Summer's End

Here is the scenario at our house here at the end of summer:

The End meaning the last few days when we are very aware of every minute, every activity, every day that is our LAST. 

This was Saturday: the house is in full construction mode, Jim is doing the vinyl flooring himself. 

It's a big job, and it includes "sanding" down the concrete to even the two slabs. Which means there is concrete dust everywhere - all hands on deck to wipe it up. 

AND my dishwasher broke. 

Everything feels majorly chaotic. We are waiting for a part to come Monday before Jim can put the flooring project on hold to fix the appliance. 

The kids are deciding what we should do for our last Saturday before school. 

I need to feed them dinner. 

We need to get out of the house. 

I declare we are going down to the bay and roast some hot dogs for dinner. 

It's chilly, a little windy, grey. 

There's still a burn ban on, but it's been raining for 24 hours and I swear Birch Bay is the wild west when it comes to fire. 

I wonder if we will get in "trouble" - but then a fire truck literally drives by us, and the fire man literally looks the other way. 

Earlier in the day, Christopher got a hair cut. 

An end of summer haircut, but also a cut off his braids hair cut. 

When the Dicksons come and sit around the fire, I try not to make Christopher too uncomfortable by staring or making a big deal - but I do stare! and it is a big deal! 

He looks so different, so handsome, so old, so fresh. I've only ever seen him with a forehead, never covered by hair. 

"Well you look very handsome Christopher". 

Eventually all the kids scatter, leaving me, Lisa, and Lindsay at the fire.

We sit and talk and watch the sun go down, the fire turn to red glowing coals, the sky turn dark. 

 I sit closer to the coals to warm my body -  put a hot rock in my pocket. 

End of summer. 

We are discussing the haircut with Lindsay - this big step in his and her life. 

Then she pulls out her phone and shows the pictures our friend Jen Bogle took of the event. 

I was sitting on the driftwood log, next to Lisa. She was holding the phone, scrolling through each of the pictures. I had to look away a few times, cover my eyes. They are too beautiful, too intimate, too painful?

We both started crying. 

I don't "cry" over many things. I'm just not totally a cryer.

But this...

We both say "I wasn't ready for this". 

I have cried a few times since then. Every time I think about the pictures I tear up, and then Lindsay posts them on Facebook. I can't not cry. And WHY? 

It's because I love my friend and I love Christopher and this is such a milestone! So many emotions for both of them.  

But more specifically because the ART of the pictures makes me see myself, and my kids, and all my mom moments. It's suddenly "about me". 

It's about separation. 

This time of year when we launch into a new school year. 

The kids grow and become less mine and more theirs. 

They spend their days, and I spend mine. 

We come together at the end and tell our stories.

Every day and every year we are just practicing for more and more separation. 

From childbirth to schooldays to adulthood. 

We separate. 

So then the kiss on the top of the head, and the hand on the back - this connection of love that has to be invisible. It's invisible because it has to exist even when we aren't together. 

I Cheerfully Accept

Well the school year is ending, so lets review some of the good things happening around here before we plunge into summer:

Evan had his last band concert and I am telling you they have gotten SO GOOD. Compared to the beginning of the year...wow. It was such a fun concert. 

Andrew's last practice was super fun. We had pizza and pictures and a "parents v kids" scrimmage. 

Like I said, the triathlon is fast approaching. I ran a 6 miler the other day while Jim mountain biked. It was hard. 

I feel ready. My goal is always to finish before the 3 hour cut off time. I don't even care about pr's anymore. Just finishing before they end, pack up, and leave me on the course. 

We have had such a mix of great weather and rainy weather. I guess that's what spring is all about.

One night we had a weenie roast. 

It was the prettiest.

Us moms sat on this bench and watched the colors change around us as the sun set. 

We tried to figure out life when hard things happen. 

Our children disappeared while we were sitting there trying to nail down solutions.

They all returned to the fire pit around the time when it got dark and cold.

Andrew's last game was so crazy. The other team was rude and pushy. 

Moms stepped onto the field to yell across the way at each other. 

The other coach walked right into the middle of the field to protest a call the teenager ref made. 

Nikki went to fetch some officials to come maintain order on the field before someone got hurt. They had to get involved multiple times before they finally called the game early before real fights broke out. 

All in the name of rec league. 

They only lost one game all season. By one point. 

We eat a lot of Boomers after a day at Galbraith. 

Hey it's cubing season! I taught the boys how to solve a 3x3, and then I learned how to solve the dodecahedran. It's so fun! They like to speed cube, breaking their previous record.

