Last Days of Summer

Today marks the last official day of summer before school starts. As difficult as some days this summer have been, I'm mourning the loss of another carefree summer. Those who know me know how much I utterly enjoy the warm days summer has to offer (minus those pesky mosquitoes). The times when I can sleep in (that is, until Riley wakes me up to start the day at 8. I know, I know, I should be grateful she lets me sleep in at all!), the times when we can be lazy and start the day around 9:30. The days when we can grill and enjoy s'mores on the deck. The days when Kool-Aid Popsicles are the one thing the kids enjoy more than anything. The days when I filled up the kiddie pool with water and the kids spent hours in there. The days when we lost track of time at the parks or playing with our neighbors.

I look back on these times and already miss them. Sure our summer was busier than it's ever been. We spent time this year:

*at the zoo 3 times
*up in Wisconsin visiting my cousin and her kids
*at a family reunion
*attending T-ball games, soccer practice, swimming lessons and ice skating practice
*checking out numerous parks
*partaking in the library's summer reading program
*visiting with my brother and sis-in-law
*attending neighbor nights and BBQs
*meeting up with friends for morning playdates at the park
*swimming at the neighbor's house or the water park

And that's just what I can remember. I'm already mourning the last year I'll have with just my boy at home. True, he goes to preschool 3x a week, but I'll still have him at home for a bulk of the day.

What helps is that Riley is beyond excited to start school tomorrow. She said tonight that she needs to get plenty of rest because she has school and then soccer practice tomorrow night. To which Jeremy told her that he's really going to miss her, and then he gave her a hug. *sigh* It's times like those (and not when they're fighting or screaming or being mean to each other) that breaks my heart. This summer was difficult for the two of them in the beginning to get along--J is used to having my undivided attention, and then Riley comes along and now *gasp* he has to share me! And I think that it was a wake-up call for Riley because now Jeremy doesn't necessarily want to do everything she wants him to, and he's not afraid to tell her.

I will miss these carefree days. But I cannot wait to see what fun and exciting things are in store for the kids this school year. Just remind me of that in a few weeks when we're into the swing of things.

Summer at Mom and Dad's with the bro and sis-in-law.
Longer post about their visit to come one of these days,
you know, after I stop getting all sappy and emotional about school. :)