Remembered as
It is the calendar (and most certainly not the thermometer) telling us that summer 2013 is coming to a close. While it has been short, thanks to a crazy-weird school schedule, it has been our busiest ever. Chock full of firsts and memories and God's abundant blessings. Since many of these have thusfar evaded publishing due to severe blogger's block on my part, thought I should attempt some sort of summer summary.
This will be remembered as...
The summer of independence. For the first time in six years, I can squeeze out a few minutes of mommy-aloneness here and there while the boys play together. Someday, the last minute of those spans will not consist of one boy beating up the other. Someday.
The summer of the utterly unpredictable bedtime. While he no longer sleeps in the kitchen floor, Trey's late-night antics continue to deprive us of rest and force us to march blindly forward through the parenting unknown, trusting only in our faithful God.
The summer of the water babies. Oh, we love the pool. (Thanks, Mom and Dad) These boys were made to splash. Aden is positively fearless in the water. Trey, not so much. But he did learn to dog paddle. Just watch the boy: (And this was back at vacation time! He can swim clear across the pool now!)
The summer of the dense garden. Oh, it was ugly. But oh, so beautiful. The Lord supplied all we would need for the coming year and more. But for each of the thousands of beans, hundred ears of corn, and dozens of cucumbers and squash that came forth, there was a weed to match. Ugly. Thank you, Lord.
The summer when both boys would try riding a bike without training wheels. Aden went first and last, and was able to ride unaided for a short distance before both he and his Poppop fell hard. Trey agreed to try in exchange for money (insert mommy-agitation here) but insisted on two helpers, and would not hear of going solo. We have long predicted that Aden would master the skill first. After all, Trey doesn't do anything until he's good and ready. To be continued next summer.
The summer of milestones. Trey has learned to tie his shoes. Pretty much on his own, as both Brandon and I can now testify how hard it is to teach something that you know by muscle memory. Aden learned all of his letters except M, W, and N, and seems to finally grasp the concept of counting.
The summer when I would, for the last time, fall in love with the sight of a little boy in tighty-whiteys. Or tighty-reddies with monkeys all over them. Seriously, there is nothing cuter than a teeny tiny tushy. Aden is potty-trained, except for overnight. We'll get there. I'm not rushing anything anymore. He's growing up so fast that it breaks my heart at least once a day.
The summer of fruit. A peach tree that sprouted from a pit only a couple of years ago gave us this:
Yes, I made cobbler. The peaches weren't quite ready when we picked them, which meant that the cobbler really didn't taste like it should have. But anyway, it was a first. And peaches weren't the only story - off Brandon's folks' grapevine came enough for over eighty pints of homemade jelly, be still my heart.
The summer of green and the untouched creek. Not a single blade of brown grass. The uber-productive garden overflowed, and we didn't have to put water on it once. Rather disappointed the boys that they didn't get to run around in the tricklers (sprinklers) or ride in the truck to the creek. Puddle jumping seemed to smooth things over, though.
The summer of staying organized. Remember last year when we took three whole days to un-hoard our basement? Well, if possible it looks even better now than it did when we finished. Truthfully, the whole house is doing pretty well in that department. After a whole year. Huge accomplishment for this out of sight, out of mind girl.
The summer of the golf obsession. This is what happens with Daddy gets to stay at home with the boys all summer. And when Giga and Poppop supply real kid-size golf clubs (not pictured). And when both boys discover that they can hit the ball kind of like Tiger or Phil - you know, where it actually lifts off the ground and goes somewhere. Yeah, we just started keeping the clubs and balls on the porch so they'd be ready at a moment's notice.
The summer of the horrible-bed mystery. Somewhere along the way, Trey's bed went from being the most comfortable in the house to feeling like you had slept on the ground. Almost by accident, we discovered why. The slats in his box spring had snapped in two. Yeah. Who gets the blame? Aden, our resident mattress-hopper who has been forbidden to ever jump on a bed again, and who had to sacrifice his future box spring to his brother. Don't worry, we'll get another one before the transformation of Aden's room to a big-boy environment next summer. Stinker.
The summer of a tamer Taz. While Aden's energy level has stayed as high as it's always been, somewhere along the line he learned a bit of self-control. Sometimes. This boy, when he puts his mind to it, is polite, pleasant, obedient, helpful, and just genuinely charming. We're hearing nothing but good things from his preschool teacher and church leaders. Can't help but love him, with those sparkly blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and that I-know-something-you-don't-know grin. (Swoon)
The summer of the chore revolution. On a whim one day, asked Trey if he'd like to help me dust the house. Great rejoicing followed, as Trey got his own rag, was able to spray by himself, and proceeded to meticulously dust every surface I'd let him near. Y'all, working together we finished the house in under an hour. Unbelievable. This led to the institution of a chore chart and allowance, which we are using to teach this spend-happy boy some financial responsibility.
The summer of the camera settings discovery. I love my camera, but honestly I'm just terrified of it. Figuring I had nothing to lose, one day I twisted the button to P. Not sure what that means. But in that, I found a way to set whether you're taking pictures in the sun, under clouds, or inside. And to adjust the sharpness. Which made me beyond giddy. It's OK, I'm a nerd.
The summer of trust. Trey's ongoing bout with fear compels us to constantly remind him of the goodness, strength, and trustworthiness of our God. There has been so much that has happened recently - the Lord's provision to us of an abundance of homegrown food, a fantastically frivolous porch, a surprisingly affordable and desperately-needed replacement car, plus His miraculous healing of Nana and His amazing work in our church, among other things - where we know that God has walked right beside us. And as we are teaching the boys about God's faithfulness, we are rediscovering it ourselves, in so many ways. Praise, praise the Lord.
