August has begun. This summer has felt fast. Summers do that sometimes.
I am excited to have my family to myself for a couple weeks, trips to the lake, basketball tournaments, and the noisy hustle and bustle of a family of 4 under the same roof. I tend to get a little pre-nostalgic, considering how short term having kids in your home is. How they keep growing and you stay an adult. They change, baby, toddler, grade school, preteen...then on to teenager and adult. We will still be us, mom and dad. They will be whole new people out in the world and we will redefine our lives in the next adventure.
I asked my husband if he realized that the bulk of our time as a couple has been as parents.They are 12 and we have been married for 16 years. We married quickly (eloped!) and wanted kids right away, but it took a while...and the assistance of modern medicine...to become parents of beautiful boy-girl twins. I remember thinking that it was taking so long, and now I feel so lucky to have had those years of just us. throwing themed parties and being chaotic. Taking trips with only one bag each. Sleeping in, training for half marathons, meeting at the gym after work, eating out 4 nights a week. There were no rules or budgets.
Well, August is here. We usually get a lot of wildfires, the hay gets harvested behind our home and the cattle come back for the fall/winter to graze and keep me company. the kids will each
grow an inch this summer and in a few weeks I will start thinking about pulling my sweaters out so I can be warm driving the kids to school. I will need to consider lunch foods for everyone and make sure I have schedules and alarms set to ensure everyone gets to where they need to be.
I will write a funny store next time, but for today it is August 1st. I awoke to fog and drizzle, but it will be 85 degrees today and we will have thunderstorms at night. I will start thinking about baking bread and crockpot recipes. August does that to me. I will try to capture 2-3 weeks of joy until then.
Love, Mrs M.
