Summer!! I love berries. I love sun. I love zucchini and yellow squash and farmers' markets. I love boys whose naps match. I can deal with 80-95 degree weather, especailly now that we have air conditioning. I love Graham outside running around talking to the bees, checking on the frog in our sprinkler box, and calling me over to watch him eat a pea pod. I love Caleb's chubby little legs kicking as speckles of sun break through the shadows of the aspens. I don't love weeding, but I did get a little done today. And pat got some done yesterday. Summer, please stay.
Our tickets to see Wait Wait Don't Tell Me ("the oddly informative news quiz") just arrived in the mail. I am really excited - I am a fan of Carl Kassel and I get a huge kick out of their approach to the weekly news. I'm looking forward to actually seeing the show that I've only heard so many times until now.
Caleb has successfully taken a bottle two consecutive nights in a row - go Pat! We have a lot of time to make up for, and I'm so thankful for my husband's willingness to get up in the middle of the night. (I guess I feel like it's just part of life for me to have to feed Caleb - the milk comes from my body after all - so when Pat sacrifices his sleep to feed him, I really feel like he's taking one for the team (especially if you know how hard Pat sleeps).)
Graham starts at Montessori school on September 6. That's my first week back at work, so it will be a good start for both of us. Actually his first day is August 31, for a two hour orientation session. He will attend 4 days, and I think I'm going to be able to work my schedule out so I can pick him up by 4 every day. I'm looking forward to seeing how he grows and learns in this new environment.
Caleb also starts daycare on September 6. I think we'll just do a short day that first day. Let him get the hang of things ... eating, sleeping, pooping - you know ... Technically I don't work on Tuesdays, but I'm planning to go in for a short day to ease myself into the routine (and so I don't just spend the day missing Caleb and Graham).
Oh! Over the past couple of months we have been insanely busy. It's really nice to have a few days back at home to find quiet and rhythm again. For the curious (and so I can look back in a few months when I wonder where the summer went), here's a short snippet:
- April 26 - Caleb's arrival! Mom came within 2 days of his arrival to help out - thanks Mom!
- May 20-22 - Andrew & Lauren in town
- June 10-13 - Wisconsin for a long weekend - family wedding and Pat's parents' 40th anniversary.
- June 16-20 - Mom comes to visit, and Andrew & Lauren in town, co-hosted wedding shower on Saturday.
- July 1-4 - Boise with Andrew & Lauren
- July 12 - Cousin Caitlin arrives ... to do life with us and help out for a couple of weeks.
- July 19 - Cousin Brittany arrives to spend a couple of days before the wedding.
- July 20-24 - The girls all head to Seattle with Caleb & Graham - Pat arrives on Friday.
- July 23 - Andrew and Lauren get married in one of the most BEautiful ceremonies I've been a part of. If you want more info, see these links: video / friend's blog post
- July 28 - Caitlin leaves :(
- August 9-14 - I drove to Boise on Tuesday with the boys and Lazslow. Pat flew in Friday morning, and Andrew & Lauren flew in Friday night. Mom hosted a great reception on Saturday evening.
- August 17-21 - SunRiver, OR with friends. A relaxing trip - lots of kids, lots of laughs, and great moments of authenticity.
So you can see, it's good to be home, and I think it will feel really nice to return to work. Routine is comfortable to me. Finding it will be interesting, but I do see God's grace in the timing (such as those listed before the list above). And really, could we have planned it any better? What a great time to have maternity leave! I've been out of work for the entire summer - May through August, and I return to work the same day school starts again. And I was able to spend several days touring my cousins around our fair and wonderful city and surroundings - one of my favorite things to do. I do feel a bit of sovereignty coming in here.
Sharing a few pics to highlight our summer ...
