Welcome Summer

Everyone knows the last few days of the school year are a complete waste. My kids are spending their last days watching movies and having water games rather than doing work, while teachers wind down their rooms and turn in their grades. We have had “Hawaiian day”, “Game day”, and “Crazy hair day”. Lately, every morning feels like Halloween, with costumes to be put together. Tomorrow they are supposed to were their pajamas. I am not even sure how I feel about that.

Adam feels justified, “I have been doing work all year!!!” I guess he doesn’t see it the way I do.

This is my point: if they aren’t going to have the kids work, I wish they would just be done with it and let me keep my kids home.

I love having my kids home for a long lazy summer. I love their sleepy faces in the morning and seeing them snuggled together on the couch, peaceful for a time, while they watch morning cartoons. I love our routine of 3 minute patrol, which keeps the house tidy, the mama less stressed. And I love knowing that this year, instead of dreading the close of summer, we will be looking forward to the arrival of a new little one to our family. It will be the cherry on top.

Yesterday on the radio, the announcer sang out, “Summer’s almost here!” and I realized that I love those three words. I love them like I love extra dark chocolate and garage sales with amazing finds. I remember the magic of the first days of summer from my childhood; the first morning you realize you don’t have to do what other people tell you every minute of the day, eating cereal at 10 AM, wandering through days with no particular schedule, parks and swimming and summer fruit and corn on the cob. As the days get longer it feels as though the earth is taking longer breaths, sighing out the the end of the day slowly in warm, glowing, late evening sunsets.

As much as I love summer, sometimes I freak out a little the first few days. I am shocked at the sudden change and not sure I can settle into the new routine, even though I know it will be fun. But it is not long before summer fever slows my mind and brings out my smile.

The other day, Crazy Hair Day to be exact, Tessa wanted to join in the festivities. The night before as I braided Ellie’s hair to make it frizzy, Tessa asked for her hair to be done too. I twisted it into tight little rolls to be taken out the next morning.

The kids got ready the next day, hair askew, and headed out the door. Tessa was asleep and didn’t get to see the kids with their crazy hair. When she got up I took the rolls out of her hair and fluffed the willing curls into a Shirley Temple-like fro.

She looked in the mirror and burst into tears.

“My haiw will nebah be norhmal again!” she wailed.

With a little comforting and explanation about the temporary nature of the situation, by the end of the afternoon Tessa had embraced her new look and enjoyed the kids reactions to her.

Sometimes change is a shock, even if it is a fun change that won’t last forever.

“Summer’s almost here!”