Farewell Summer

This blogger world is something else.  It's addictive and humbling and fun and educational and inspirational and...did I already say addictive?  Way back when I composed my first post, encouraged by my brother because he always gets a kick out of my stories and my writing of Christmas letters, I thought I could never have time to actually get to my computer daily to record events, much less weekly.  I did what I could with a few consecutive posts and then a few long breaks in between.  It was a fun and easy way to keep my family updated, and a good platform for me to journal and sometimes vent. 

Peaches that turned into sliced, canned peaches, jam and jelly.  Ben helped me peel and mash.  (He was in trouble, so he was the only one inside...I found that good conversation can happen over making jelly.  Now...I hope he remembers everything I said.)  This event made me realize that summer really IS almost over.

Then...then I started reading a few other blogs of friends and then of total strangers.  On occasion I would write about an event that involved a friend and share the link with them.  And THEN...a handful of friends began checking out my blog and suddenly I had an audience, albeit a small audience, but still, an audience.  I adimantly stated and repeated to myself what the sole purpose of my blog was intended for..."I write for me...to preserve my memories, and not for anyone or to anyone else."  This was important and relevant because I didn't ever write to make a point to anyone else...and I still don't, but all of a sudden, I find myself eager to sit down and create a post to share, because someone is waiting for an update...someone is interested in my life or my family or my opinion, the same way I am about someone else's. 

My frequent view while I'm making dinner...during the "witching hour". 

It's kind of a rush sometimes, which more often than not results in a wonderfully preserved memory.  It is such a wonderful way to release my creativity, my love of my family and my expressions of opinions, feelings and thoughts.  Perfect...until my day revolves around blogging.  I often get caught feeling like "If I don't get this recorded and posted, I'll lose it...it'll never get recorded".  And then there is:  "Oh no...what will so and so think of me now that I posted that???"  Or even worse:  the feeling of "needing" to see what is going on in the lives of those other bloggers.  Must...connect...need...blogger.  "Oh brother!!!  What have I started??"  

Today's rain and wonderful but drastic weather change:  just another reminder that fall is creeping in quickly!

In a perfect world I would have a selective photographic memory to allow me to instantly pull up all those images of my most beautiful seven children and amazing husband.  Of the cute things they say and the meaningful things that they do...of the priceless times we share and fabulous things we create and experience and those around us that we share and create with.  I would be able to recall all of the thoughts that I have about everything important to me and even those minimally important things.  But I don't have that memory.  In fact, some days I can't even remember what I walked in a room to get until I leave and then come back just to forget again!!!

New haircut in anticipation of a new year of school!  A nice change from the relative of cousin Itt that was under that mop just minutes ago!

I really do enjoy this blogger world.  That being said, I also recognize the invisible internal magnet that draws me to my computer more than frequently throughout the day.  Being that I am a girl of many good intentions and that I'm really good at making new resolutions to maximize my precious time with my most glorious gifts from God, I resolve today to check or compose blog posts only at times that are silent in my home...times that I am not needed elsewhere for more important things like wiping little bottoms or reading "Goodnight Moon" for the 12th time or having tea with the resident princess or supervising a cooking experiment or recapping a day in the life of a third grader.  Summer has gone all too fast.  I literally feel like I blinked and it was gone.  Yesterday I was picking Jakob up from school and gingerly driving him to the ER with a broken arm and today I am mourning the last night of summer vacation!

This is what happens in the summer...they GROW!!  Oh please stop that growing already!!!  Was he really once my baby?

I could go on and on and on because I have that much to write about.  I will instead let pictures tell a few stories of the happenings in and around our family in the last week and hope that I've captured enough to preserve the important memories.  With this new resolution, I understand that I may have to resort to occasional long posts to cover the periods of time when it is not quiet in my house, and hope that there will be more frequent, consistent posts allowed because I do have that time of respite.  (This is only one of my resolutions, but that is another post!  I feel it is wiser to make resolutions in August rather than January!)

We drove 4 1/2 hours to Lake McConaughy to meet my family and get Mathilda.  She wrapped up the summer stay schedule with Grandma and Grandpa.  They have had one of our children almost non-stop for nearly 2 months! What kind of crazy people drive 9 hours for a 4 hour day at the lake?  We do, and we'd do it again too! 

How many great grandparents would come sit on the sand for 2 hours just to watch their grandkids play in the water??  I am humbled purely by their love for our family.

My cousin Peggy joined us for the afternoon.  She's an empty nester now, so our brood was entertaining for her. 

Just cute...

Enough said.

A very serious conversation with Great Grandpa.  I'm so glad my kids get this time with them!

It is truly priceless.

Someday, all seven of them will look at the same time!  Nah!!

In celebration of summer...and to gracefully say goodbye, we had a mid-week movie night...the "real" kind with movie candy AND popcorn.

This truly never gets old.

Concessions for all I guess.  :)

Farewell summer...it seems you just arrived, only to slip away so quickly.  We're eager for fall and all the fun changes it brings, but we'll savor your last warm days and take advantage of lazy evenings for as long as we can, and we'll look forward to your arrival again!