EmFid and the Not So Bummer Summer

So, today is the day before the day. The day that lazy mornings and donuts are replaced with early rising and healthy, get your  morning started right breakfasts. The day that flip flops are replaced with brand new sneakers and brushing your hair is mandatory. The day that cartoons are replaced with reading assignments and bike riding is traded for running laps on the track. Yep, it's the day before school starts. I don't know how it happened. I have no idea where this summer went. I mean, it.flew.by. I promise I JUST picked the kids up on their last day and took them to a movie to celebrate. And yet, here we are on the eve of a new school year. Ready or not.

The truth is, we're ready. With the exception of some paperwork we needed for Kate to start Pre-K (it was printing when the power went out in the building and they ended up mailing it rather than waiting for us to come pick it up), we are ready. Outfits have been chosen, papers have been signed, supplies have been placed in cubbies, teachers have been met. The last hurdle, of course, will be the actual getting everybody up and dressed. Have I mentioned I'm not a morning person?

I don't want to be one of the Moms who is doing cartwheels and cheering as her kids go back to school. Honestly, I do miss my kids when they're at school. But, we are in desperate need of a routine that does not include trashing the house or asking for 15 pb&j sandwiches a day. It's time. I am eager for this new year and what it will hold. I'm also a tad bit tempted to grieve summer days and count down the days until the next holiday.

Our summer did not go as planned. It started with Josh and I having to cancel our cruise and I spent a full month bummed about that. We also stayed much busier than I had anticipated and it really cut into the lazy days I had planned. :)  But in reality, we had a great summer. Was our summer filled with exotic trips and cool souveniers? Nope. It was filled with people. And fun. And love. And joy. It was filled with the kind of memories you can't necessarily take pictures of, but that make your heart smile years later when they cross your mind.

We started the summer off by sending Josh to Alabama for a week to help with tornado clean-up. I'm so proud that he sacrificed the time to make that trip. I know it made a difference in people's lives. We spent most of June at the dance studio. Summer classes and camps were in full swing. I spent a week playing and dancing with 2-4 year olds and had the best time. Also in these summer months, Sarah grew a watermelon.

Can you believe that? Okay, so the truth is, we got really excited the day Sarah found this in the backyard because months earlier she had thrown some seeds in the flower bed that she had gotten from the Dollar Tree and then she found this! Later though, we realized our neighbor behind us was growing watermelons and this most likely is one of his that ended up in our yard somehow. Please don't tell Sarah though. We were some kinda proud of that piece of fruit!!!!

Eli also had his very first sleepover with one of his friends. Finally, a break from all of the girl stuff. Or so you would think....

We had the opportunity to have Luke and Lyla spend the weekend with us and my heart (and my house) was full....

We had a great VBS and also had lots of fun on the bus everynight....

Josh and I celebrated 10 years of marriage and had the best date night of our lives.

We enjoyed the 4th and determined our family is not cut out for camping or any activity that involves bugs or being more than 5 feet from a fridge :)

We had a fabulous revival and are beginning to see some of the fruit from that week.

We got to visit with some of our special friends, the Rogers family and meet Kate from Kansas in real life. Sarah and I had the chance to attend my friend, Kim's birthday party.

Sarah turned 9 and our house turned into party central....

We welcomed a new family member, sweet Layla!

The kids got some special times with the grands!



I had the opportunity to teach a theatre class that left me doubled over in laughter and gave my family the chance to be creative together.

I got to have lunch with my uncle (my Dad's twin brother) and his family. It was a special visit for me and made me feel close to my Dad being close to him. I also got to hear a great story about how he and my Dad wanted my grandma to marry the man who fixed their TV. That is sooo my Dad. :)  If we had gone on our cruise, we would have left to go out of town that day and I would've missed that meal.

Josh and I did get a weekend away that was exactly what we needed. Quiet, relaxing and peaceful. It occurred to me that I am incredibly blessed to be married to my best friend and to be perfectly content to spend every second of my life with him, whether we are raising  youngins, crusin' the high seas or watching movies and eating take-out. 10 years of marriage and we still like each other. I don't think I could ask for more. :)

Finally, I ended the summer with two of my favorite people. Again, we had originally planned a much more involved, exciting trip. In the end we just got a hotel room and hung out and ate. And again it occured to me how truly blessed I am that I have people in my life that I enjoy so much we don't need any special anything. We're content to just be in each other's presence.

So, as I wrap up this summer I am extremely thankful. Thankful that God changed the plan. Thankful that He used what I thought was going to be a bummer summer and reminded me that the best things in life truly are free.

     “The best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories.”