If Only It was All the Time

Have I mentioned before how much I love when my sister and her family are here?  I know, I know. Only a million times.  Well, this summer, we got almost three entire weeks knowing they were only fifteen minutes away, and boy was it wonderful!

We spent our days working out (Rozann teaching me High Fitness) 

The kids spent theirs on bikes, in the water, watching fireworks, and just playing all day long.

John Paul thinks Kolbe is his godson, so he got to stay the night with him one night and help him with everything he needed, being three years older than him, you know.

These little ones are the very best and I love when they're together.  I just miss them way too much when they're gone.  But, absence is supposed to make the heart grow fonder, right?!! 

I still wish they lived next door.

Seeing Old Friends

While we were in Amarillo to celebrate Carter and Sophie's birthdays, we were able to see some friends of Jeremy's (and now mine) from growing up!  Miss Karen is a favorite among out crew, and we were so blessed to get a quick visit in while she was here from North Carolina.  

Sophie opened some new pjs...and of course had to put them on right away!

We met a new friend, too!

Henry was in love.

At the end of the evening, there was a bit of porch sitting and drink sharing...just as summer should be.

And, when we're at Mimi's house...we eat doughnuts.

The Last Days of Summer

The mornings are getting cooler now and the nights are coming sooner.  That time of year when I can actually wear my fleece all day is just around the corner.  

Usually, it's my favorite time of year, but for some reason, this year, I'm a little sad to see summer fading away.  I can't really pinpoint why.  I think part of it is just being a parent and realizing just how quickly time is passing.  I truly feel like we didn't have a summer.  Maybe it was because we were preparing for my sister's wedding and attending that beautiful event.  Perhaps it was the addition of this sweet thing. Maybe it was just being so busy with this, this or even this.

Whatever it is, I'm going to miss certain things for sure.  Like the days of watching the boys play outside with not a care in the world (and thus it being a little quieter inside from time to time).  

Or having enough daylight left when Daddy gets home to get a lot of rough-housing in.

I'll miss the feel of summer even if it was busy.  

But, I have to remind myself why I love fall.  It means a busy time for cattlework but the promise that things will really slow down when the weather gets cold.  While it always takes some getting used to, when the time changes, it forces us to finish things early and simply be together in our home, enjoying those little moments that busyness can sometimes steal.   

We are soaking up these last few weeks of summer while we still can, late into the evening, on "tiney hiney" chairs, surrounded by four of the sweetest yet orneriest little ones we know.

Kimberly

Our summer friend starts college today.  We miss her.  

Back up six months.  I had asked this sweet young lady to babysit for me and my cousin's kids (a total of six at the time) for an evening.  Not only did we come home to happy children, but the house was just as we left it (or cleaner)!  When I asked her what her summer plans were, she said she was looking for a job.  Without even thinking much about it, I told her that if she didn't find something five days a week that we'd love to hire her for one day a week.  I didn't give much thought to our means to do so, nor did I think she'd take me up on the offer.

Then May came, and I got a text saying she'd love to come over on Tuesdays this summer if the offer was still available.  I was having Sophie the next week, and knowing that I'd need help in recovering and trying to be available for the boys, too, I said, "Yes!"  However, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a bit nervous.  I thought I'd feel guilty being in my own home doing things while someone else was watching/playing with my kids.  I thought I'd have a hard time letting go of that control or the need to be a good mom (what I found synonymous with handling my own children all hours of the day, every day of the week).  I didn't know what would happen in the moments of silence when the boys were napping - would I have things to talk to her about or would it be awkward?

That first Tuesday came, and all fears quickly subsided.  She took the boys outside for the majority of the morning while I figured out things with Sophie.  That afternoon while everyone napped, she helped me plan some summer activities for moments of downtime with the boys.  We talked about her hopes for college, her plans for the summer and the "good ol' days" when I used to be her babysitter.

What I quickly realized was that she, and her services, were a Godsend.  He knew just what I needed this summer, and He provided.  Kimberly (Kim-a-nee according to John Paul) quickly became a much-anticipated blessing every Tuesday.  The boys adored her.  In fact, last week when I asked Peter to get in the car to run errands with me, he said he'd rather stay home with Kimberly (too bad she wasn't available that day).  While they loved playing with her, I loved the company.  I knew my boys (and Sophie when she got a chance to spend time with her) were in wonderful hands.  She treated each of them as I would, and I think I even learned a thing or two from her about handling various situations.  She expected great things from them, and they lived up to it (most days).  She was everything I hoped for and more.

More than that she was a friend for me, too.  Although much younger, she is wise beyond her years.  We chatted about life, about various trials, and about hopes.  She shared things with me and I with her like we'd been friends for years.  Her Tuesdays inspired me to be a better mom, and I'll be forever grateful for her help, her love for my kids and her friendship.

Kimberly, we know you'll do great things where you are now, too!  And, we'll be sending you a few goodies from time to time to make sure you don't forget us.  Thanks for everything!

Oh to be a Kid Again

We have had a fast but oh-so-fun summer!  The boys have thrived on being outside.  We've even gotten to spend a little time with cousin Stephen Ross.

While over at PaPa and Elley's a few days ago, John Paul found a frog!

He accidentally dropped the frog, so it became a challenge to get him back...

Peter did have clothes on that morning.

Caught again!

Seeing them play reminds me of doing the same things as a kid while not having a care in the world.  It was a time in my life when frogs weren't gross, when I enjoyed just laying in the sun's rays after an afternoon in our giant sandbox, and when nothing else really mattered.

My kids are at that point now, and will be for years to come, I hope!!

Case in point: PaPa and Elley set up a huge water slide in their yard and as it was going up, Carter said, "Hellllloooo Gorgeous.  Dat's what I'm talkin' 'bout!"  Then he slid down over and over again.

The summer has brought a little fun with some left over dry ice...creating our own witch's brew.

Stephen Ross got a taste of what it's like to have a sister around.

And, Carter and Peter found some "big big big bees" that I needed to take a picture of.

And a butterfly too!

They've also spent a lot of time in the sand box.  Duke, their protector, is never far away.  I love how they're all together yet are each doing their own thing.

Carter had been doing a little tractor work in his birthday suit and came in to tell me Peter had found a "tiny hiney" bug.  I think he meant teeny weeny.

That bug followed us to the restaurant we ate at that day and was lost in the car on the way home.

Before they shared popsicles in the nude (kind of a regular occurrence in the middle of nowhere), Carter hugged Peter, and Peter said, "You are my best friend the whole world."

They really are best friends.  All of them.  And, it couldn't make me a happier mom.  I would say it's been an amazing few months of just being kids.