Summertime Fun

I remember those days when "summer schedule" revolved around outdoor concerts and wine in the parks; mojito nights on roof top patios; long, after dinner strolls at sunset; sleeping in... Lots of sleeping in because I was a teacher, and I got the summer off, and I didn't have any children to wake me. 😌

Now, years later, our summer revolves around Evie's schedule.
 It's all about her camps, her activities, her playdates.
The boys just tag along for the ride and get shuffled here and there to pick her up and drop her off.

However, they seem perfectly happy and enjoy just being included in the ride. So, while Evie is out and about doing her thing, the boys and I have spent these gorgeous summer mornings exploring, digging, and playing.

And, most importantly, swinging.

They love to swing.
They could swing
      and swing
           and swing.

 During those long mornings at the park when I am pushing all three of them ("higher...higher...higher!!") I've started to use those moments to speak into them who I know they are and can be.

With every push, I say something along the lines of,
James, you are happy. 
     Caleb,You are kind. 
            Levi, You are smart.
You are all so special and loved." 

They love it.
 They smile and giggle, and I know these beautiful words of truth are penetrating their souls.
It's simple.
It adds more meaning to the moments on the swing.
And it adds even more purpose to my activity.
I've been trying to incorporate more intentional, positive affirmations into my time with them.
I'm taking my full time job of being a parent more seriously these days as I've witnessed the immense power words have. One word-one tone- can completely build up or completely discourage.

 

The kids are all so different, yet I know who they can become.

Even how they wake in the morning  gives me insight into who they are and what I need to speak to gently guide them.

Caleb will greet each day exclaiming that the sun is up and it is day! He is joyful, dancing and enthusiastic about being alive.

James, on the other hand, literally rolls out of bed onto the floor wrapped up in a big knot of messy blankets, groaning.

His eyes are tightly closed and he is angry and disappointed it is time to get out of bed. Usually some snuggles and some soft blankets get him out of his morning funk.

Levi is unpredictable. He's not super joyful ,but not a total grump. He is influenced largely by the moods of those around him, especially those of his sister.

And then there is Evie.
 She should be incredibly thrilled to wake each day.
After all, her day is filled with friends, field trips (and face paint).

To end the school year, Evie's class put on a little circus performance, something in which they prepared for and rehearsed for months. Evie was very excited about it.

 It was a big culminating activity, and the school even had a professional face painter come  paint all the kids' faces for the show.

She was a surfing monkey in the circus

On the day of the show, John, Kennedy and all the brothers were there to cheer her on.
However, the minute she got on stage, she completely froze.
Like deer in head lights froze.
All the other smiling kids were singing the practiced songs and enthusiastically dancing around the stage. She literally just stood there doing nothing with a blank look on her face.
 John and I didn't know how to react.
 Part of us was annoyed. Was she doing this on purpose?
Part of us felt sorry for her. Poor thing is totally nervous.
                      But mostly, we were perplexed.

Fast forward to a month later. Fourth of July! This year was just the best Fourth of July we ever had with the kids.

Lake Oswego parade

 After a day of parades, we ended the night at our neighborhood party.  Everyone was in the spirit of merriment, dancing to the live music, eating BBQ, drinking Sangria, and socializing.... And then there was Evie! 
When she heard the 70s dance music coming from the stage, she seemed to not be able to help herself; she moved right in front of the stage, and danced her little heart out with total abandon. I mean, John and I stood there in complete awe.
Was this the little girl totally frozen on stage just a month ago? 

Now she danced, uncaring of what anyone thought around her. She seemed to be loving every minute. She was hot, sweaty and would come over to us every ten minutes or so, red faced and in desperate need of water.
So, we let her dance!
And we danced!
The boys danced!
and we had such a wonderful time!
I never saw the kids so sticky, greasy, and grimy as they were by the end of the day on the Fourth of July.

Only a true party can cause this much dirt

Waiting for candy 

Still waiting for candy

Earlier in the day,  we decorated our own bikes and wagons and participated in our neighborhood tradition of parading through our streets. John pulled Caleb and James in the wagon.  Caleb, after seeing a drumming group in the parade earlier in the morning, decided he was going to bring his little drum along and bang it  as we proceeded down the street.
 He did get many cheers, which only fueled his passion.

