Why can't summer last forever? by Audrey and Claire

July was great. We stayed at Nanie and Papa's - swimming in their pool, eating all their jelly, and raiding their garden. We went to the beach - sometimes just us girls, sometimes with Daddy, sometimes with friends, often with dolphins. We went to Knott's Berry Farm. We stayed home making costumes for ourselves and jewelry for our toys. We took our baths together, plus a million toys and several cups of sand, usually. We fell asleep with books on our faces (just Audrey, actually). We stuck out our tongues every time mom got out the camera (just Claire, actually). We said goodbye to Wormy the beetle, but that was not a good day. We learned that sisters can give piggy back rides. We refused to do the workbooks mom bought us even though she offered $2 for each one we finished. We ate green beans right off the vine in our own garden. We went to the library for crafts and all the books we could carry. We made popsicles every day. We saw Marmaduke at the theater and can't stop repeating the fart joke: "Wait for it, wait for it..." We wish it could be summer all the time.




























Why can't summer last forever? by Melissa
It's a wonderful time having 7 and 4 year old daughters who like to play together and are learning to help around the house. They also sleep in pretty late (for kids), and if their dad doesn't get up and give them food they eat bread or just wait - so I stay in bed until I'm bored. Both girls finished the summer reading program and got their free tickets to Legoland - tickets that are not exactly free considering an adult admission must be purchased for each child - but we wanted to go there anyway. It's a joy visiting my parents - I love the hot weather and the familiarity of Hemet. Audrey had her hair cut to her shoulders and it was all I could do not to save the 5 inches that were chopped off - she looks so grown up. Claire is dropping her nap and it is not as inconvenient as I expected - kind of nice not to have to get home and put her to bed in the middle of the day - but a bit tricky at 7 pm when she is weepy and exhausted.

Well, I'm rambling like a mother. I love having all this free time with the girls, but I still lose my mind right around dinner time - so much hard work and patience are required every day. While they are playing I am cooking, cleaning, driving, doing laundry, dishes and all that other stuff that isn't so entertaining. Sometimes they help, sometimes they just have to wait until I am finished. Mostly we are trying to cram in as much fun as possible before Audrey starts 2nd grade and Claire starts preschool - and I think we are being pretty successful.

Today my brother Eddie has been dead for 17 years, and I know how quickly life can go from great to horrifying. I miss him so much. I think of him every day and especially every time I go to the beach; I have the poster for Endless Summer in my garage - he loved summer, and he loved winter, too, and probably spring and fall. I wish I were more like him - more of a free spirit. I'm sure he'd tell me to get a grip, so I keep trying to do that. I feel so sad, but I also feel grateful for wonderful times I have with my girls, so aware of how lucky I am to be a mother, so glad to be right in the middle with lots of good times ahead. Losing my brother hurt so much I have not thought of myself as lucky since, but I am feeling better. And that's as much as I can say without knocking on wood, so I will spend my energy enjoying what I have and try to not worry about the rest.

June - the short version

I guess a month behind is better than a year. June was a flurry of activity followed by Mark's departure for a 2-week trip to Korea for work. We celebrated Mark's birthday on the 2nd. And that's a basketball cake I worked so hard to make, not a football, good grief. We are not so thrilled about birthdays now that 40 is looming, but we made the most of it. The cake coincided with the gift of a driveway basketball hoop that is sure to be huge fun when we get around to putting it together.



The day after Mark's birthday I flew to Colorado to meet my new niece, the sweet Laila Jane, and spend some time with my brother Adam and sister-in-law Joli. I was absolutely no help with baby Laila, even though my skills are still pretty up to date, but it was wonderful to meet this little girl that I can claim to be mine in just a tiny way - I'm really a nice aunt. It was strange to be away from my own kids, and factor in the high altitude, and I was a bit dazed and confused, but loved my visit.


