A Mid Summer's Night

Lately I've been feeling like I've been saying "no" way to often to my children. "Don't do that." "Sean would you stop climbing the furniture?" "Hey Meredith could you not climb the couch?" "OMG Can I just finish one cup of coffee or goto the bathroom without a crisis breaking out?" "Could you both just knock it off for one minute?" Many moms & dads out there know what I'm talking about. The constant movement and sound of children is enough to wear even the most seasoned of parents out.

I've felt bad though. They're not being bad. They're just being kids. They don't care that I'd just like one day where everyone cooperates, no one pulls anyone's hair, the living room stays clean & I get to drink a cup of coffee while it's still relatively hot.

So when I asked Meredith what she wanted for dinner tonight and she said, "ice cream" leaning over to the side half expecting me to say, "no", but fully wanting me to say, "yes"; I couldn't resist.

Ice cream for dinner. It's something you can only get away with in the summer. When the evenings are longer and the weather is warmer (need a better excuse to eat cold ice cream?).

So off we went to meet Rob for "dinner".





There is totally a reason we get ice cream in a cup for Sean & hand him an empty cone. Just saying'





And then it was time for dessert. A run through the fountain/splash pad was just what the "mean mommy" ordered. There's nothing that screams summer to me more than running through the sprinklers. It's very "urban".





And I beam with pride that Meredith is getting over her fear of water.







Sean got in the action too. Rob showed him he could play in the water and he promptly got sprayed right in the face from an unexpected shot of water. Oops.



Yeah yeah.... they can't all be clear. At least I caught his hand in the water. 



The real reason Sean's not walking 100% yet.



Of course as soon as the boogying really got started......





A storm rolled in. The sky billowed with fluffy white clouds and blue skies.



Off in the distance the "Nothing"  rolled in like we were in The Neverending Story. It was complete with rolling thunder and everything.



And the ride home was interesting. At one point I was unable to see in front of me because the rain was falling down in sheets. The wind kicked up and looked like we were caught in a funnel.

Yes I was at a full & complete stop



We made it home & I realized that amongst the mayhem that was our yard.... We were missing an umbrella that was in the stand.



It was in the driveway next door wrapped around (1/2 way underneath) our neighbor's car.

End of Summer fun

For our Labor Day weekend, we enjoyed all that summer had to offer. The winds of change are blowing. Soon we'll be wearing sweaters & pants and the ice cream man will close up shop for the season. The boardwalk joints will be closing for good because they've lost their leases to make way for the future.

We enjoyed some raw clams & other fried pickins on the boardwalk while Meredith entertained the masses and Sean & I watched the people.




 
















Then it was off to the sand & surf for some fun.




 





























Of course no trip to the beach is complete without soft serve pistachio ice cream!




 














Even though it's only the unofficial end of summer and I'm sure we'll have more beachy adventures... We'll miss you dog days of summer. Until we meet again next year.

Angelic Simplicity

Every now & again it's the simple things that remind you how to breathe. It's the simple glimpse you catch of a little girl smiling with her daddy. It's the way the sunshine looks behind a little boy playing the sand. The sly smile you get when you ask what flavor ice cream is Meredith's favorite as she's taking a little bit.

   

You take that deep breath & remember that its all worth it. You remember that Meredith won't always have epic tantrums. You remember that therapies won't always take over your week. Ok well..... maybe both of those things will continue. At least for a little while, but at least I can remember that those things are insignificant in the grand scheme of life. My grandma likes to call them part of the buffet. And everyone knows that I like a good buffet.

I watch Sean enjoying his pasta with meat sauce and I remember when I finally took a moment to stop  & take notice. Guess what? I laugh. I giggle incessantly when the dog slinks out from under the chair to grab what Sean has so generously shared. I didn't worry about the clean up. Ok I did, but only a little. I swear. No. Really.








 
  

 








I think about these glorious little things and I savior them. After today I'm going to savior a little girl teaching her daddy to jump. I'm going to savior Rob helping his little girl to jump so high.





I'm going to forget about the crying meltdown Meredith had when I told her she couldn't have iced cream RIGHT. THIS. SECOND. I'm going to choose to forget that the scooter my child HAD TO HAVE ended up being carried on the stroller most of the way.





Instead I'm going to choose to remember & savior that Meredith did eventually get on her damn scooter. She asked that her daddy help her. She did get her iced cream and she enjoyed it immensely. Maybe the wait made it taste better? Maybe she'll remember that? HA! My choice to remember the good things must be making me delusional. I'm going to choose to remember that Sean had iced cream too and loved it.