May and June: A Retrospective

Or "How to Blink Three Times and Discover that Stormy April School Days Have Suddenly Turned into the Heat of a Lazy July"

(And then how it was the end of August before a post written in mid-July could be finalized for publishing...)

I used to think I was an all-around pretty organized type of person. And in fact, I'm happiest when things are where they should be (Exhibit A: Yesterday's maniacal effort to get All The Things put away for once in our crazy house, and the subsequent discomposure in finding the children once again pulling out All The Things for more playtime. This month's mantra: "I'm glad they are enjoying their toys. I'm glad they're enjoying their toys...").

But lately our schedule has been a crazy monster in total defiance of any hint of organization or planning. I think I've handled it reasonably well, but if you feel moved to give me a hug of encouragement the next time you see me, I won't stop you. 

We started back in May with the final weeks of school and the looming Summer ahead. No amount of advanced planning on my part could possibly account for all the projects and programs and parties and gifts and field trips and end-of-year play dates that descended upon us. Nevertheless, we pushed through, and neither sickness (Andrew) nor last-minute purchases of bouquets for dance recitals (Sarah) nor missed Fruit of the Spirit Award presentations (Luke) could slow us down. The homework was (mostly) turned in, the teachers were appropriately (I hope!) gifted, and the farewells were said as we closed the chapter on 1st Grade and Preschool. (Andrew gets to repeat his 1-year-old class next year, so his doesn't count.)

But before the last day of school had even arrived, I was halfway into summer. For one thing, we'd planned Sarah's birthday party for that Saturday after school ended, and so once again I was hunting through all the stores for Frozen party supplies (because why not have another Frozen party? This time, we'll call it an "Anna and Olaf Party," but we'll do exactly the same stuff that we did for last year's "Elsa Party"....). We had a lovely time celebrating with that sweet, singular young girl, and we did manage to change things up a bit by adding in a backyard pool and sprinkler, a few party games that were enjoyed primarily by the older brothers and Kate, and a piñata (which was a lot more exciting than I'd expected). The party was low key but lovely, if I do say so myself. And as we tossed the last bits of wrapping paper and Piñata Olaf into the trash bin, we began to set our sights on the next fast approaching adventure: family vacation.

We had not planned to have a vacation this year because P had so many trials set throughout the summer months. However, during those last few wild weeks of school, one of the cases settled and suddenly P had a clear schedule for the last days of May. He obviously took advantage of my end-of-year insanity when he offered to book a four-day trip to San Diego because I agreed, and the next thing I knew, we were two weeks out from a major family vacation, and I was feverishly scouring the Interwebs for info about LegoLand and toddlers on airplanes. It was a blessing, really, to have so little time to plan for this trip - or so I continued to tell myself - and in the end, we had a grand time. I even managed to overplan the plane trip just a tad. (And in case you are looking for photographic evidence of this bit, you'll have to wait until I can bring myself to wade through the pics. It may be years.)

We had a few days after we returned home from our trip to wash all the laundry and restock the fridge before it was time to pack Luke off for a week at Gram's house for Zoo Safari Camp at the Lufkin Zoo. He and Aiden had a great time together, and it was so good for him to have some special time like that with Gram and Paps. Of course, Sarah was insanely jealous and asked all week when she would get to go to Gram's house, too, but we did pretty well during that week at home. She stayed busy during the mornings at Covenant's Water Camp, designed for incoming kindergarteners, and we enjoyed the different (and quieter) dynamic of having just Sarah and Andrew at home. Sarah slept in Andrew's room because she was "too scared" to sleep by herself in her own room, but other than that, I think she was just fine having a little extra alone time all week! And she and Andrew fully enjoyed our first trip to the Ridglea Pool, where we are first-time members this summer, and before we knew it, the week was over and it was time to retrieve Luke from East Texas.

Truthfully, it's not summer until we've had some laid-back days at the Farm, so we were all excited to head to Gram's house at the end of the week for a few days of relaxing, swimming, and spending time with Aiden and Gram and Paps. I think that Sarah forgot all about her jealousy when Paps showed her the pink Power Wheels jeep they had bought "for her." It will of course be shared by all the grandkids, but the honor of its being called "Sarah's Car" was not lost on her. Gram and Paps are pretty crafty when it comes to making sure every grandchild knows how special he or she is to them...

