What I Did During Summer Vacation.........

Is it my imagination or does time go faster during the summer? It seems like just yesterday Grace had her last day of 2nd grade and now in just two weeks and two days, she will be starting 3rd grade and my little Ella Bella will be starting Kindergarten. Where did the summer go? Looking back I feel like most of the summer escaped us by being taken up with cleaning the house, running errands and baths. Late last week this all hit me and I was filled with panic and a sense of urgency to fill the last weeks of summer with fun and memories. This week I decided to keep the house work and errands to a bare minimum and just enjoy my girls. What I found was that I have actually been doing this all summer. While we had the girls' birthday party at All American Gymnastics, our wonderful vacation to Alexandria and a few days with Grandma and Papa, the rest of the summer was spent just living our lives and that is what is really important. I realized that I don't need to be constantly creating elaborate events to have a good time. It is my sincere hope that the moments that will really stand out to the girls are the more mundane activities that filled our summer; their 1st lemonade stand, making tie dyed tshirts, dancing in the kitchen to Taylor Swift, eating chocolate chip pancakes, trips to B&G for "cream cones", tennis shoe shopping, playing in the pool, catching lightning bugs and hours and hours of playing house. It is unreasonable to think our lives can be filled with the next big event so what I did this summer was learn to appreciate the little things that my life is comprised of. Maybe it took me all summer but I finally got there!

I am lucky to have Jason who loves his girls with all his being. He gives us all his unconditional and uncompromising love and for that I am grateful.

I am lucky to have Grace whose practical nature and dry sense of humor grounds me. I am proud every time I look at her and see what a wonderful big girl she has become. She is my helper, my memory and my little radar.

I am lucky to have Ella who makes me laugh every day and fills my heart with love. I am inspired by her passionate approach to life, her intense focus and determination and her ability to give 110% to everything she does whether it is laughing, crying or figuring something out.

I am lucky to have Lily who just loves life. She is sweet, loving and pleasant. It is refreshing to be around her and know that because of her innocence and trust, all she needs and all she wants is my love and my word to feel happy.

I am lucky that the girls are perfect sisters for each other and couldn't complement each other more perfectly than they do.

I am lucky.

So, what did I do during my summer vacation? I listened to my girls playing house, school, movie theater, library and any other make believe game they could think of. I watched Lily make inanimate objects real before my very eyes (a hamburger became a dog, a pretzel was transformed into a phone). I laughed as Grace hid and scared her sisters. I enjoyed Ella's constant stream of stories and hilarious one liners. I refereed arguments. I applied bandaids. I supervised many hours of bike and scooter riding. I encouraged Lily to show anyone and everyone her "fat lips" every chance I had. I read a few books. I played Cash Cow 2. I got frustrated at messy rooms and toys left out. I got to hear "Good Morning, Mama" and "I love you, Mom" more times than I can count. And looking back, I realize, I wouldn't have changed a moment. I hope you all had a good summer. I know I did.