Life goes on . . .

Honestly looking back I didn't think this summer was going to end. I mean that in a good way, we super duper packed our summer with lots of treats: Grandma McKenney visits, off to Italy, and then I get to see my sister and her hubby AND my brand new niece. Why should the summer end, there is SO much we have to do?

Why is it that we all know that time is concrete. . . 24 hours in a day made up of 60 second minutes, but the idea of bending time a little always seems doable. You know, a day full of work and "to do" lists seems to drag on forever but a day of play and fun ends with a blink of an eye.

As I send Bailey off to school this week I realize that my summer is officially over. Part of me anxious to be back on a schedule, and by schedule I mean my type A personality in full crazy form! Bailey is thrilled to be back in school. She came into my room last night after her first day and said, "Mom, I didn't realize just how much I LOVE school".

BUT the other part is grieving a little inside for the lazy days of summer and the company we kept. And so I thought a little recap might make me feel better. Not of events but of feelings and of things I learned and want to keep in my heart:

My mom is pretty impressive. She actually has more energy than my 3 year old, that's right people, a 3 year old. She has really blossomed into the roll of being a grandmother and my girls receive the direct benefit of this. She plays with them when they want to play, makes them the treats they wish for and brings them treasures from her suitcase. I too benefit from this as I got a few mornings to sleep in, breaks in meal preparation and bedtime routines. And boy did I need a break from the Disney princess world that is McKenna's bedtime routine: books, sheets, pj's and music. Thanks mom!

My sister Danette and I have lived two very different lives all the while trying to stay in close contact through my parents, and of course phones, email and blogging. Having her here this summer was such a fulfilling experience for me. This was the most time we have spent consistently together since I left our childhood home for college in 1990. And I must say, I enjoyed her thoroughly. It was fun observing her in her new role as a mother to little Ellie. We cooked together, played with our kids together, laughed and all the while introducing them to our new home. Friends in my "gypsy" life come in and out as our geographical location changes which makes it hard to hold onto everyone. But having spent this time together as sisters, moms and wives I found that if I would have met her as a stranger in my gypsy travels she would be one I would hold onto. We are different but I think those differences compliment us to the point that we fit together like puzzle pieces, no overlaping, just fitting together side by side. I find her very talented and interesting and even though she is a quiet, peaceful soul she has really important things to say. So, Danette, get ready, you are in my world now more fully, hang onto the ride!

So as life goes on I look forward to Bailey in 4th grade, McKenna in preschool (officially we found out today that she got a spot) and a few goals I have set for myself to get me through the winter: learn German, catch up on scrapbooking my photos, volunteer in my girls classrooms, spend as much time with my husband as I can (he is starting his dissertation and so will be in the dark clouds of school stress for the next 18 months, I hope I survive, I hope he survives).