Summer Moments

It's mid June and the summer schedule has a rhythm to it. The first two weeks were torture. The third week I over analyzed how to get over having no routine and how we were going to spend our time together.  Then week four happened, and I had a nice breakdown and Austin's whining turned to a puppy dog wimper (much more tolerable), and Molly's attitude towards Grant tapered from every 30 seconds of tattling to every 10 minutes, Grant has gone from teasing each sibling incessantly to just teasing each one for brief moments throughout the day. Heidi, she still demands and hangs on my hip! Heidi has made this summer much more challenging then summers past. I've never had four children who walk and talk and hang-out with me all day every day. On this introvert, forced extrovert, personality of mine it has made for some adjustments in how I keep my brain from spinning out of control. 

Soaking up the moments that my kids give me during a day gives me moments of clarity in my mind. A new perspective. A gift amongst the challenges of training them to be kind, respectful, appreciative, and not self-centered. The moments are what we get as Mom's, so it's best to lock them in memory and treasure them....

Molly finishing and enjoying and being excited about "The babysitter's Club," book series! A moment to treasure! Yep, the 1988 version, which we found in a closet in my mother's house. I get to hear about Dawn moving to town, and Stacy moving out, and the Phantom caller that had them terrified! My excitement cannot be written. I am one happy Mom over my daughter loving the girls in the Babysitter's Club. She is pushing herself to a new level at dance, as she is now a "big girl" in her dance group filled with 3rd and 4th graders. She looks for every opportunity to ask for a sleepover. And goes into a grieving process when separated from her best friend for more than two days. 

Austin is three and like most three year olds, he is always giving me moments in my day, make me laugh out loud moments. He hollered that there was a booger on his finger. When I instructed him to get a kleenex for it, he told me he would wipe it on the wall. He proclaims he is not little, he is not three, he is four, he does not need to take a nap, he whimpers like a puppy, and rubs his cheek against mine when he wants affection. He lays on me and watches how long it takes Heidi to notice, cause he is all boy and boys like to tease. He knows that Heidi Mae is super jealous of any one besides her touching me. She screams and pushes him and he cuddles up closer, loving the fact he can drive her crazy. He found a best friend this season. Every baseball game of Grants came with Austin wondering out loud if his best friend would be there. I got the chance to meet his "best friend's" mom. When I mentioned how old Austin was her eyebrows raised in surprise. Austin had not become best friend's with her four year old son, but her six year old son! The feelings weren't one sided. This six year old boy also talked about Austin. So, my three and a half year old had his first playdate. A playdate with a six year old boy. The kind of playdate where Mom drops and leaves. It only happened this way as Grant is friend's with the "best friends" other brother, who happens to be the same age as Grant! (that was hard to follow!)

 

 Grant was an easy baby and toddler. I remember this when I spend all day with him and watch him interact with his siblings. He is still my easy kid. Easy to please. He is easily content. He doesn't whine. He doesn't complain. This makes him sound perfect, which he is not, he does do all those things I listed, in small amounts! He emptied the dishwasher the other day, without asking. I hugged him so tight he winced in pain. He wants to change Heidi's diaper. He answered the ENT Doctor's question if he wanted anymore siblings with a, "yes, I would like her to have another baby." That surprised me for a moment, but then I thought, he is my least selfish kid. The middle child who often gets lost in the chaos, but he's okay. He loves to love.  

Then there is my baby. My baby who isn't a baby anymore. My toddler who fits the "baby of the Family," role perfectly. Textbook last child. She hangs on my hip, screams at her siblings when they cuddle with me, and sneaks up to her room to find binky's that aren't allowed outside the crib. She insist I be in the pool with her. My shadow. I won't have a two year old for long, so I endure the demands from her. 

I only get 18 summers with each of them. Not very many in the grand scheme of things. Amidst the meltdowns and tattling and sibling rivalry I grasp hold of the sweetness that they bring to my day. I remember how thankful I am I get to be their mom!