Back at home for Sunday morning church - since P and I both volunteered to teach for the summer quarter (more evidence that I was not in my right mind in May) - a quick family birthday celebration for Luke, and then a week of Art Camp at the Modern for Sarah - and absolute boredom for Luke (or so he would have you think). Sarah seemed to have a good time at this camp, too, but it was definitely a new experience for all of us. She had been on the waiting list for the camp, but they called at the last minute to say she had a place, and I was thrilled. Over the last year, Sarah has spent more time drawing at the dining room table than I would've believed possible. And as I sorted through her stacks (and stacks) of copy-paper drawings this spring, I was astounded to see her precise technique, the way she would work on certain aspects of her drawings (such as the girl's hair or her hands) and draw them again and again until it looked the way she wanted. Here was a four-year-old doing actual "studies" for her drawings! So that was the moment I began to research art camps. (I was a little late: hence the waiting list. But it all worked out.) Although the experience of the camp itself pushed her outside of many of her introverted comfort zones, I think it was good for her, and I expect we'll try it again next summer.

As for Luke and his boredom, I think it was once again good for the kids to experience a different kind of attention from me and from each other. He and Andrew played together with great "exuberance," and he even managed to find a few things to do on his own while Andrew rested. Although he begged me all week to take him to the Kimbell Museum again while Sarah was at camp, we didn't quite manage that; the week was, unfortunately, too full of trips to my chiropractor and other errands that the boys patiently endured. However, we did get to see the Modern during the Art Showcase on Sarah's last day of camp, which was pretty neat - but by that time, we were all focused on yet another adventure almost upon us: a trip to Brady.

No sooner was Art Camp dismissed than we were packing our bags for a weekend with all the Vickers in Brady. It was another relaxing and enjoyable weekend with family, and we especially enjoyed celebrating birthdays and Father's Day and just catching up with each other's busy lives. We even managed a trip to Brady's swimming pool in addition to the traditional trip to Granddad and DD's farm. I needn't tell you how much attention DD's toys received, nor how loud the house was for most of the waking hours (and some of the sleeping hours as well). And if you ask Sarah about the trip, she will probably tell you how good Granddad's fish fry tasted, and I will heartily agree. 

And as if that weren't enough for the month of June, we had one more full week ahead: Southside VBS and our first week of swimming lessons at RPA. Let's just say that we kept the roads warm from here to there and from there to here... And my kids are surprisingly good at the quick change into bathing suits and back out again! I had a pretty good time myself when I got to help teach the Bible class one of the days; a father-son team from our church had built an unbelievable set for our story - the Shipwreck of Paul - and we did our best to do it justice as we took the kids through the story of that amazing voyage. VBS was fun for everyone, needless to say, and swimming lessons were a surprise success as well: after the first day, Sarah started putting her head under voluntarily and suddenly realized she actually could swim - and by the end of the week, Luke was happily making the diving board circuit without needing any encouragement from me.

After that week came to a close, we enjoyed a quick visit from Gram and Paps and my second cousin's wedding here in Fort Worth. On Saturday, we took Luke and two of his best friends to LegoLand Discovery Center for a belated birthday celebration while Gram graciously stayed home with little Andrew. I feel like Luke may have had just as much fun at the tiny Discovery Center as at the LegoLand Park in California - but maybe that was just the benefit of having Big Andrew and Hayden by his side. Sarah also did her best to enjoy the time, but I sensed that she and I both would be happy to never set foot in a LegoLand of any type ever again in our lives...

The next week, we completed that session of swim lessons and headed back to Shiloh Farm for the annual Box Reunion, where there was a record attendance of (at least) 68 people! The kids and I stayed over for a few extra days, along with Uncle JC and his family and Aunt Caroline and Ava, and we enjoyed more swimming and a fun July 4th celebration in downtown Nac. But I must confess that my favorite part might have been that last 24 hours after everyone else had left and it was just my kids and me with Gram and Paps. Although the late night porch visiting that the original 6 Codys (and Kristen) enjoyed Saturday night was also pretty special...

And that brings us through July!! I told you, I just blinked and here I am. But I feel as though I've walked a million miles in the mean time...

Perhaps now things will slow down a bit.

(Ha, ha...)