This was the first summer we went to the family cabin, and I wasn't fearful that one of my children might drown. Two of the three children are swimming well, and the 3rd is smart enough (and fearful enough) to always want his life jacket on. I could truly relax. I could sit on the deck and look out onto the lake, as my oldest maneuvered his way into the rowboat for a morning of solitary fishing. I laughed at my middle confidently working the kayak out into the middle of the lake and then getting mentally suck and needing me to come out and talk him through it and back to shore.
There were moments this summer when I was all alone, quiet in the house because all three boys were out and about: in the woods, playing basketball in the shop, racing the sprinklers through the garden, or giving themselves hippie mud treatments.
This was also the first summer my husband didn't work an extra, odd job, or work on a house project! This was also glorious. Summer was ours to fill. We filled it with mid-week camping trips. Did you know you can have an entire campground to yourself if you go on a Wednesday? We went on spontaneous beach excursions! Being a native Oregonian, I forget that the Oregon beach is actually warm and sunny and should be visited more often in August. It is way cheaper than Hawaii and just as nice.
The last sign that we did summer well, is that we are all really ready for the next season and for school. I mean, we all wish we had just a little more time, but deep down I know seasons are only good when they don't last forever and when you get a chance to miss them and wish them back. A schedule will be good. It is time for their brains to reengage and be pushed to the next level. They are missing their school friends, and excited for new teachers. There is something to be loved about September: the yellow school buses, school yard noise, cooler mornings, and fresh apple/pear crisp. We are ready for fall.
Its all good.
