The Summer of Good Intentions

Each summer, as the school year ends and the thoughts of lazy days where sleeping in and wearing pjs all day roll around in my head, I begin to plan out our summer agenda.  This summer was going to be the summer of academic progress and completing projects off of my to do list.  I was going to teach Carter his times tables.  Oliver and William were going to do extra work with math and read 4 books each.  I had a hefty project list which included painting all the closets, organizing our workshop, basement, and camping gear, and spray painting all of the metal filing cabinets.  I was going to test out new lunchbox menu items with the kids, as I have one son who is an extremely picky eater.  I was going to make healthy snack ideas in mason jars so that whenever they wanted something to munch on, I had quick healthy "grab n go" snacks already prepared.  I was going to work on the flower beds to make them pretty.  All of the kids' school supplies, clothing, and shoes would be purchased way ahead of time and the van would be completely cleaned and ready so that when I drop off the kids in the school line, the teachers wouldn't gasp at the horror of a van filled with food wrappers, socks, toys, cups, and just plain dirt.  After all, I had several weeks in which to accomplish such a worthy list.  But here we are knocking on the door of a new school year and my to do list is sadly almost untouched and the academic progress is seriously lagging.  So, now this summer will be labeled as the summer of good intentions.

However, in place of completing the never-ending to-do list and tending to school work, our family had the absolutely best summer we have ever had.  This was a summer of firsts.  The kids became swimmers.  The boys went to various cub scout camps.  William attended 2 overnight camps, one of which was three hours away.

Jarod, William's camp counselor and family friend.  William attended a Christian camp this summer at New England Frontier Camp and had an absolute blast.  He now wants to earn enough allowance to buy bibles for each of his classmates and start a class during recess to dedicate to bible devotionals.  My heart is singing.  

We went, as a family, to Great Wolf Lodge.  This was Oliver's happy place.  Each of us really enjoyed this water park, but Oliver seemed to enjoy it the most.  He rode all the water slides, even the scary one where the floor drops out from underneath.  It was at this family outing where the boys learned to be more independent, venturing further away from Beau and I to enjoy the wave pool and slides.

Our cute wolf ears from the Great Wolf Lodge

Oliver worked on an adoption scrapbook.  Zander began working two jobs to help offset his college expenses.  I took them more places by myself.  In the past, I rarely took all 3 to places without Beau.  It always made me a little nervous that I was always outnumbered.   But this summer, between their maturity and my confidence, we went many places together without Beau, and each time I returned home with the same number of kids that I started with.  Oliver and Carter attended their first Cub Scout day camp and that too was successful.  The boys have wonderful stories of archery, shooting bb guns, swimming, crafts, and male camaraderie, and just all out fun.  Our neighborhood now has 13 children all somewhat close in age and this summer we got to know each one of them.  My boys now have friends to play with in our neighborhood.  We had two boys try out for the local travel soccer team and they both made the team. We go to the beach every summer as this is probably one of my favorite things to do.  But this summer, our beach trip was so very different.  Usually Beau spends time in the freezing water with the boys enjoying their wake boards while I take several trips dipping my toes in the water and spending time with Ollie playing in the sand (he only plays in the water a few minutes and then spends the rest of his time looking for crabs and playing in the sand).  But this summer, Beau and I actually found ourselves sitting in chairs together with no kids around.  This time, each of the 3 boys made friends with surrounding families and spent most of their day scattered about playing with others.  It was an odd feeling.  Is this the end of the era where mom and dad provided all their entertainment?

Oliver has always enjoyed digging in the sand.  

Carter found several starfish.  

Doesn't William look so much older?  

Oliver dipping his toes in the cold water.  

As soon as school let out for summer, we went to Florida and spent almost 2 weeks there.

 We didn't do the theme parks this year.  Instead, we focused on the smaller things.  We spent quality time with my parents.  The kids became little fish in their pool swimming nearly every day we were there.  We visited with friends.  They got to play with a puppy, hang out in a chicken coop and pet goats.  They got to ride a child's motorcycle.  We visited a Florida beach and they were amazed at the warm temperature of the water.  We took them to St. Augustine and we went to the restaurant that Beau took me to just prior to proposing to me.  We ate good bbq and had real sweet tea.  Ollie got his icee from Sonic (yes, this was on his must-do list).  They experienced their first real thunderstorm as we were caught in it at Disney Springs.  The lightning was so close to us the hairs on my neck stood up.  It was terrifying for them.  We took Ollie to visit various places from his childhood and the hospital where he was born so he could make his very own adoption scrapbook.  We went to Spring Park and walked along the pier.  We visited with family in Daytona and had a great time with them at Chuck E Cheese.  We seriously didn't do anything major.  Together, we just enjoyed the small distractions from our normal chaotic life.

School starts this Thursday and my to-do list is just as long as when summer began.  The basement is actually worse than it was in June.  The camping gear is spread all over the place in various locations.  My flower beds are full of weeds.  The boys did manage to complete their math packets.  One of the two boys completed their reading assignment.  One boy seems to have forgotten his times tables and I have spent the last two weeks following him around the house quizzing him.  I was so obsessed with him re-learning his times tables before school began that I actually found myself following him to the bathroom.....to which he replied, "Really Mom?"  Carter didn't learn his times tables because I never brought out the flash cards so I could work with him.   But, we did have lots of play dates with friends, pool parties, birthday parties, riding bikes, VBS, playing with neighborhood friends, soccer practices, camps, cooking out, hiking, brotherly bonding, swimming in a lake, and fun family trips.

Beaver Brook Association put together a fun day of activities and eclipse viewing.  

 So teachers, I sincerely apologize now.  My kids brains are mush.  But, they are filled with lots of fun memories that I hope will last a lifetime.  Please have mercy on them when school begins.  It's not their fault. Their slacker mom is to blame.