Soak Up the Sun

I know that it is hardly the middle of August, but for some reason it feels to me as though the summer is over. Maybe it's the cooler temperatures we've been having, or the back-to-school displays being thrown in our faces at Target, or maybe it's the fact that Hobby Lobby has their Christmas decorations up.

Isn't it funny how the 70 degree weather in April or May calls for flip flops and tank tops, and now I'm ready to pull out my flannel nightgowns if the thermostat dips below 75? How all spring we were wishing for warmer weather, and then once it comes we're cursing the heat and humidity and welcoming fall with open arms?

It reminds me a lot of parenting, because I have many of the same emotions when it comes to my child. I couldn't wait for her to roll over and start crawling and then walking, only to realize that a mobile baby means an exhausted mama. Won't it be so much better when Anna can talk and tell me what she's thinking? Well, yes, it is amazing and funny and entertaining, but it's also somewhat like trying to interact with a hyperactive monkey on uppers. "MILK!" "MELMO!" (Her secret code name for Elmo) "DRAW!" "BIRDIE!" "CHEESE!" Her growing vocabulary is truly awesome, but is also directly correlated to the levels of peace and quiet in our house.

It seems like we're always in such a rush to move on to the next phase, or the next season, that we don't take the time to appreciate what we have now. New seasons do bring new adventures - football games, trips to the apple orchard (oh, the donuts!), pumpkins - and probably new milestones, too. But the problem is, as much as I am drooling over the wool sweaters in the new J.Crew catalog that just arrived in my mailbox, I'm not quite ready to let go of the bathing suits and blow-up pools. As much as I love watching Anna grow up, I don't think I'm prepared to face the reality that she is clearly not a baby anymore.

I'm going to do my best to savor the seasons - literally and figuratively. I'm going to enjoy the quiet moments when Anna wants to cuddle, when she wants to cling to my legs or smother me with kisses, because I know they are fleeting. I'm going to take extra time to appreciate trips to the pool and I'm going to hold off on dragging out my sweatshirts and wool socks. We're taking a family trip to South Carolina next week, where fall hasn't even begun to show its face, and even though I'm probably going to complain about the humidity, I'm going to do my best to suck in the warmth to remember on cold November days.  (On a side note - any tips for flying with a toddler??)

Here's a little peek at how we've been soaking up the sun the last couple of weeks...

Tea parties

Ice cream cones

Trips to the zoo

Swinging

Happy Friday!

How do you plan on enjoying this last little bit of summer?