Summer Recap

While mentally cataloging the summer's event last night, I thought it would be good to put it down into a more permanent form (because we all know I forget things faster than you can say "snap").   I typically think of things in the "Good, Bad, and Ugly" divisions.   Maybe because I watched the old classic with my dad as a kid?  Who knows, but here it is regardless.

The Good

1.  Mr. M and Miss A participated in swim team for the first time and loved it.  I was so, so pleasantly surprised by their willingness to try something new.  And that they actually enjoyed it.  I'm so excited for them to identify themselves as swimmers, because every swimmer I meet is someone who still tries to be active and continues to swim.  I told them both that this was a sport they could do until they were 90 and they both kind of looked at me like, "I'll never be that old!"

2.  The two older kids got to go to the Smith Grandparents for "Spoil Week."  They had the best time ever and continue to talk about how fun it was to be with just Grandma and Grandpa.  They saw movies, went to museums, shopped for toys ... you name it.  I'm so grateful for their grandparents who made it a priority to take time out to be with my kids!

3.  I asked Miss A what her favorite part of the summer was, and she replied, "Seeing my family."  And she doesn't mean us.  In addition to the Spoil Week, we got to travel to California to see my parents, my sister and her kids and my brother's kids and his wife.  It was a blast!  We swam every day.  Stayed up late.  Ate ice cream.  Went to Six Flags and played baseball in the park.  Once again, so grateful to my parents who took time off to be with me and my kids!

4.  I'd have to say that I've enjoyed the easy time at the pool. We passed on the water park's season passes and have just gone to our neighborhood pool and it's been great.  Little C is swimming great now and is nothing but smiles when we're there.  And Honey has been just as much of a fish, jumping and trying to swim.  I see a bright future ahead in the years to come!

5.  This one is kind of split between this category and the next.  I've been gone a lot this summer.  There was Women's Conference, a race, girls' camp, California and my sister's baby shower.  Every trip was fun and wonderful, but it was time away from DH and sometimes the kids.  In a way it was nice to be so free, but I've missed my better half!

The Bad

1.  Honey has been in fine form this summer, with the help and goading of his older brother, Little C.  He flooded the upstairs bathroom, which I only heard about once the downstairs bathroom directly below had water dripping from the ceiling.  He had a lotion fight with Little C, flinging and smearing lotion all over his room's walls and carpet.  He's a holy terror in stores.  More than once my neighbor has walked him back home after he's run away from our house.  He hits, he bites, he throws toys and he terrorizes any friend that comes to play with the older kids.  All in all, he sounds pretty terrible.  But the amazing thing is, despite all this he so much sweeter and loving and fun to be around.  I'm looking forward to the time that he and I will have one on one when Little C is occupied at school.  I will devote some quality time in rooting out these nasty habits of his!

2.  Mr. M's iPod's screen shattered this week.  So sad to discover that it isn't covered under warranty (he was sure that it would be).  Now he has what he feels is the insurmountable task of earning enough money to fix it.

3.  Techonlogy!  What a boon.  What a curse!  I'm thinking I'm going to ditch all cable.  And once school starts I will run back into the arms of peaceful silence.  There have been way too many little fights over who watched what, who wants to watch what and who's turn it is.

4.  Food.  I've hated it all summer!  Not that I'm not eating ... that's never a problem.  Just that preparing it 3 times a day has me down in the mouth.  Really.  Why do kids have to eat every day??

The Ugly: