So Long, Sweet Summer

I read a blog post by Shauna Niequist the other day entitled, "On Fall, My 4th Favorite Season" (which I would have happily linked, if our computer would work regularly more than 1/5 of the time). I totally resonated with her as she talked about preferring fresh fruits and veggies to pumpkin and cinnamon, flip flops to boots (though I do really like my boots), and generally just the dread of the coming winter months that grows stronger with each passing fall day. (Shauna gave winter the edge over fall because of Christmas and New Years and all of the fun festivities that surround the holidays, but I think the seemingly endless, bitingly cold days outweigh the wonderful few weeks of the holidays. Therefore, fall can be my 3rd favorite season:-)) All that to say, I'm sad to see our fun-filled summer days come to an end.

If I had to use one word to sum up this summer, it would be growth. Mady turned 6 back in June, and as the summer progressed we watched her confidence grow and grow. Mady has had a bike for a couple of years now and had been really hesitant with it, never wanting to ride anywhere. We told her this was the summer to learn how to bike without training wheels and she grudgingly went along with it. She caught on pretty quickly but still wasn't a huge fan. However, she got a scooter for her birthday and took to that very well. Learning how to scooter around town and balance on that translated into confidence on her bike, and now she would happily bike everywhere we go. Success! She also played t-ball, took swimming lessons, and spent plenty of time at the pool. Part way through the summer we realized she was tall enough to go down the slide by herself and that was a game changer. She loved everything about it! The true highlight of the pool, though, was playing with her friends in the deeper water without mom around. Mady's other big area of growth was reading. I had a retreat for work one day back in late June and when I came home, Mady very proudly informed me that she had finished an entire chapter book on her own that day. She then read the next five books in that series and quickly moved on to a new series we found at the library. She and I also love reading American Girl books together (I think the stand alone mysteries might be my favorite!). We love that she has a love for learning. She's happily enjoying first grade now, and looks forward to school every day.

Drew was a trooper this summer, tagging along to t-ball practices, swimming lessons, library programs, etc. He also loved spending time at the pool and by the end of the summer would get angry if I wouldn't take him out past the first rope into the "deep water". He was my garden helper and a great source of entertainment for Jack on our many walks and trips to the pool or park. I think Drew became frustrated at many different points this summer when he wasn't allowed to participate in the same activities that Mady was. I uttered the phrase "When you are 6 then you can do that too" many times! Drew loved zipping around town on his little balance bike, and people love watching him on that thing. The number one love in Drew's life is Batman. His perfect day would consist of waking up in his Batman jammies, changing into one of his Batman shirts, playing with his Batcave in his Batcave, and watching the Adam West Batman movie from the 60s. It's so fun to watch him play with his superheroes and listen to the way his imagination works. He got to start preschool last week and will be going on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. He was a bit hesitant to go, but I think he is enjoying himself quite a bit (even though there aren't any superhero toys). And while I did enjoy a quiet afternoon on Tuesday, I realized how little time the two of us have spent apart. If I'm home, he's home with me. I'm excited for Drew to get to make some new friends and interact with kids he isn't related to. It's great to have such fun cousins to play with, but important to learn how to meet new friends too:-)

If I had to use one word to sum up Jack's personality it would be "joyful". He always has a giant smile on his face and he loves life. Its impossible to be around Jack and not smile. Jack is at that age where pretty much every day he shows how much he is growing and learning. He started walking well a little over a month ago, and now there is no stopping him. Kendall and I both think he is our most curious child, as he gets into everything, all the time. Though maybe this is just a typical thing for a third child who doesn't constantly have full attention on him:-) He has a couple of words that he says, but it's pretty clear he has a good grasp of the world around him. If I ask him to put clothes in the hamper he walks right over to it, and when I tell him it's bath time he drops everything and runs to the tub. I recently had to rearrange my kitchen cupboards to avoid having any more spices dumped out, and if I forget to lock the cupboard under the sink he is instantly opening the doors and dumping recycling. He has begun climbing on the computer chair and pounding on the keyboard several times a day and he can open all of the doors in the apartment, including the one into the hallway.  He also loves to turn off the TV when Mady and Drew are happily absorbed in a movie. He is a big fan of giving high fives to the guys in the hall and has adjusted really well to having them back. He is definitely a people person! He won't sit still to look at books for more than a minute or two and he loves to jump on top of Drew or Mady and wrestle around. We're trying to remind Drew that Jack is still a baby and can't handle retaliation very well. It's a work in progress. Jack constantly waves at people and loves to say bye-bye. His blankie and pacifier are his two favorite things.

We are so grateful that we get to parent these three wonderful kiddos. They are a joy each and every day! We're thankful for a summer full of fun and memories and for as much as I'm dreading the cold winter days to come, I look forward to all of the new ways these three will find to keep us on our toes:-)