Out of the Swimming Pool and into the Car Pool

Well, it has happened. I for one would like to offer up a trade. We will trade this week for a week to be named later. Can I place this week on the DL list? For which I might have to call up a week from the farm team. I keep hearing, sung softly in the background... the party is over. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

Since having children in school, the end of Summer Vacation, had usually evoked such joyous feelings that it is almost frightening. For the end this year to be so sad, is remarkable. Usually there is parties, with champagne, to celebrate the passing of vacation to school. The kids are out of my hair, life is good.

This year as I step from the swimming pool and jump back into the car pool, I am sad. Could it be that my baby is starting preschool and well, is no longer a baby? I put that transition off for as long as I could, I even moved to a different state so she could stay home for a year longer.

Could it be that we actually had a fantabulous summer? California was awesome, such a good time. Connecticut was the bomb freakin' diggidy. I was so nice to see cousins, friends and family. The pool was super great. The kids, for the most part, were really good, and we all had so much fun just hanging out. No schedules, no need to be a this place by this time. If you don't want to get dressed don't.

Could it be that if summer is over, time has passed and my husband is still unemployed? I do not look forward to a winter with him unemployed. Last winter was not so good. It makes me nervous to over-winter with him unemployed.

Could it be that if summer is over, the winter is coming?

Perhaps as in all good multipule choice tests, it is all of the above. We have had a wonderful summer, and I am sorry to see it end. But with every ending there is a new beginning, we will have new teachers, which we know nothing about. There will be new kids in the classes, does this mean new friends? There is a lot of possibility. With possibility comes uncertainty, and that uncertainty makes me nervous.

For today, we will party like it is the last day of summer. We will save you a shady seat deck side.

We waited....

I learned a lesson while waiting. That bad things happen so you can appreciate the good and joyful things in your life.

The first 2 weeks were a bit like vacation. We hung out, went to the pool and various museums. We checked stuff out. It was ok, kinda lonely, but ok.

Then school started, and it got crazy. Driving the kids to school basically blows. It is super tiring, and by the end of the week, I am pooped. But, we go through Mac's first day, without any problems. Then it was Sam's turn. We drove to the house, parked and started walking, and low and behold a bus drove by and asked us if we would like a ride. Wonders never cease, since we hadn't talked about it Sam wasn't into it. The next day he rode the bus. He liked it. He liked it so much he decided that he should ride it home to, when his teacher told him no, he freaked. When he saw me he threw the mother of all temper tantrums. Of course this was in front of the entire school, where all the parents are in line to pick up their kids, all the teachers and the principal are out there. I ended up having to carry him, while he was screaming, "you are hurting me," to the car. It was lovely. He screamed until 4:30, so for an hour.

The next day, the nurse pulled the kids from gym because our forms said CT on them and not IL. Mac went into a tail spin about this. He cried and hit me because I didn't turn the forms in. He told me all the kids were going to hate him and think he was stupid.... it was lovely, and against the law.

The next day was Friday... got the forms in, got the kids situated... all seemed well again. WRONG. Tuesday morning some kids tried to hit my kids with rocks...then Sam go hit by a bike. I was not impressed.

By the end of the week we saw the movers move the people out of our new house, and we think we see the light at the end of the tunnel. (it might be a train!)

But as we went through all of this stress, Hannah and I sang songs and jumped over cracks while the boys were in school. Spending time with her and her mostly unflappably happy attitude certainly helped make things seem like they might actually be better. I truly enjoyed her. Without the bad, I might have missed these moments with her.