Changing Seasons

When we were in the middle of the previous school year, I was feeling a little tired of constant activities. I love driving the kids to and from school and their extra activities. I love volunteering in their school. I love helping them with their homework. I love packing lunches. I love having them all sit at the breakfast bar in the mornings trying to wake up enough to actually eat breakfast. I love this season in our life. But I was feeling a bit worn and longing for a break.

The Lord gently brought to mind a time in our life when the kids were all tiny. When Hannah was born I had three children four and under. At the time I didn't think much of it. There were many trips to the commissary where some strangers would look at my kids and say, "Whew! You sure do have your hands full" or "You sure are busy." Honestly, it was easier taking the kids to the store then than it is now. I'm sure the people who made comments were noticing how close together the kids were. P.K. and I had planned to have them close together and were blessed to be able to do so.

Looking back, it is a wonder I was able to function. None of the kids were good sleepers in those days. From the time Rachel was born, it was probably at least five years before I got more than five hours of sleep on a regular basis. They didn't stay awake for long periods when they would wake up, but by the time I would get one back to sleep and finally get myself back to sleep someone else would wake up. My kids have always been early risers, so sleeping in after a busy night of bottles and waking children was not an option. At the time, it didn't seem so bad. I don't miss the lack of sleep, but I do miss that season. I probably spent way too much time wishing for them to be just a little bit older. Now they are, and I miss the season of them being so tiny.

If I had to do it all over again, I would still have them close together. It is so much fun now to play games or watch family movies. They all have different interests, but they are close enough in age that we can find things that everyone enjoys.

So now I try to sit back and enjoy the season we are in. Right now it is a season of homework and running kids to activities. It is a season of stuffed animals all over the living room. It is a season of sleepovers. It is a season of always talking about snakes. It is a season where the kids want us to tuck them in at night.

In a minute I'm going to blink and none of them will be remotely interested in stuffed animals. In a minute I'm going to blink and none of them will need me to help them with their homework. In a minute I'm going to blink and they will be driving and won't need me to take them to activities. In a minute I'm going to blink and it won't be cool to have their mom volunteering at their school. In a minute I'm going to blink and we are going to be watching them graduate from high school and college just a few years apart. In a minute I'm going to blink and this season will give way to the next.

We've completed another summer vacation and our baby is in kindergarten. The season of diaper bags, bottles, pacifiers, playdates with toddlers at the park and preschool are gone....the end to the days of coffee, conversation and playdates.

When I realized this, I knew the blog title no longer fit. Many of the new titles I considered would sooner or later not fit. Seasons in our home are constantly going to be changing. It hit me...Changing Seasons. The collage that is serving as the new blog header is a collection of some of my favorite family pictures from some of our seasons. I'll leave the actual blog address alone.

It is my prayer that we enjoy our changing seasons to the fullest.

Welcome to Changing Seasons...A place for me to record our family history.

Summer Had to End

The kids finished their first week back to school today. But before we move on, I wanted to make sure I record some memories from this past summer.

I never want to forget...

...how much all three of them love driving through the carwash.

From the laughs and giggles in my car, one would think we had arrived at Disney World. It looks like rain on the windows, but it is the power wash inside the carwash.

...the hawk that lives in the woods behind our house and was spotted on our back deck early one morning.

Aaron said, "Look. There is an eagle on our back deck." I thought he was trying to trick me. He said, "I'm serious. Look." There sat this beautiful hawk. We had spotted him in the trees before and even on our chimney, but never this close.

...how adorably cute Hannah was with those two front teeth missing.

Can't I just freeze her like this forever? The new ones are already coming in.

...that I taught all three kids to latch hook.

Aaron

Hannah

Rachel

....that we started working puzzles together.

We got the idea while visiting my friend Christine. We finished this one and have started another. Our plan is to always have one in the works. This spot in front of the fireplace is the perfect spot to keep it out of traffic and not have to have a table set up.

...that Aaron and Hannah spent hours cracking open a coconut they found on the beach.

...that we printed out maps of the United States and each of us colored in all the states we have visited.

The kids got to color in four new states from our travels this summer. I got to add one.

...that Rachel made this chart to track our summer reading.

We set a goal of 2400 minutes, 600 for the four of us. P.K.was included, but we didn't figure in his 600 minutes since he wasn't home. Rachel even color coded the chart. She gets that from me. The little colored squares in the top left hand corner each have a name written by them. When we read, we were supposed to use the appropriate colored Sharpie to record our time. P.K.'s square was set lower, again because he wasn't here. She decide to make this on her own. The reward for reaching our goal is a night out at the movies. Next year the person who reads the most gets to choose the movie. I think that is what Rachel had in mind when she decided to color code the chart.

...walking the track. The kids had to walk at least one lap. Then they would either hunt for bugs in the grass or play at the playground.

...Rachel and I learned to play Skip-Bo and Phase 10 (thanks to Sonya) and have played it every spare minute.

...how our house felt like home each time we returned from one of our adventures.

...that we were very sad the day P.K. left.