I like to leisurely turn the chaos into order, taking my time putting the disorder back into place. 

My brain thinks and thinks and feels wonderful once all is returned to it's proper slot. 

Evan "graduated" from middle school. 

Wowee I have two high schoolers. What a fun time to be a mom.

Andrew is nervous to enter the middle school world. I think he thinks it will be worse than it actually is. 

The after party with his buds.

I'm so proud of Evan. He works so hard and gets straight As and has fabulous friends.

He treats his teachers with respect and wants to do the right thing always. 

Also he's so handsome. He is really tall, but standing next to Christopher, you can't even tell. He has a lot of tall friends. 

Also puberty is crazy. 

I have spent years and years lifting weights almost every day. You can barely tell about my muscles.

Then Evan goes ahead and goes through puberty and that earns him some giant arm, leg and shoulder muscles. For no reason at all, his body turns into lean muscle. 

What a thing. 

I'm so thankful for men and muscles. I can't lift heavy things so I'm glad I live in a world where men can lift all the heavies. 

Lots of Galbraith this week!

Ok, I've never been to a book signing, but Friday me and Lisa went to meet Leif Enger, the author of the book I just read and loved,

 "I Cheerfully Refuse". 

It is a five star book and I am currently on my second reading of it because that is how much I love to have the words from this book rolling around in my brain. 

He wrote "Peach Like a River" another 5 star book I read way back in 2012. 

Then Jim and Joe met up with us and we had an awesome dinner with this awesome view. 

It was such a fun night. I can't stop thinking about it. 

The restaurant had license plates on the ceiling. The book takes place in Minnesota,

 so yeah. 

Last night,

Up and over the mountain, six miles, sunset, sore legs. 

Eat at Boomers of course. 

I Cheerfully Accept.

Snow Days

Monday there wasn't any school for MLK day...

Tuesday Avery stayed home because she was sick...

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday were SNOW DAYS.

It's always just the best. It comes at a time that feels like we should be hunkered inside for a few days. 

It feels right.

Now on the eve of BACK TO SCHOOL, we feel very ready because we are sick of each other. 

We took a family walk through the forest. Evan opted to stay at the house to work on his fort.

There are so many beautiful things in the forest when there is fresh snow.

I don't know, it's just this forest that we go to every day, but now it has this temporary layer. 

It's not going to last. It tells about what the animals are up to. So much awe and wonder.

DAY TWO:

Snow on top, 

Mushrooms on bottom. 

 

The Return of Stoney Ridge Farm

When we first moved here, this pumpkin patch was one of my favorite things about living here. The vibe and the atmosphere was so amazing. 

We went to it for about 5 years, and then they shut down. 

Now they are back in business, but only about half of the farm is accessible. 

One Saturday, all our friends were gone for Canada Thanksgiving, and Jim had to work all day, and the kids by chance had the whole afternoon free of sports (baseball and soccer games were both in the morning). So we decided to go to Stoney Ridge and pick some pumpkins.

It could not be more of a different experience now than what it was when we came with babies. 

Also it was literally 80 degrees, so yeah, we were cooking hot. 

How can this be. Literally I don't understand this. 

Corn maze. This time we TRIED to get lost, or lose each other. 

donuts

At this point I was sweaty hot. 

We got four giant pumpkins. Evan tried to push the wheelbarrow, but then it tipped over and we had to heft them back into the wheelbarrow. 

Sweaty. 

Here is some other FALL stuff going on:

Some of our top favorite family games are: Boggle, Chicken Foot, Skyjo.

This was us playing Trivial Persuit. We just ask the trivia, we don't mess around with the board nonsense. 

When I took this picture from a summer adventure, I said "I have a puzzle of this exact scene."

So I found the puzzle, and look at how it's basically the same. 

Rock, lake, mountain, dog. 

Mushroom season is so exciting. 

They sprout and decay within about a week span, so every encounter is different. 

It's always something new that surprises me. 

All these were found in my forest, plus one million more. 

This one is so cool, just growing out of bark the size of a toilet paper roll. 

I came around the corner and found this downed tree covered! Absolutely covered. 

Our neighbors are so fun. Andrew joined them for an outdoor movie night,

while the big kids were at the homecoming game. 

We won by one point! It was so exciting. And also rare for us to win. 

Avery didn't go to the dance this year. She and her friends came to our house and watched a movie instead. 

They all regretted not going. For sure they will go next year. 

Caramel apples! 

Carmel apples are like s'mores: 

so messy, not very delicious, mandatory per tradition.