What I Did On My Blog Vacation

I admit I'm having a tough time getting back into the swing of things today!  Maybe it's due to the 1 1/2 weeks I was on my blog vacation or the fact that it's the end of Summer as we know it in our household.  School has started back up and my youngest, M, and I are missing O.  I guess this sense of bitter sweetness tends to put me out of my element.

I'm sure you are brimming with curiosity as to what I have been doing the entire time I've been away, so here is my Summer essay, I mean my Blog Vacation  recap.

Since I last left you, I have spent little time on the computer.  Why you ask?  Partly because our Internet access went down for days, but mostly because I simply had a plan.  My kids and I would squeeze the last drops of fun out of every single day, before my son's Summer vacation was over, and have even more memories to cherish for a lifetime.  I assumed that time would cooperate with me and slow down just enough so that the first day of school wouldn't come quite so quickly.  Of course, we all know that time likes to frustrate just about everybody and it refused to comply.  Regardless, the rest of the plan went fairly well.

On the final Friday evening of August 2009,  I went out with my friend Mary Beth (check out her blog) and got a couple of hours with other adults.  My family enjoyed some cleaning, okay they didn't really enjoy that part, and a baseball game over the weekend before the final week of Summer officially began.  Once it did, we practiced getting up early and going through our typical morning school routine.  We held our final lunch box experiments during the week to determine the best way to keep juice cold while keeping water hot for oatmeal.  Library books were read, movies watched, and games played.  A school open house was held mid week, and we attended to meet the new teacher and explore the new school.  My stomach had been in nervous knots about the big changes not only my to son's day, but mine as well.  For me, meeting the teacher and introducing myself to some of the staff members helped to loosen those knots.  It helped even more when the music teacher, who my son had last year, stopped us and told us that she's excited to have O back this year.  What an amazing feeling it is to have a teacher tell you that your child is one that makes teachers want to teach and enjoy their jobs!  Before I knew it, Friday had arrived... I swear time decided to push the fast forward button on me... and it was my last "normal" day with my boys.  I sighed heavily when I realized this fact upon waking and looked at my boys sleeping in my big bed, they came into our room in the wee morning hours.  I decided to let them sleep in a little, while I snuggled with them and admired their sweet little faces.  Our final normal week day included a trip out for lunch and a crafty sock puppet project.  Can you stand the excitement?  I know, it's just too much. 

Our final weekend of the Summer vacation did have more excitement to it.  Calming our 2 boys on Saturday morning was a bit more difficult than normal.  They were ready to battle over the best spot in front of the window by the door while waiting for visitors from Maine.... Grampa & Pamm!  I was able to briefly distract them with their first entry in the scrapbooking journal they are keeping this year.  My husband and I asked them to clean their rooms multiple times, and kept having them check to be certain they didn't miss anything.  We offered tv, games, and playtime often, but the only thing they wanted to do was watch out the window.  My adored father-in-law and his much loved significant other, were not going to arrive until the afternoon, but it didn't matter to my boys.  They were bubbling with excitement and nobody was going to reposition their train of thought. 

Finally, the knock on the door came and footsteps were heard running in that direction.  It didn't take long before my boys were literally climbing all over their Grampa!  After convincing the boys to let Grampa & Pamm get settled, we all prepared to head out to meet up with my Mom and celebrate her birthday at a loved local pizza place.  By the time we got home that night, everyone was more than tired.  The following day was full of family fun and dinner out.  Unfortunately, the visit was much too short and bed time came far too quickly.  Monday morning was spent missing Grampa & Pamm and wishing Maine & Michigan weren't so far apart.  We are already counting down the days until we get to see Grampa again for Christmas!

Labor day was all about having a little fun and being prepared for the first day of school.  It was a nice quiet day to just be with my family and reflect on all of the moments we've shared over this past Summer.  That's where Summer ended and a new school year began.  Where the bitter sweetness of seeing my kids grow up just a little more brought tears to my eyes.  This is where my blog vacation story ends.