Beginning of the End

Summer vacation was so slow in coming this year.  The weather in Utah turned summer-like sometime in April and for nearly six weeks, it felt like it was time to be done with school.

The whole routine became torturous:

Those last few weeks of school, the afternoons were so warm and gorgeous, the only thing my kids wanted to do was play outside in the sunshine.  Which meant that homework was postponed until after dinner.  Except i was always late getting dinner ready and then the evenings were so lovely, all we wanted to do was hang out in our backyard until it started to get dark.  Except it wasn't getting dark until nearly 9:00.  Which meant homework wasn't getting started until it was past bedtime.  Which meant my kids were getting to bed much later than they should.  Which meant they were soooo tired in the morning. Which meant we were always running late for school and we had usually skipped practicing.  Which meant we had to do it in the afternoon - except, did I mention how gorgeous those springtime afternoons were?

Anyway, you can see that I had lost all control of our schedule and for weeks, the kids and I were all dying to be done with school.

When school finally ended on June 1st, I couldn't have been happier.  I was so excited to have my kids to myself for the summer and was so excited about all the activities and lack-of-activities we had planned for the next three months.   Those were my thoughts as I walked to the kids' school for the closing flag ceremony.  But then halfway between home and the school, I had the sinking realization that another school year had come and gone.  I thought about the past year and it felt like only weeks before, I had been at the school for the opening flag ceremony.  And wasn't the Halloween parade just a few days ago?  And the Christmas program?  And the school play?  How had this year flown by so quickly?

I thought about Abby, who when we first moved into this neighborhood from Minnesota, was just starting Kindergarten and somehow, that same little girl will be in sixth grade next year.  How did that happen?

Abby's first day of Kindergarten - which was yesterday.  Ouch.

I thought about Isaac, whom I still think of as that little first grade boy who, on the first day of school, clung so tightly to my hand until the last possible second and then gave me the tightest squeeze that his little body could manage.  How is it possible that he's now a couple of inches taller than Abby and is going into fourth grade next year?

Isaac's first day of Kindergarten - also yesterday.

I thought about Henry, who on the first day of school this year, was a little shy and timid about being in school all day and about learning Spanish.  Now he's my boy who sings Spanish songs non-stop and stays up late into the night reading Magic Treehouse books.  When did he make that shift?

Henry's first day of Kindergarten - wasn't it yesterday?

I thought about the fact that when school starts again in the fall, I will have my four older children all at the same school and that they'll all be able to walk home together in the afternoon.  How sweet will that be?  But, behind the sweetness I fee as I anticipate the coming year, is the gnawing feeling I have, that once Abby hits Junior High, life will be on fast-forward.

So, as I walked to school on June 1st, ready to celebrate summer and free time and late nights and all the things I love about this time of year, there was a part of me that longed to turn back the clock and just slow it all down.  

I felt a little emotional as the flag was lowered for the final time this year and my kids and I said good-bye to their teachers for the last time.

But then, before I got too carried away by emotion, we went boating and I forgot all about feeling nostalgic and all I could think was, "HOORAY!  IT'S SUMMER!!  BRING IT ON!

On A Boat...

One of my favorite memories from when I was a little girl, was when my grandpa would invite our family to go out on his boat fishing.  As a young girl, I didn't really have the patience required for fishing, but I was willing to put in my time as I knew in the end, my patience would be rewarded.  It wasn't with a prize winning catch after hours of fishing.  Oh no.  My reward was that at the end of the day, my grandpa would drive his boat as fast as it would go across around the reservoir.

I still remember sitting on his boat with my orange life vest resting heavily on my shoulders, catching my breath every time we hit a little wake or every time he made a sharp turn.  I can almost feel the wind in my hair, the spray in my face and the butterfies in my stomach that made those trips on Grandpa's boat such a treat.

I think it was from those early boating trips, that I made the decision that someday I wanted to own a boat.  When I was a teenager, I loved church activities that involved boats and I was so grateful to have friends whose parents owned boats.  I looked forward to trips to Bear Lake and Deer Creek Reservoir and although I was never a great water-skier or wake-boarder, I was more than happy just to go along for a ride on the boat.

All through my childhood and teenage years, I begged my dad to get us a boat.  Unfortunately, my dad was not a fan of boats and he assured me that he would never buy our family a boat.  He may or may not have said something like, "It would be much easier for me to just flush my money down the toilet."  Luckily, however, after several years of begging and pleading from me and all my siblings, my dad finally agreed to buy a boat.  The next day he came home with a 3-person canoe.  As much as my dad loved it, it really wasn't what any of the rest of us had in mind.

How my dad pictures family boating. Unfortunately, he has eight kids and owns a 3-man canoe.

Since marrying Andrew, I have often brought up the idea of buying a boat.  A few years ago, we went to Hebgen Lake with my aunt, uncle, some cousins and their kids, and our three oldest children.  It was a great week spent on the water, watching our kids squeal their heads off as Steve pulled them behind the boat.  Andrew and I both renewed our relationship with wake-boarding and slalom water skiing.  It was such a great way to spend time together as our little family and with my cousins.  I  came home from Hebgen determined that someday we would own a boat.

Well, finally this past spring, the stars aligned and my wish came true.  Somehow, just in casual conversation with friends, we found two other families who were interested in buying a boat.  None of us, has any real "boat experience" so the idea of sharing the costs and the responsibility was very appealing.  And so, two days after making the decision to do it, we were the proud and somewhat nervous owners of a boat.  The timing of it all just happened to coincide with Andrew"s birthday, so in my mind, I will always be able to say that I bought Andrew a boat for his 38th birthday!  

Happy Birthday to Andrew! Our first day on the water in our new boat.

So far, having a boat has been everything I ever hoped it would be.  I really can't think of a better way to spend time together as a family - we always include yummy food, fun music, great conversations, and we get to cheer each other on as we try new things.  I love it!  I am looking forward to years of waterskiing and wake-boarding  and cold-water plunges with my kids as we spend time together on the boat.  

Only Lucy would go boating with a tutu, a purse and a binky.

Loving the tube we bought from Costco - fun for family and friends.

It isn't often that childhood dreams come true - and mine may have been a frivolous one - but as my family cruises across the water in our boat, with the mist blowing up around us, I can almost feel the weight of that orange life jacket on my shoulders and I can definitely feel the butterflies in my tummy I first felt so long ago.