...that we missed him during our adventures and I said out loud more than once, "I so wish Daddy could be here to see this."

...how happy we were when P.K. made it home.

...that it was a marvelous summer filled with unforgettable memories.

...how sad I was the day the kids went back to school.

...how much I can't wait to make more summer memories next year.

The First Day of School

Rachel 5th Grade, Hannah Kindergarten and Aaron Third Grade

Milking Summer For Every Last Drop

We took a trip to Six Flags for our last day of summer vacation. Rachel and Aaron earned free tickets through a reading program at school last year. We saved them until P.K. got home. I don't do roller coasters which is Rachel's favorite part, so we really needed Daddy for this trip.

P.K. and the kids started the day off with a roller coaster called the Dahlonega Mine Train. It was a moderate roller coaster. They started small and worked their way up. Aaron and Hannah are starting to enjoy roller coasters. I think Hannah has acquired Rachel's love for them. Aaron is a bit more reserved. Rachel has loved thrill rides since she went to Disneyland when she turned four. She called them "high and fast" rides then.

After their first roller coaster, I suggested we take a family trip on the sky buckets. Apparently, I had a temporary loss of sanity. I am terrified of heights. I was thinking it would be a fun family ride across the park. This picture above was taken when the family decided to ride again without Mommy.

This picture of Hannah is from the first trip across. The look on her face is of concern and fear as she watches her mother trying not to hyperventilate.

P.K. and Jody with Bugs Bunny.

Rachel and Aaron on the swings.

P.K. and Rachel were getting ready to ride the Ninja. Hannah wasn't quite tall enough. The Ninja reaches over 12 stories tall in places, reaches speeds of 52 mph, has five upside down turns, upward spirals and corkscrew dives.

P.K. and Hannah with Foghorn Leghorn.

This is the last roller coaster P.K., Rachel and Hannah rode. It is called the Mind Bender. It is eight stories tall at the highest point, reaches speeds of 50 mph and has three loops. The girls loved it so much, they took a second trip. P.K. was able to get this picture of them.

This is Hannah telling me all about the Mind Bender and how she got to ride alone with just Rachel.

A picture of the Mind Bender from outside the park.

One of my favorite rides was the Monster Mansion. It is a slow boat ride through a tunnel filled with whimsical animated monsters

The fam waiting in the very long line for Sky Water Falls.

Hannah trying to scale the wall while P.K. was distracted by his wife who was talking to him from the walkway above.

This ride climbs slowly up five stories, makes a quick turn and then plunges down. Yeah! They got wet!

Rachel and Hannah

P.K. and Aaron

Aaron loved Thomas the Train when he was younger. He even had a Thomas bedroom. Once in a while he will still build tracks, but it is more of the boy urge to build than out of a love for Thomas. Thomas Town is one of the areas at Six Flags. I'm posting these pictures for my friend Kristy. Her little boy loves Thomas and I thought of them as we went through this area.

Aaron and Hannah with Harold.

This ride is called the Wheelie. It rotates to a really high speed and then lifts to a vertical position as it spins. It kind of looks like a Ferris wheel on extreme caffeine.

The camera took a great picture. The Wheelie was actually spinning so fast at this point that I couldn't see Rachel at all. She is actually in the lowest car in this picture. I could see her when I blew it up.

Aaron, Hannah and I rode the bumper cars. Aaron was able to drive one himself. Hannah did her best to direct me to bump into her brother.

We had such a great day. We left about 6:30 knowing the kids had to be up and ready for their first day of school the next morning. We stopped for dinner on the way home. It was such a great way to spend our last day of summer vacation.

He's Home

Finally. P.K. spent the summer working with the recruits up at Great Lakes. He made it home yesterday. We are so happy to have him back.

He brought flowers for Mommy.

The kids and I all got new Navy shirts. As if we don't already have tons of Navy gear in our house. I think P.K. brought me a new one in hopes I will stay out of his. Nice try.

He brought Aaron a light up key chain which include directions for Morse Code. They both speak fluent gadget.

Rachel got a snowglobe for her collection.

Hannah got a stuffed giraffe. That girl loves stuffed animals and this one works well in her jungle room.

The kids had been making cards for P.K. for days.

Aaron saved his bottle caps from his root beer at Cracker Barrel to make this smiley face. He made sure P.K. smelled the caps. Too cute.

Hannah gave him a container with a bonus round of kisses inside.

Rachel made this very special card.

We are going to make the most of the rest of the weekend before the kids are off to school tomorrow and P.K. is back to work. Life goes on.

Mani Pedi

I decided to take the girls for back to school mani pedis. They were so excited when the man showed the huge rack of colors and told them to choose. They thought they were royalty.

Rachel watches as Hannah has her toes done.

Rachel's turn to have her toes done.

The girls.

Hannah having her fingernails painted.

The finished toes. They were so excited when they were told they could have flowers on their nails.

The finished fingers.

The man child was not as excited as his sisters. Daddy wasn't home yet so Aaron had to go along. He did, however, sit and wait patiently.