Laila Jane

Loves talking to her mommy

Audrey's last week of school was a buffet of fun - field trip, family picnic and activity day, class party day, and the 3-hour-only last day of school. I think they could have used a couple of those days to learn some more math or science, but I'm not in charge of that decision. I was one of the room moms and highly involved in these special days - luckily my two co-room moms were more organized and motivated than I so everything went well.


Field trip to the library.

Claire so excited to be included in Audrey's field trip.

Family picnic day

Ice cream clowns from Baskin Robbins

Bubble station on room party day

Room 7


Claire got to stop by with Nanie

Last day of school


Goodbye first grade!

Two days later Mark left for Korea. The girls and I spent a week at home entertaining ourselves at the library, beach, assorted restaurants, and watching TV. Audrey and Claire both signed up for the summer reading program and Audrey finished her 8 hours within the week - she read a book a day until she ran out of books. We stayed busy, but not too busy, and it was good for mom and children - we were all pretty relaxed. Then we went camping with Nanie and Papa, and that was everything but relaxing - long drive, hot weather, persistent flies and the constant threat of ticks, not to mention noisy neighbors and crazy loud birds. It was a nice change of pace and fortunately only two days because I could not have lasted any longer. To my parents' house from there for lots of swimming and visits with friends. Mark got home on the 3rd, and we gave him a night to try to sleep off his jet lag and came home on the Fourth of July.

Maydays

We had a gorgeous spring heat wave in May - 80 degrees and higher - so we abandoned homework, order, and well-balanced dinners for the beach and whatever food we could carry. We have several of these freakish bouts of unexpected weather every year and sometimes it takes me days to realize it's hot and it doesn't matter what season it is - we must go to the beach because there's no guarantee it will ever be 80 during the summer. This time we didn't waste a minute adjusting expectations, but got down there as soon as possible and stayed as long as possible for a few days in a row. Good move, Melissa, setting aside the drudgery of homemaking to create happy memories with the children.








May was also a month for me and Claire to make the most of a rapidly decreasing supply of quiet days together while Audrey is in school. We revisited a few out-of-the-way parks, met friends to play, and went to story time at the library. We were home sometimes, too, doing housework together, enjoying a good PB&J with pickles and carrots on the side, or riding her bike around the block, and going to our community garden every other day. We love Audrey, but we also like our little routine after the rush of getting her off to school and before the rough transition we make when she returns. Every day Audrey comes home from school sweaty, dirty, starving, and grouchy and then has to do homework, which puts her in an even better mood, and who can blame her, but it's murder until she gets a snack, works the playground angst out of her system and rejoins the family.










Audrey ran and jumped in the West Torrance High track meet again and won second place in the long jump and third in the 50 yard dash for her age group. She wanted to be first and we could not convince her that second and third are GOOD, so she pouted quite a bit. We were intensely proud (of her speed and jumping skills, not the pouting) and had visions of being the parents of an Olympian, but then calmed down and took her out to lunch to celebrate. We had another opportunity to be really proud of Audrey this month: she is reading chapter books and actually did that thing where you walk around reading because you can't stop. I remember learning to love reading and watching her do the same thing is a joy. Audrey brought home a beetle in May and is conscientiously helping to take care of it. Her name is "wormy" and she has a 90-day lifespan, so we have to cherish every moment.










We spent Memorial Day in Hemet with my parents. My dad served hot homemade bread with butter and jelly every night around 8 pm, and we all stuffed ourselves sleepy. Mark and my dad put the gutters up around their new roof - good job, men. Mark and I took the girls on a little hike up a stream in the San Bernardino National Forest. My parents' pool was pretty cold, but they fired up the jacuzzi and we got raisin fingers. We also spent a day at Soak City in Palm Springs - 90 degrees and a great time until we hit traffic and took 4 plus hours to get home. It did give us the chance (desperate measures potty break) to visit the dinosaurs - I haven't seen them for years and years.














It was a good month.

Sentimental mommy

These are Audrey and Claire at 3 1/2 - Audrey in May 2006 and Claire in June 2010 - both taken at Malaga Cove. Audrey in red and Claire in white.