Well, it’s official. Summer is over. I had my first day back to school last week, and Emmie has hers today. I swear, I was more anxious about it than she was. She was all cool while I fretted over her hair and rushed around and snapped a zillion photos.
But then I dropped her off, got the baby home and down for a nap… and now for an hour I’m free! It’s an incredible feeling. So many choices! I chose to write over cleaning or working, for obvious reasons. It’s just me, the kitchen table, my laptop, and a cup of coffee.
It’s nice to have time to myself again. But I’ll miss summer. It was our first summer as a family of four. We were even lucky enough to take a vacation. It’s funny, four years ago, we were living with my in-laws. That year, we took a trip with them to South Haven, Michigan. The 2012 Summer Olympics were on TV. We swam in the pool, went into town, and baby Emmie played in the sand on the beach for the first time.
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| Emmie looks out over the water |
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| On the way to the beach |
This year, we have our own house, but again went with Bruce’s family to South Haven. The 2016 Summer Olympics were on TV. We swam in the pool, went into town, and baby Hannah played in the sand on the beach for the first time, while her big sister made sand castles.
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| Mama and baby |
Back then, living with the in-laws and taking a vacation with them was stressful idea. I was a new mother and still figuring out my role. It was hard to do that with my husband’s parents constantly around. My emotions ran so high. This time, I was able to truly relax and enjoy myself. Sure, it’s not easy taking a vacation with two little ones. In fact, it was exhausting. But whereas Emmie lived with her grandparents, and we all got plenty of quality time with them, Hannah only sees them on visits. She’s more reserved than Emmie was, more cautious about people holding her who are not her parents. This was a special opportunity for her grandparents to really be with her, and for her to get to know them.
Plus, we had help! Bruce and I got to go out one night with his sister and his godfather’s daughters and their husbands to trivia night at the local bar. We haven’t done something like that in years. (We won, too!) Or Emmie’s grandpa would play with her in the pool, so Bruce and I could take a nap while the baby slept. They say it takes a village, and Bruce and I have been so worn out lately trying to do it all ourselves. It was a nice break.
Looking back, this was my first summer at home with a little one and an infant, trying to balance cleaning the house, tending to the garden, getting food on the table, running errands, shuttling to lessons and play dates, along with teaching a fast-paced summer course, grading papers during nap time, facilitating a writing group, and working part-time for the museum. I didn’t always do a great job, and I was super stressed out. As the kids grow, however, being a parent gets easier in some ways. I’m just now starting to feel like myself again. As the weather gets colder, I’ll be pining for summer, but life is moving quicker than ever.
Got to go - it's already time to wake the baby and pick up Emmie.
