all summer (intentionally), farm trips planned, and low key evenings outdoors.

You can sense the relaxation hitting our home. 

Our slow down summer finally kicking in.

I love reading to the kids and we’ve started a new book series together.  I had to suspend reading over the weekend because I lost my voice (again), but we’ve picked it back up.  We’re trying to adopt a dog (hang on). They’re jumping into the pool whenever they can.  Friends and neighbors are in and out of the house.  We’ve had at least four different families’ kids in our pool in the last several days.  This brings me enormous joy.  We even had a new gate installed in our fence with our next door neighbors so their kids and our kids can run in between our two pools (thank you neighbor’s table for this sweet friendship). 

Last night, the baby and little bit put on the MOST hysterical dance routine.  We’d flipped past So You Think You Can Dance on tv and were not impressed, so they did their own improv of a routine.  The baby would toot every time he’d flip his legs up.  We were crying we were laughing so hard. 

The kids begged me not to stop reading at bedtime, but I finally pulled myself away because Bray and I have our “let’s catch up” conversations in bed after the kids are down.  After our weekend getaway, we’ve reconnected. 

Last night, after bedtime prayers, the eldest ask me to PLEASE wake him up before I leave for work so he can say goodbye (I leave early most mornings so I can get to work before 7:30 – this let’s me get home in time for dinner).  So, as much as I hated to wake him up, I slipped in at 6:45 and gave him kisses and said goodbye.  And his sweet little voice reminded me he’s not all grown up yet.  After hugs and kisses we must have gone back and forth with the “goodbye mommy, goodbye buddy” and the “I love you buddy, I love you mommy” for another full minute. 

It’s sacred, this time. 

Precious. 

Locked in my memories. 

Cemented as these good years between the intense physical demands of infancy and toddler-dom and the inevitably emotional years of teenagers.  Not easy years, mind you.  Each season has its challenges.  But sweet. 

I created a 2019 summer fun list.  Two pages of ideas of things to do in the next two months.  I handed them out last night and told each of the kids to go into a separate room: Circle five things you want to do on the list.  Don’t talk to your brother or sister.  Pick what YOU want to do.  Then bring it back.  The ones that get two and three votes we will do very soon.  These are important.  But I will try to do each one selected.  And, instead of picking five, you can pick four and write in one of your own choosing. 

So while the Astros game and laser tag all got three votes, we had little bit select the dog show and the baby pick fishing in Galveston.  I’m working on making that happen. (And if any of you Houstonian friends want the list, I can email it. I’ll try to post it later this week.)

I didn’t love last summer.  It can be tricky trying to juggle working and kids summer camps and ever moving and changing days.  But this summer, I’m relishing it.  I’m determined to make it sweet and special.  Not because we “do” a lot of things, we’ll do a few of course, but because we’re spending this time together.  Without running from place to place and yelling about homework.  We’re just hanging out. 

A slow down summer.  Exactly what’s in order.