Can't believe summer is over

It’s hard to believe it’s already the first day of fall.  Where did the summer go?!  Admittedly Autumn is my favorite season, but I’m still not ready to say goodbye to the warm, easy summer days.   

 This summer held so many firsts for Evelyn.  She lost her first tooth.  She stayed with Kiki and Pops for 5 nights all by herself.  She went to her first concert with Aunt Sha-Sha.  She went down a water slide and off the diving board all by herself (no puddle jumper!).  She went to her first summer day camp at the McConnell Arts Center.  Evelyn rode her first COTA bus (and slept through most of it).  She learned to pump her legs and make herself go on the swings.  She learned to tie her shoes in less than an hour (Thank you Grandma Rita for teaching her)!  And she continued her goal to make a new friend pretty much everywhere we go! :)

Our little buddy Mitch had an eventful summer as well.  He turned 3!   Mitchell got to ride the train at the zoo many times and he spent 5 days as an only child while Evie was in KY.  He went on a date night with Mama to Wendy’s and Emerald Fields park while Evie was a birthday party.  He swam like a fish and even took a trip down a little waterslide.  And perhaps the biggest thing of all – he learned to use the potty like a big boy!!

We also spend time at the hospital with Kiki this summer.  I saw her as much as I could on the weekends.  The kids were able to visit her in the special Visitors Room behind glass.  It was harder for Mitch to connect than Evie.  He didn’t really understand why he couldn’t hug Kiki and he didn’t want to talk to her for very long on the phone in the room.  Evie, on the other hand, had no trouble carrying on a conversation.  She was so happy to see Kiki.  She even steamed up the glass with her breath and drew hearts for Kiki.   Before my mom went into the hospital, she got a few little gifts to give to the kids when they came to visit.  That’s so like her – thinking of her grandbabies even when she’s going through something huge and scary.  That part of the summer was definitely not the best, but we all tried to keep positive and focus on the good moments that we had.  The situation may have been difficult, but we tried to make the best of it.  Pops was a tremendous help with the kids on the weekends that we visited.  Oftentimes, Pat couldn’t make the trip because of work.  My dad (and all of my siblings) made it possible for me to have time with my mom without worrying about the kids.  It’s not easy being away (even if it is only two hours) and while I may not have had the quantity of time with my mom that I would have liked, I did have quality time.

So yeah, this summer had some difficult moments. But that’s not all it was.  It was also fun and laughter.  It was visits to the zoo, trips to the different parks in the area, ice cream cones and water balloon fights.  It was donuts on a Saturday morning and dinners on the patio.  It was movie nights and popcorn.  It was fireworks on the 4th of July and church festivals.  It was cousins playing and giggling together.  It was swimming at Sunlite Pool and riding rides at Coney Island.   It was hanging out with family around the pool and watching the kids swim.  It was pizza parties and cornhole in the backyard.  It was seeing a sunrise over the ocean in the beginning of summer and an eclipse darken the sky towards the end.   It was all this and so much more.  

When I was younger, I used to be in such a hurry for a season to end so we could get to ‘next great thing’.  Now though, I’m in no rush.  I want to enjoy the moments as they happen.  And while I do look forward to Autumn and all of the activities that take place, I’m trying to just enjoy the ‘now’.   Life can change in a moment so enjoy each moment that you’re given!