 I am always so excited about this parade tradition until we hit about half way through the mile loop around our street in the oppressive July heat of 4 pm.

Too hot

Our celebrating continued at a neighbor friend's cul de sac where we lit smoke bombs and sparklers to the delight of all our children.
We then finished the evening rockin out at the neighborhood party.

We are in the thick of summer now.
School is a distant memory.

Last day photo

We've been doing a lot of outings as a family on the weekends, like train shows, train rides and train parks!

Never too many trains! 

There has been a fair share of cheeseburgers and ice cream too!

A Plan to Not have a Plan

The following blog entry will be published in the Tualatin Newspaper in August:😄

I have a confession to make: Summers make me nervous.

I haven’t always felt this way; but since having four young kids, I shutter at the thought of having completely open days for weeks and weeks. 

So cute and innocent, right?!!

In my former life, aka before kids,  I was a teacher, so naturally I thrive on some semblance of plan and practice. I love the rhythms of school, activity and routine. Summers are without that cadence or vision; I spend many evenings scanning the internet for free kid-friendly events around town, anything to pass these long, hot, unstructured expanses of time.

Most of the time, my attempt at filling the day with structure turns out  differently than how I pictured and planned it in my mind. 

Crafts fall apart; cookie batter ends up everywhere; sticky bubble bottles overturned; I end up disappointed and irritated, still trying to figure out what to do with my kids. 

Recently, I had an afternoon with my three sons. We ended up at our favorite local park, Tualatin Community Park, otherwise known as “the train park” by my locomotive obsessed boys. 

They request this particular park a lot, mostly due to the exciting possibility that a train might pass through. Flashing gates, a blaring train whistle and the rumble of the the steel tracks  is just about the most exhilarating event that my boys could witness in an afternoon. 

On this beautiful day, the boys and I wandered around as they waited for a train to pass through. In the meantime, they discovered big branches and sticks, dug holes in dirt piles, and marveled at forest inhabitants. 

Show me your muscles!

We had no plan or objective,  but my boys seemed to be amused, and the anticipation of a train whistle was all they needed to contently wander this park. 

We soon found our way over to the boat launch. On a nice day there is a lot of action on this steep decline into the water. My boys were fascinated by the variety of kayaks, inner tubes, floating devices, dogs (and even a drone!) that entered and exited the water from this spot. They waved to all the people, and we all made small talk on this pleasant afternoon. 

Looking at the sky (and then at my phone) I wondered anxiously how I was going to fill this day. 

My boys began poking at the water with big sticks, totally captivated by the ripples they created.  Pulling up seaweed on the tips of their sticks, they excitedly exclaimed that they caught a fish! 

Getting deeper...

They giggled when their toes touched the cool water of the river; gaining confidence, they bravely ventured closer and closer to its edge. 

Muddy waters...

One of my sons reached down and from the beneath the murky water yanked up a big mound of muddy gravel.  

As his discovery dripped through his fingers, he turned around, beamed at me proudly and exclaimed, “Look Mom, sand mud!” 

Mud and more mud

The “sand mud” soon became mud balls, which soon became a mud tower, and suddenly my boys were hip deep in the Tualatin river, completely enchanted by their world around them. 

River fun

My first responsible reasonable mothering instinct was to halt this messy playtime and encourage them to do something less muddy and wet. However, something in me today felt at ease and delighted in what I was witnessing. 

I didn’t stop them as they began to take off their sandals. I stood amused as they began to build mud castles on the bank. 

I didn’t stop them because I suddenly realized that this was in fact the plan I needed. 

They were absolutely absorbed in their little piece of earth, exploring, enjoying and creating. 

My boys reminded me of something on this day; the world is simply fascinating, more fascinating than an organized craft time at my kitchen table. 

Embracing now that we have fully committed to an afternoon of river water and mud, I simply sat back and took in every marvelous muddy moment. 

This summer, I am learning that the best things in life often times are  unplanned….and messy!

Letting go of my expectations and simply living in the moment made me realize that life’s best memories can happen in between the plans.

 That afternoon by the Tualatin river, watching my sons’ delight, turned out to be one of my best days with them. 

Yes, we were dirty, and stinky; my van still smells like swamp water!  But driving home that day I looked in my rearview mirror at three giggling, partially naked boys who were very very happy.