Almost summer vacation

We are finally in the last week of school.  Harry no longer has homework and Robert is looking forward to his preschool celebration on Friday.  Both boys will be taking trips toward the future this week. Robert will be eating lunch in the cafeteria with the kindergartners and Harry will be going over to be introduced to the middle school.  Sometimes I look at them and wonder, how they have grown so big.  They are quite self sufficient and so capable these days.

Yesterday our god-babies and their Mom just left after a lovely 3 day visit.  They turned 2 while they were here and it was very nice to get to share their special day.  We didn't do anything over the top, but had cupcakes and they got some gifts.  It was such fun to see them and hear them and get to know them as toddlers, since the last time we saw them they were just over 5 months old.  Now they are walking and talking and have their own personalities.

This week Harry doesn't have homework and has various special activities at school.  Robert and his class are preparing for his preschool celebration on Friday.  After school time has been relaxed and gone away from our regular schedule.  Sometimes this isn't a good thing, but so far this week it has been just fine.  The bonds of school life are loosening as we prepare ourselves for a summer of different activities and routines.

I look forward to summer, but there are many more pulls on me and my time in the summer.  The regular parts of my job (laundry, meals, cleaning, childcare, etc.) are all present but there is more of most of them and especially child care.  I enjoy it and the special things we can do.  Living near the beach means we have outlets that many others can only wish for, but sometimes the summer is exhausting.  I need to get into a casual mindset.  This week is sort of a segue into that.  I also have 2 little boys (and one mama) who do better with at least a skeleton schedule.  So I have to keep that in mind and sort of add that into the laid back summer lifestyle.

The idea of lazy days of summer, hasn't been a reality in our house.  But I doubt that is true in many homes with children.  Still as the boys get older maybe we'll see more of that.  They are busy boys and like to be doing and experiencing things.  At the same time, we are all happier if we eat and sleep around the same time each day.  So now we sometimes do some of that on the go and since we'll be traveling this summer, the places and things we eat will be different.  For all the need for schedule, the boys seem to do okay if they have been warned that schedules will be different and so we have begun warning them.

So watch out summer, here we come.  Please bring us sunny days and new experiences and help us love each other through the changes of place that we are bound to experience.