Well, I'm stopping by to update this blog.  I'm not sure anyone but me reads it these days but at least it gives me a place to put down my "mental notes".

Around here things never stop...they just switch gears and tracks occasionally.  As of this writing, Cameron is now 10, Alex is now 17 and Zachary will be 20 in a week or so.  They grow up way too fast if you ask me!

Speaking of time passing quickly, someone mentioned in passing that they observed that time seemed to move more quickly as they got older...not enough hours in the day so to speak.  I mulled that over for a while as it is something I've often noticed over the course of my lifetime.  I have come to the conclusion-in my own unasked for opinion-that time is a constant-it never changes speeds.  However! It is what we fill that time with and how we use it that determines how the speed of time is observed.  For example, when we were children, time seemed to move oh so slowly!  Christmas and birthdays took forever to get here, not to mention summer vacation from school.  Now notice the events themselves were over way too soon!  Flash forward ??? years to "adulthood".  We fill our daily lives with so much "stuff", running here and there, working very hard to fill every moment of every day with activities! Even just time spent in the car driving from point A to points B and beyond are filled with movies, music, schoolwork on c/d and other things.  Our minds seem to have a much harder time "filing away" all these events and memories and activities!  I personally have whizzed through a 24 hour day filled with activities and then as evening sets in have thought to myself "where has the day gone?"...or "did I get anything done" or "there's just so much more left to do"!  The "passing of time" has "passed" us by!  I thought about this subject again this weekend.  We installed some solar lights in the front yard.  To be honest, we've tried these contraptions before but they never seemed to work right and with a front yard full of running kids and pets, they soon became casualties of life.  Well, being down to 3 kids and 2 dogs and with the vast majority of our neighborhood children grown and off to college and beyond, we figured we'd give these lights another chance.  We put them in on Saturday in the morning, then we were off to a baptism, then Mass, then a reception.  On the way home we stopped by Target for a few items.  I must say we were pleasantly surprised to drive up and see all 12 solar lights lit up!  Alex got home from work around 1:30am the next morning and he informed us they were STILL on!  So last night, after a very busy day of yardwork and carting teens to activities and picking up one who spent the night somewhere else, I grabbed a glass of wine and some Double Stuff oreo cookies and planted myself in a chair outside to just sit, enjoy the evening sounds and watch those lights come on!  The 4 year old joined me and we just sat and listened to birds and watched each light come on in it's own time.  Guess what? Time slowed down considerably!  After a while the little guy went in and a few minutes later one of our neighborhood "adopted" boys who was home from college joined me with his little brother.  We sat there catching up and filling each other in on our lives and time stayed slow!  To just sit there and enjoy the moment wasn't boring or mundane.  I was able to sit and enjoy the work my family had done.  I noticed several pairs of cardinals and several pairs of blue jays.  There was also the occasional mockingbird and the most adorable finch (wish I'd had some 'noculars to see it up close!).  We saw herons and mallard ducks flying overhead. It was quite enjoyable!
In the past I have strived to fill each waking moment of summer with "stuff".  This year, I am taking a little bit more laid back approach.  I am trying not to fill our schedules up with activities.  I put all kinds of things on my calendar but almost each one of them is "optional".  The boys have enjoyed playing video games (imagine that...my 17 year old and 4 year old playing video games together...), they've played outside with each other and the dogs.  My 10 year old will complain that I make him do "worksheets".  I DO have my limits and think it is important to keep the mind fresh and sharp!

On another note, my family has been prayerfully discerning some tough changes both at home and in the workplace.  We are finding out that what will work for us and where we feel God is leading us for at least a period of time is definitely NOT a popular idea.  Workplace changes are ones even I struggle with but I know God has a purpose and a plan-this is probably one of those times I need to shut up and pay attention to the Big Guy. 

As for the kids, Alex has a job (whoo hoo),  for him (and us) this is a great use of his time.  He is one of those boys that if he's left to his own devices and gets bored...he will make his own excitment.  His job and some retreats will definitely keep him busy in a good way this summer!  Cameron has enjoyed being on the swim team so far.  He is not too happy with the "early " practices (hello? he practices from 9 to 10am....half the morning is gone by then!) but he is doing good at the swim meets.  He also enjoyed Band Camp and is now contemplating playing either the tuba or the flute.....or both.  Isaac is just enjoying life as usual.  Zach is taking summer sessions at college and is doing some DJ'ing on the side to get some extra cash.  Kyra is getting settled in California and is getting her own apartment in July-her first real home on her own-until now she has been living on base.  Xavier is still travelling-he was in California for 2 weeks and will be leaving for Florida in a week or so.  I am working on curriculum and lesson plans a little at a time-no big rush.  There are plenty of activities here at home for me (some that have been neglected for too long).  So in the scheme of things, I don't see this family getting bored, even with our pared back schedules.  I guess we'll just learn to enjoy each other more because time if fleeting and how you use it is very important!