What They're Up To

Summer is coming to an end. Even though the grass turns more brown by the day (not sure anyone remembers the last time we saw rain) and the heat is tiring which means the season is still around, all the signs of its close are here. Schools in the area start next week. The pools will be closed except on weekends for a couple of more weeks. Fall and winter clothes are replacing swimsuits in the stores. Pretty soon all we’ll hear about is pumpkin flavoring everything you can possibly put in your mouth. Summer is winding down.

And is has flown. I keep wondering where the last three months disappeared to. Mostly, I think, they were spent here:

 At the pool with it’s splash park about a mile down the street. Emry had her swimming lessons there and every week we walk or Grandma picks us up two or three times to wile away an houror so. Honestly, I’m sad it’s closing. The kids love it.

And there was dance lessons.

Those were for six weeks and will start up again in a couple of weeks, this time until December when the session will end with a show. Emry is matter-of-factly excited about all that.

Of course, there were endless hours spent playing outdoors, bathed in bug spray. We think our neighbor’s backyard eco-system is the culprit of the multitude of mosquitoes in our backyard. (No, they’re not green…they simply never mow their backyard.) Still, the kids have fun. And there were times at Grandma and Grandpa’s eating (I mean picking) blueberries and just, generally, having fun. Because that’s what you’re supposed to do at Grandma and Grandpa’s. 

This summer Ethan’s vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds. He can count well, knows his shapes and his colors. His wardrobe has consisted of two shirts, both with Spiderman on them, leaving me to figure out how to get them washed before they are permanently fixed upon his skin. He’s adjusted to a room of his own and “big” bed with only a couple of nightly tumbles to the floor. And we finally found a vegetable he’ll eat: carrots.

Emry has progressed greatly in her reading. She breezes through her sight words and sounds out other short words quite well. She has nearly completed her Kindergarten phonics book and so we have decided we’ll just start Kindergarten in September with penmanship, math, phonics, reading and extra things. She has turned into a little fish in the water, which is fun to watch. She puts away her own clothes, cleans up her room before getting up from her rest time and is forever telling Ethan exactly how their games should be played. Lately she prefaces every question with, “Mama, can I ask you something?” I have no idea why.

So, even though I can’t say our summer was exciting, it has certainly been busy. As it comes to a close, the busyness will just come along with us into the fall. But at least it will be cooler. I really can’t wait to wear jeans and long sleeved shirts again!