Summer bliss

ok. i'm just gonna put it out there . . . i love summer.

especially this summer.

life got real this year, and by that. i mean that our schedule amped up to a whole new level with all 4 kids in at least one activity.

i said it to a few people and i will say it again, while none of our kids were individually over scheduled, mama was done in by the end of the semester. where, oh where, were my bon-bons and soap operas?!

caroline's tonsillectomy was actually a sweet gift from God. the great news is she started feeling better this week; and not just better from surgery, but better in overall health. she is sleeping really well and really deep and (you are welcome future college roommate and future husband) she is NOT SNORING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS!!

but even more than just restoring her health and energy, her forced downtime has refreshed our home and our family. closets have been cleaned out and mud-area cubbies reorganized. we have had more family meals in the last 2 weeks than we did in the previous 2 months. i have seen EVERY episode available of good luck charlie and am a huge fan. tru has taken up a new hobby of "training" tate the dog (to be accurate, he is affirming the tricks tate already knows with treats, but whatever, it ain't the x-box). i am getting to appreciate the issues bo is overcoming because there is more time to witness his need to overcome them. we are staying in pj's past 7:30 in the morning and some days, we are staying in them until someone suggests the pool. (which, by the way, is also awesome this year because caroline has had to lay out with me during her recovery period and the other 3 are happy water bugs.)

ahhhh. life in a slower lane is good.

and in the spirit of appreciating the ability to appreciate life, i am warning you that i do NOT plan to get better about posting on a regular basis. there will (well, there may) come a time in life when i can return to the daily grind, but for now, i will just be hitting the highlights. i mean, really, someone has to watch reruns of duck dynasty with josh and stay on top of bill and guilianna's pregnancy via a gestational carrier and have sleep overs with caroline while we watch say yes to the dress and read mindless fiction. soon enough, august will slam into me and the alarm clock won't be optional and the homework will start and the constant prayers for bo and his teacher and the oh-so-weird-idea of having ONE at home after 8 1/2 years of always having at least 2 around will be here and i do NOT want to look back and regret the way i spent one single second. ok, so that's a little over the top because i regret several seconds sascha and i had today at kroger, but you get the idea.

at the end of the summer, i want to be a little tanner (sorry, i know pale is the new tan, but everyone knows that everything looks better tan), a little more rested, and full enough of my family to make it through our next season of life--even if (especially if) it is as busy and as crazy as the last (although i hope i learned a little from the month of may)