Back to School

Yesterday I realized that school starts in one week.  I knew that it started on the 12th - I just (for some strange reason) had no idea that the 12th was in one week!  We were at the library when I made the discovery and it felt like I was falling into a dark hole.  I know that sounds super dramatic - but it is the best way to explain it.  I started crying - for real!  My heart was racing; I couldn't breath.  I am not ready for summer to be over.  I had no idea this was our last week of summer - there was so much I still wanted to do.

I love having my children home.  Love it.  As I walked through the library I wondered if I HAD to send them; what if I home schooled?  What if I just sent them a few weeks later?  I know they have to go - but why??  Our summer has been good.  Actually, I think we kind of rocked it.  We got a great chore chart and school work chart going that the kids liked, supported, and did happily.  We had very little screen time, spent at least 80% of our time outside, and went swimming at least twice a week.  Besides, many of the things I wanted to do I ended up consciously deciding not to do.  I really wanted to go to the zoo and an amusement park - but at the end of the day - the kids didn't really care to go and it just wasn't worth the money.  I had intended on doing more hiking - but I think I will save them for next summer when Maddie is just a little older.  But regardless of my feelings of regret that the summer is over; the truth is we spent it just the way we wanted.  Our mornings were slow, unrushed, but for the most part productive.  The boys learned to help more around the house (that was my one summer goal - teach them to clean - and we totally accomplished that) and the boys made great strides in their school work.  The best part of  the summer, in my opinion, was the neighborhood friends.  I have learned something about myself this summer.  I love having children in my home.  Not just my children, all children.  I love having hordes of children running in and out of the door - I love the sound of my front and back doors opening and shutting with the sounds of screams, laughter, and little feet following.  I love them running around with dress-ups on, swords, squirt guns, and baby dolls tucked under their arms.  I love it. 

I hate the thought of the boys being at school all day.  It is so long.  I have loved having Noah home while the girls napped.  I know that it will be nice to be alone while the girls nap and have a few hours everyday to myself - but it also represents a stage of my life ending, and that is always sad. 

With that being said, about 2 years ago I made a promise to myself that I was going to love every stage of motherhood and live IN THAT stage and not morn the one that just ended.  Each stage has its challenges and rewards and each stage can be great if we just embrace it and love it.  This is a great stage.  The girls have never just had me to themselves.  Madison has never not had to pick someone up from kindergarten - so she has never really had great morning outings.  This will be great.  In three years I will be writing a much similar post, but it will much more dramatic and much more fatalistic.  It will be one week away from all of them being in school.  And while the thought of it makes my heart stop a little.  I already know that it will be great.  It will be a new phase, and we will thrive in it, just like we have thrived in all the others.  Plus, we always have next summer.

Boating

As mentioned in a previous post, my parents bought a boat about a month after we moved to Denver.  So one of the days the whole family went up to Pine View to play on the beach and do some boating.

 

It was a beautiful day.  The kids loved the beach (the sand there is perfect).  They spent a lot of time perfecting their sand castles.

The beachers: my mom, Michael, and Katie.

 

My kids watch Brad and Audrey tube.

 

It took a lot of convincing to get Brock on the tube - but he finally did it (he does not love stuff like this).

 

All the grandkids. 

Sam, Noah, Brock, Brad, Audrey, Megan (holding Eddie), and Madison

Us.

 

Us Being silly

 

The boys

 

On the way home from boating we stopped by my friend Jess' house for a house "cooling" party.  They are our good friends from our collage days (they lived right under us in our apartment) they have decided to sell everything and travel the country in their airstream trailer.  They have 3 kids and Sam works from home.  They are amazing and not weird (as one might think).  This has been a great thing for their family.  Anyways, they had a going away party and we all got to come and take things from their house we wanted.  It was awesome.  It was sad to say good bye but I am so excited for them.  They have a great blog - if you are interested, check them out.  Currently Wandering  its even a cooler title because their last name is Curren :)

Downtown

So, I had a list as long as my arm of things I wanted to go do in Utah.  My plan was to go on at least one, if not two outings everyday.  I had about 20 people I wanted to see.  I had the whole  thing planned out.  Then 2 days into our vacation my children rebelled.  They did not want to go anywhere.  They just wanted to hang out at grandma's house with their cousins.  They didn't want to be in the car.  They didn't want to meet friends at outings.  They wanted to just be with me - or with their cousins.  I was crushed, heart broken, and devastated.  Seriously.  It sounds extreme - but I was looking forward to this vacation all year too.  There were things I REALLY wanted to do.  But they didn't.  After a day of trying to convince them I acquiesced.  We spent the next 7 days doing exactly what they wanted to do... nothing.  Well, nothing to me, but it was everything to them.  We played with cousins, took bike rides, went on short outings (less than 10 minutes in the car) and they got my full attention.  While it was fun, I felt our fun summer I had planned slipping away.  After the week of "nothing" I knew we HAD to go to temple square.  I (and they) would regret it when we got home if we didn't. 

 

They agreed.  And since we were going downtown they also agreed to go to Discovery Gateway (after all, I had gone out of my way to buy a pass to the Denver museum and get a Colorado drivers license so we could go to all of our favorite places for free - and we hadn't used it once).

 

 

So we spent one morning down town.  We left my mom's early.  We parked on the street above the conference center (because it is free) - walked down to the trax station, rode trax to Discovery Gateway, and then rode trax back to temple square, walked around temple square, and then walked back up the hill to the car.  We had done this trip several times when we lived in Utah, but this was the first time we did it with out a stroller.  I was a little nervous because it was A LOT of walking and A LOT of crossing busy intersections - but I felt we could do it.  They did awesome - no complaining, no running, always held hands through intersections, very obedient.  It was a glimpse into the next phase of my life - having all kids and no toddlers - it is a world I think I will like.

 

Discovery Gateway was as fun as always.

 

They had a new Bob the Builder exhibit.  Noah would have been in heaven 2 years ago.  It is sad when you realize your child has grown out of interests.  But... he still looks pretty happy.

Every time we have been to DG my kids have wanted to go in the hurricane machine.  But of course I have never been willing to pay the $2.00.  Well, some parents had paid for their 3 year old to do it and she started screaming, they took her out and told my kids they could go in and finish.  They were THRILLED and loved every minute of it.

 

Waiting for the train.  This is where I felt the most anxiety.  Noah likes to push every line - both literally and figuratively and that yellow line was more than he could bear.  In times past I have the girls buckled into the stroller and only have to worry about the boys.  We missed the train so we had to sit there for 15 minutes.  It was torture for all of us - Noah was going to have a mental break down if he had to stare at that line on more minute without crossing it.  It was like it was mocking him, just begging him to cross it.

As you can see he often had to at LEAST put his hand across.  He inevitably ended up in time-out in the middle of the island divider (thank heavens).

 

On the train.

 

Temple Square - my heaven on earth.  I remember going as a teenager and watching parents bring their children - I knew, even at 16, I wanted to bring my kids here a lot.  I am glad they love it as much as I do. 

All I wanted was a cute picture of the 5 of us.  It was more than they were able to give.  They are so selfish sometimes :)

 

I am glad out of all the things I wanted to go do this is the one we actually did.  I never did get to see most for my friends - I ended up having to choose and I guess it is never a bad thing to choose your kids.