Summer's end

The fall is upon us. The mountains are just sparkling, y'all. No humidity whatsoever. Stinkbugs are aflutter, pumpkins line grocery store entrances, and my appetite for soup is almost unquenchable. The boys are already asking to go to a corn maze, be still my heart.

This summer, as so many past, has been filled with firsts and memories and frustrations and a schedule so full that I can't even remember where it all went.

So lest we forget the season, time for a wrap-up update. Wrap-update. Yes.

Please excuse me if this post seems a little too happy for Ashley. I'm on steroids for some poison oak run amok in my system. And the steroids, sweet nectar of abundant life, have made me a better person. Energetic, giddy, perspective-minded. I'm like a new person. Totally dreading the end of the cycle.

Anyway.

We now have expert two-wheeled bike riders. Though it took some kicking and screaming to get there, the freedom the boys now enjoy on their bikes is well worth it. They were able to ride well with help getting started a few months ago. Well, except for that one afternoon when Trey rode head-on full-speed into the DirecTV dish pole. Of course I'm running beside him, and it's just hilarious-looking, so as soon as it seemed he was OK, I burst out laughing. Then he burst out crying.

We had been trying for a few weeks after that to convince the boys to try taking off on their own, but they refused. Until one day, Aden picked up his bike on the porch, got on, and just took off. No instruction necessary.

Pretty sure this offended Trey, that a four-year-old could do something he couldn't, but his fear-slash-stubbornness prevailed a while longer. Until one day, Trey picked up his bike in the grass, got on, and just took off. No instruction necessary.

And now, it's hard to get these boys off their bikes.

Our poor garden didn't do so well this year, despite looking pretty good in the beginning. A combination of planting too late, not having enough rain, and our apparent mission to fatten up a local family of rabbits did us in. We had enough green beans for one meal, enough corn for two meals, and a few cucumbers and tomatoes have come in sporadically. We're thankful for these, yes we are. As we are thankful for the people who felt sorry for us and just gave us bags full of veggies.

But it was a tad disappointing not to be able to can or freeze anything of our own. Especially corn, which we had eaten all of from last year.

Brandon's folks' garden didn't yield anything either. Until Brandon's dad angry-planted a field of corn. God blessed this field, and just in the last couple of weeks, from it has come over four hundred ears of corn, now snugly nestled in our combined freezers. Oh yes, new corn recipes will be tried!

Trey's ongoing bedtime issues continued a while into the summer. Our only peaceful nights were the Fridays that both boys were allowed to stay up late with Brandon. I slept blissfully in Trey's bed and he slept in mine with his Daddy.

But any other night was just torture. He's scared. He's thirsty. He's not tired. He can't hear me banging around in the kitchen. He hears a cow moo behind the house. He hears a bug hit the window. He's afraid there will be another derecho. He doesn't know the schedule for the next day or, Heaven forbid, what we will have for dinner. He suddenly wants to open up about everything that happened that day, and ask philosophical, spiritual questions about life.

You know.

My Aden is growing and changing, but he's taking his time. Which is fine, I suppose. We made little headway with the thumb this summer, as he is perfectly happy to obey our only-in-your-bed rule. He gets injured almost daily, and only about half of the time is it the fault of his brother. He has his cranky moments, often first thing in the morning and after dinner. Unless it's a Friday night when he gets to stay up late with his Daddy. Which really means he'll go down to the man cave and be asleep on the couch within twenty minutes. Eats no vegetables and very little meat. Loves repetition. Has lost some of the ability to play on his own. Adores his Mama and his monkey.

The grandparents have been missing their weekly days with the boys, I believe, and have been just laying claim to them at random times throughout the season. Which bothered the boys not in the least. How very thankful I am to have such a close-knit family, and I pray that it will stay this way all through life. That even when the time comes that the boys are too cool to hang with their parents, they will still gravitate toward their grandparents. Which is entirely possible, since the grandparents are already cooler than we are. So very blessed.

School is in full swing. We really don't know a lot about what Aden is doing, since he claims everything done inside school walls is a secret. Pretty sure they have done some scissor work based on a massive pile of greeting card shards found at the bottom of his backpack. Field trip to the apple orchard is in the works. And he's really missing his lunch bunch gatherings from last year, which don't kick off until November. The routine of school is so good for him. He's doing great.

And I guess we probably know too much about what Trey is doing, as he is just laden with homework every night. Well, except Friday. He's having graded tests now and just really has to work hard. Especially at taking his time, following instructions, and writing neatly. Grades are good so far, but we're just getting started with tests. The first test study guide that came home completely freaked me out. In a my-kid-isn't-old-enough-for-real-tests way. And a this-is-my-life-for-the-next-fourteen-years way. So grown up.

We've been embracing our time together. While the next Exploration Season adventure is still on the horizon due to a very spread-out football schedule for Brandon, we have found many creative ways to enjoy our evenings. Shadow puppets, the activity that probably dates back to the birth of fire, is endlessly entertaining to my children. I can do all of one impressive shadow creature, and then we giggle over and over at how big our shadows get when they come close to the light.

Walnut collecting in the backyard. Miles upon miles of bike riding. Creating obstacle course maps that take the boys all over the yard and use activity stations to help them learn their Awana verses. Breathing in the cool air, exercising, and just loving being alive. Together. Here.