all the final lazy days of the summer seemed to blend into one another. as soon as i managed to clean all the towels in the laundry and make a nice fluffy stack of them, then we'd take another trip to the beach, and i'd be back at square one. our big snack bag was perpetually filled with smooshed granola bars and banged up pieces of fruit. there was sand, on everything. the bottoms of our feet were dirty, and we were happy.
this summer was hands down the best we've ever had. which is sort of ironic because at the start of it, i sort of expected that it would be a major challenge. being pregnant with twins and then suddenly having three children home all.day.long., which a husband that travels heavily...i just assumed that most days i was going to feel like pulling out my hair. this summer pleasantly surprised me. the rhythm was perfect-----i was still able to nap, and nourish, and care of myself when i needed to....but because i did, when the kids were ready to go, i was able to go along with them and keep up. we did lots of hiking and walking and exploring. we went somewhere nearly every day, even if it was for a couple of hours. we enjoyed each other (gasp!). there were definitely moments where the sibling rivalry got old....or where i yearned for a little more time for myself. but when i got that time alone, a funny thing happen.
i missed the damn kids!
again, pleasantly surprised.
this is the second week of the oldest ones being back at school. the littlest one starts pre-K tomorrow. suddenly, there is going to be lots of tiny pockets of time for *me*. i bought myself a year gym membership with the expectation that if i don't use it until after february or march, that's OK. i talked with my friends about setting up some sort of pre-K kid share system so our tiny pockets of alone time can occasionally be longer pockets. i'm learning to love the routine of grocery shopping on my own without the kids in tow. i'm also learning to love walking around stores and actually buying treats for myself when it strikes me! which is huge, trust me. it's taken a while to get here. this pregnancy has forced me to slow down, while simultaneously allowing me to enjoy the times while we are packing it all in. i am eternally grateful to the parents of the rainbows, and to the universe for bringing us together.
i love the change of seasons, especially summer to fall. even though the days are still hot and muggy here and feel tediously long, i SO look forward to the quiet moments where i sit with a steaming cup of tea on my lap, taking it all in.