Summer 2013. It's been a great one.
This will be remembered as...
The summer of independence. For the first time in six years, I can squeeze out a few minutes of mommy-aloneness here and there while the boys play together. Someday, the last minute of those spans will not consist of one boy beating up the other. Someday.
The summer of the utterly unpredictable bedtime. While he no longer sleeps in the kitchen floor, Trey's late-night antics continue to deprive us of rest and force us to march blindly forward through the parenting unknown, trusting only in our faithful God.
The summer of the water babies. Oh, we love the pool. (Thanks, Mom and Dad) These boys were made to splash. Aden is positively fearless in the water. Trey, not so much. But he did learn to dog paddle. Just watch the boy: (And this was back at vacation time! He can swim clear across the pool now!)
The summer of the dense garden. Oh, it was ugly. But oh, so beautiful. The Lord supplied all we would need for the coming year and more. But for each of the thousands of beans, hundred ears of corn, and dozens of cucumbers and squash that came forth, there was a weed to match. Ugly. Thank you, Lord.
The summer when both boys would try riding a bike without training wheels. Aden went first and last, and was able to ride unaided for a short distance before both he and his Poppop fell hard. Trey agreed to try in exchange for money (insert mommy-agitation here) but insisted on two helpers, and would not hear of going solo. We have long predicted that Aden would master the skill first. After all, Trey doesn't do anything until he's good and ready. To be continued next summer.
The summer of milestones. Trey has learned to tie his shoes. Pretty much on his own, as both Brandon and I can now testify how hard it is to teach something that you know by muscle memory. Aden learned all of his letters except M, W, and N, and seems to finally grasp the concept of counting.
The summer when I would, for the last time, fall in love with the sight of a little boy in tighty-whiteys. Or tighty-reddies with monkeys all over them. Seriously, there is nothing cuter than a teeny tiny tushy. Aden is potty-trained, except for overnight. We'll get there. I'm not rushing anything anymore. He's growing up so fast that it breaks my heart at least once a day.
The summer of fruit. A peach tree that sprouted from a pit only a couple of years ago gave us this:
Yes, I made cobbler. The peaches weren't quite ready when we picked them, which meant that the cobbler really didn't taste like it should have. But anyway, it was a first. And peaches weren't the only story - off Brandon's folks' grapevine came enough for over eighty pints of homemade jelly, be still my heart.
The summer of green and the untouched creek. Not a single blade of brown grass. The uber-productive garden overflowed, and we didn't have to put water on it once. Rather disappointed the boys that they didn't get to run around in the tricklers (sprinklers) or ride in the truck to the creek. Puddle jumping seemed to smooth things over, though.
The summer of staying organized. Remember last year when we took three whole days to un-hoard our basement? Well, if possible it looks even better now than it did when we finished. Truthfully, the whole house is doing pretty well in that department. After a whole year. Huge accomplishment for this out of sight, out of mind girl.
The summer of the golf obsession. This is what happens with Daddy gets to stay at home with the boys all summer. And when Giga and Poppop supply real kid-size golf clubs (not pictured). And when both boys discover that they can hit the ball kind of like Tiger or Phil - you know, where it actually lifts off the ground and goes somewhere. Yeah, we just started keeping the clubs and balls on the porch so they'd be ready at a moment's notice.
The summer of the horrible-bed mystery. Somewhere along the way, Trey's bed went from being the most comfortable in the house to feeling like you had slept on the ground. Almost by accident, we discovered why. The slats in his box spring had snapped in two. Yeah. Who gets the blame? Aden, our resident mattress-hopper who has been forbidden to ever jump on a bed again, and who had to sacrifice his future box spring to his brother. Don't worry, we'll get another one before the transformation of Aden's room to a big-boy environment next summer. Stinker.
The summer of a tamer Taz. While Aden's energy level has stayed as high as it's always been, somewhere along the line he learned a bit of self-control. Sometimes. This boy, when he puts his mind to it, is polite, pleasant, obedient, helpful, and just genuinely charming. We're hearing nothing but good things from his preschool teacher and church leaders. Can't help but love him, with those sparkly blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and that I-know-something-you-don't-know grin. (Swoon)
The summer of the chore revolution. On a whim one day, asked Trey if he'd like to help me dust the house. Great rejoicing followed, as Trey got his own rag, was able to spray by himself, and proceeded to meticulously dust every surface I'd let him near. Y'all, working together we finished the house in under an hour. Unbelievable. This led to the institution of a chore chart and allowance, which we are using to teach this spend-happy boy some financial responsibility.
The summer of the camera settings discovery. I love my camera, but honestly I'm just terrified of it. Figuring I had nothing to lose, one day I twisted the button to P. Not sure what that means. But in that, I found a way to set whether you're taking pictures in the sun, under clouds, or inside. And to adjust the sharpness. Which made me beyond giddy. It's OK, I'm a nerd.
The summer of trust. Trey's ongoing bout with fear compels us to constantly remind him of the goodness, strength, and trustworthiness of our God. There has been so much that has happened recently - the Lord's provision to us of an abundance of homegrown food, a fantastically frivolous porch, a surprisingly affordable and desperately-needed replacement car, plus His miraculous healing of Nana and His amazing work in our church, among other things - where we know that God has walked right beside us. And as we are teaching the boys about God's faithfulness, we are rediscovering it ourselves, in so many ways. Praise, praise the Lord.
Summer 2013. It's been a great one.
Comments