We are having cooler weather and school starts in two days... This epic summer is wrapping up. I want to capture this summer and put it in my pocket. I want to know that the sound of cicadas and the taste of sweet market cantaloupe will bring it back to me. I'm feeling overcome with the speed of time passing and I want to hold on tighter.
This summer was full. Unstructured and delightful and full. The girls and I developed a routine, a rhythm, that suits us well. We explore and play hard in the morning and rest or nap in the afternoon. Simple. Each morning we visit a museum, park or market, dance a little dance, have a little adventure, then round up some lunch and wind back down for a very civilized nap in the afternoon. (Yes, the girls sometimes take concurrent naps in the afternoon. I might yet survive this.)
WeeC is not just crawling, but pulling up and even stood for a life-long three seconds this morning. How can she be standing?! She's still the new baby, the one who just arrived.
WeeE went to her first Renaissance Festival with her dad. She came back with convoluted but excited stories of very loud pirates, queens in castles, and an elephant ride.
The weeks were filled with friend and guests. The rhythm works well with visitors, we find. Two cousins, a godmother's niece, and a dear friend, each played for about a week, popping into our little rhythms and exploring our city with us.
As I prepare for WeeE to enter preschool, a real 5-day per week preschool, I'm filled with mixed feelings. She's going to love it, but it seems so soon to start her into a regimented daily schedule. Will starting her earlier mean she'll be jaded with school just that much sooner? Part of me is also dreading the regimented schedule for me and the lil one. My younger daughter won't get the same long days of wandering the city that her older sister got, because we have to get back to the school to get her at noon everyday. What's good for one may not be as good for the other. I'm again reminded of my responsibility in making these choices.
So I'm sad to see this summer go. In a way, it feels like the end of our truly free time when we made our own way. At times I've found being at home with the kids maddening in it's lack of form and seemingly endless hours but at other times it's been inspiring and wondrous. I'm hoping this new chapter won't mean a lack of free time for WeeC and me... but I also know it's up to me to make that happen.
Yarn Harlot shares a glimpse of the future... which underscores that I want to enjoy what I have now. Enjoy this delicious closing out of a fantastic summer with my two lil girls.
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