Is summer break really over? .... Like, really?
We have three days left until the first day of school. Threeeeeeeee.
THREE!
Can you believe it?
At the beginning of summer I found myself hating summer. I hated that we were so stinkin' busy. I wanted so badly to relax and take a real break and slowly but surely we did. And it was awesome.
But, the last few weeks I've noticed my news-feed has been filled up with friends trying to cram the last bit of summer fun into summer before school starts back again.
Most of you did a lot more than we did this summer and that has me thinking...
Did we make the most of our summer?
We took one trip to Yogi Bear Park.
And we went to the movies one time.
But, the more I think about it, the more I realize that our summer was perfect.
This summer my kids spent multiple Saturday mornings happily helping their Lubby cook breakfast.
And learning how to make homemade lemonade.
This summer I took advantage of our schedule-free Saturdays (when we had them) and I slept in. I even laid in bed for over an hour, scrolling thru social media, and listening to my kids play.
And it felt so good.
This summer, on more than one occasion, I spent the whole weekend in my pajamas. I even let my kids do this, too! We ate snacks from the pantry for meals and watched Bubble Guppies all day. Sometimes, those are the same days that all we did was lounge around in bed together all day on our Ipads. And you know what?....
Sometimes that's okay, too.
This summer I made excuses to go to Walmart alone, after dark. Just so I could blast KSBJ as loud as my ears could handle with the windows down. That's summer to me.
Just so I could shop for school supplies in peace & quiet in the same place, that before we know it, the Halloween candy will soon live.
This summer my husband and I were able to watch exactly half of a movie together. A real movie with bad words and adult content.
This summer on multiple Sundays, Rilyn and I made it a habit to get coffee together at the gas station, just the two of us. This was our special time. Josh would leave early to help teach a class at church and take the other littles with him. And after every one of our Sunday dates Rilyn would tell me just how much she loved our special time together. Those gas station Sundays will always hold a special place in my heart.
This summer I didn't have to get up extra early to get the kids ready for school so I stayed up extra late. Reeeeeally late. The house was so quiet and no one asked for a drink and I didn't have to wipe butts, either. No one needed me to find their I pad or comb out tangles. And I didn't have to chase Ryker. It was quiet and I was able to watch what I wanted. I even finished a few of my Netflix favorites: How to get Away With Murder and Breaking Bad!
This summer I didn't read as much as I wanted to. I was hoping to read a couple of new books.
I read one, 'Something Borrowed'.
Thanks, D'Ann!
This summer I sometimes let my kids be bored. I wanted them to experience real down time and what it felt like to be schedule-free. So much of their school year is filled with obligation after obligation. I wanted them to know what a summer break really was so, we were bored. Sometimes we found a new show to binge, (like Fuller House). Sometimes they watch 752 DIY videos on YouTube and then tried to recreate their own 358 times. Side note:Do any of my friends need to know how to make homemade lip gloss out of Vaseline??? If so, I have 187 videos just for you! And sometimes they just played in the sprinkler. Boredom didn't hurt them one bit.
This summer, occasionally, I let swimming take the place of baths. Maybe baths are over rated when all you do is swim all day. Whats soap when you have chlorine?
Don't judge.
This summer I frequently woke up in a bed of legs and tangled sheets and once or twice a soggy baby diaper... that may or may not have leaked everywhere. Its the best and worst way to wake up. Best because those little people love you so much and can't stand to be away from you for even one night. Worst because you are sweaty from all the body heat and who wants to wake up to a leaking baby diaper? There is something so perfect about waking up and listening to the tiny snores of your children (and husband).
Yes, even when you are soaked in pee.
This summer I received a make-over by a highly skilled eight year old.
This summer I took my oldest son on a date!
This summer the kids cooked for us on more than one occasion.
This summer we got dirty.... and some of us got reeeeeally dirty!
This summer someone got their very first summer tan.
This summer we laughed, a lot.
This summer we relaxed a lot, too.
This summer we enjoyed family VBS!
This summer, occasionally, we opted not to cook in exchange for our favorite restaurant.
This summer CJ turned 8!
This summer Ryker turned 1!
This summer Daddy-O turned the big 3-0!
This summer we relaxed!
This summer we spent time with family!
This summer we swam, a lot!
This summer we said "yes" to pajama days, "yes" to swimming days, "yes" to chips and Popsicles for a midnight snack, because it was summer and summer never lasts as long as it should.
In just a few short days we will be back to reality.
So excuse us while we savor our last few days of our perfect summer break.
