Summertime

One of my favorite songs is Will Smith's Summertime.  I make sure to listen to it at least once at the beginning of each summer.  (It does go through my mind as an anthem throughout the warm summer months.)  It reminds me of working at the pools when I was younger.  I love to be outside when it is warm and there is something magical, for me, about being  in or around water.  I love the sound of waves crashing, or the still quietness that is so immediate upon submerging my ears in the water. I love how the sunlight glistens on the water.  It is mesmerizing (something I had to be particularly careful about when I was life guarding!)

Maybe living in Michigan has made me more sentimental about the summertime.  I've never seen a sky as beautiful as the sky is here most of the summer days.  It truly looks animated to me.  There are no 65 degree days her in December.  (In fact, tomorrow is Labor Day and the expected high is 62 degrees!)  So there is no meeting up with neighbors at the tot lot on New Year's Day like in Maryland.  Since I know that our warm fun will come to a close far more quickly than I would like, I find myself actually mourning the start of school on Tuesday!  I can't believe it myself, but we have had SO much fun this summer! 

One thing I've found is a tiny bit of freedom now that Grant is two.  It is like an enormous sigh, as my shoulders relax for the first time in four years.  I love how cute and sweet my kids are when they are tiny, but having a bit of relief from the constant wear and tear that being the  primary caretaker to every need of those who are incapable to do most things for themselves is truly freeing.

These are just a few of the things that we did with our time this summer:

*Our most favorite Michigan friends moved away.  There was a sleep over to say farewell.  We miss the Marshall's terribly!

*The Fourth of July - We were invited to a friends home to celebrate with several families.  There was food, fun and fireworks.  The kids got to try their hands at sparklers for the first time.

*Movies!!! - Grant actually made it though a movie without major incidents.  He does so well that I have been able to take the boys with me without any other adults.  Now, THAT is progress!  We started small with Winnie the Pooh and then moved on to The Smurfs and Spy Kids in 3D. Grant refused to leave The Smurf movie until ALL of the credits and music stopped.

*Swimming - We spent many days at the lake or the pool.  I signed the kids up for swimming lessons at the beginning of the summer which did not go very well.  It was still too cold and one little person refused to cooperate.  So we opted for play instead of learning.  Our favorite lake has a great playground.  Whenever the kids swing on this swing, Grant seems to drift into an immediate sleep and it takes a while to rouse him.  It is really weird, and was scary at first.  He is a crazy kid, (or maybe he needs to see a neurologist???)

*The Detroit Zoo - I love this place.  I love to see my kids light up when they see something new.  They had a dinosaur exhibit that the kids loved.  There is a train that goes from one end of the zoo to the other which the kids love and I appreciate.

*Glee Live - Yes, I went again.  This time with Barrington.  He seemed open to going, but I did notice that he was holding his ears for pretty much the entire concert.  I did feel bad for him as there was A LOT of screaming.  We had fun, though.

*Maryland - We took our semi-annual summer trip to Maryland, which will get it's own post.  While we were there we spent much needed time with family and friends, went to the beach, Hershey Park and fishing. This was our incredible view from our condo.  It was SO relaxing and beautiful.  (Thanks, Dad, for it all!)

*Luke turned four!!!  We had a brief celebration for him in Maryland and then he got to have his very first birthday party with friends.  He had a blast.  (A full post is pending.)

*Babysitting - We had the pleasure of babysitting for several families this summer.  When one friend asked me to watch her two young girls while she went to work, I felt overwhelmed.  (To say the least!)  I didn't see how I would be able to handle my 8, 3 and 2 year old guys plus her 2 year old and 4 month old girls when, most days, I don't even feel like I can handle my own.  We had a great day, surprisingly.  It was really nice to have the girls around.  The kids were all in awe of the baby and wanted to dote on her constantly.  The last picture is of Grant rocking the baby.  He would NOT let me take the baby away.  He wanted to be with her for so long that he almost fell asleep.  She is looking far less than relaxed, however.

*Bowling - We joined the free summer bowling program and got to go with some friends.

*Play dates - Jackson had several friends over to play and we traded off weekly with another family who has a daughter in Jackson's class and one who will be in preschool this year with Luke.  There were bounce houses and volcanos involved.

*Tire swing - We were riding our bikes one day and Jackson saw a tire that a neighbor was putting out with the trash.  Much to Barrington's dismay,  Jackson refused to forget about the tire.   And so, we now have a tire swing.  I'm pretty fond of it as the kids, especially Jackson, really enjoy spending time out there.

*Scripture Camp - I helped plan and execute a camp for the kids at our church.  It was time consuming but great fun. 

Of course there were many time outs and fights to break up.  There were dental and orthodontic issues to deal with.  There may have been too much yelling on the part of the Mommy.  And now, we move on to a new school year and Luke's first year at a preschool.  It's going to be an interesting week of new beginnings, but I wouldn't change having a summer break for the world.