It breaks my heart to hear a mom say…  “I can’t wait til they go back to school!” or “Only 3 more weeks til school starts!”  My mind just does not comprehend that kind of thinking!!  I cannot imagine counting down the days to send my child to someone else’s care everyday!  Not only that – I just LOVE SUMMER!!! 

I love everything about it!  It can’t get too hot for me.  I love the heat, the sunshine, the green grass & flowers!  I love swimming and no schedules to follow!!  I was thinking tonite about my 1^st summers as a Mom.  I love the memories of T being 18 months old and me being pregnant with N.  I remember sitting in the back yard with T playing in his 1^st kiddie pool.  We would play a while then go take a nap together, get up & play some more.  I remember being so tired at the end of those hot summer days but thinking to myself….  THIS is what life is about!

Now I spend my summer days watching my boys get up to be in the pool by 9:30!  I love them running in & out all day!  Thank goodness for storm doors that close slowly behind them – until they wear out the shock!  haha  In my day we heard Mom yelling…  “Quit SLAMMING that door!” as the old wood frame screen door SLAMMED every time we went in or out!  Ahhh… memories!! 

I love staying up late and sleeping til we’re ready to get up every morning.  I love 4th of July!  I love going to the lake & baseball games!!  I love back yard camping & letting the boys sleep in the basement so they can watch movies all nite!  I just love letting them be KIDS!!  I thank God every nite for the memories my boys are making!  Why would I want to RUSH through summer?  NO WAY!!  I’m STILL saying at the end of the day… THIS is what life is about!

Yes, I’ve got LOTS of cleaning, organizing & redecorating done this summer.  And yes, I get anxious when I look at the calendar & see that I am running out of time to do all I had on my “to do” list for this summer!  But I know that all that cleaning & organizing will be there WHENEVER I get to it!! 

I have also spent this summer watching my very good friend prepare for her oldest daughters’ wedding in August.  As we’ve homeschooled our kids together the past several years we never dreamed this day would come SO SOON for her!  This week she bluntly said to me…  “17 summers is all you get!  Make them count!”  So with that thought in mind, I put down my dust rag and ENJOY the short time of summer that we have left!  No I won’t be sending my boys off to school in 3 weeks.  In fact we won’t even be starting our homeschool year in 3 weeks.  No, this Mom says…  “Oh no!  ONLY 6 more weeks of summer!”  I wish I could make it go slower, but I can’t, so I’ll just enjoy every day that God blesses us with!!  When I hear a mom make those comments that I don’t like to hear I say a prayer that God would help them realize they are rushing through that child’s life!  Not long ago I had a mom say to me…  “I can’t wait til she’s 18!!!” – the daughter is 10 years old!!!  I told this mom…  “Don’t say that!  You need to enjoy her while she’s a kid!!”  I won’t share her response becuz it made me want to take that little girl home with me!!

I AM excited about starting our school year.  I ordered our curriculum & organized all the school supplies this week.  So technically, we are ready, but in my heart I’m nowhere near ready for summer to end.

So with all that said.  I say to you….  ENJOY your summer!  Don’t wish it away!  You’re gonna miss this!

Here's a few summer pics...