Farewell to Summer

I have not been inspired to blog for a long while but as we bid summer farewell this evening with a picnic on our back porch and we were all reminiscing I thought I would give the highlights of Summer '10 just for memories sake:

May: The top two buttons could no longer stand their long locks and so they took drastic measures and got it all lopped off. They could not have been happier. My mom also came out to visit for 10 days and she gave lots of baking lessons to the girls. We took her on sightseeing trips and she fed us lots of seafood. We got to see Uncle Jack and Aunt Mary in a fly by along with Karen who is only growing in fame if not fortune. The kids got to sit in Karen's convertible and were thrilled with that lifetime first.

We also got to go to the airport to welcome home from Ethiopia a sweet little girl and her mama as they just flew in from their adoption trip. What joy it brings to be a welcoming committee and wait in eager anticipation for the fulfilment of so many prayers to come walking through those ramparts and into the waiting arms and hearts of their extended family.

June: Our church building had it's grand opening which was a big transition. I had several weeks of teaching swim lessons with great sunny weather, and I love doing this every summer. Then we were off on a family vacation, a real blessing for us all as we made sweet memories and unplugged from the stress of life.

July: We came back to a calm 4th of July only to have our oldest come down with Coxsackie virus which landed her in bed for a week of isolation. Then when we thought she could come back into the fold she came down with hand, foot, mouth and was once more miserable. As she recovered from that our littlest button was rushed to the hospital with meningitis! We were in hospital for a couple days as it was the viral type and not bacterial, thank you Lord! Then as we were recovering at home Sweetpea broke her collarbone! Yes, July was eventful, painful and expensive!

In between all this I got a new hair cut, I lost a foot of hair. It's different for sure. The girls started the cutting process by taking the length off before I went to the stylist. They loved playing beautician. Since I knew it was going a whole lot shorter than they were cutting I didn't care what they did. They had a blast and it made it easier for the littlest ones to accept that I could have short hair and I could be okay with that. For them their memories of being in an institution and having crew cuts leave them with tender hearts when it comes to haircuts, it does for many of our kids. It took them 4 months of talking before they would let me do it, and then the topper was that they got to do the first cut.

August: Days before littlest button turned 7 and we were preparing top button and Dad to go off to Youth Camp and leave us for the duration I drastically twist and popped my knee out, rendering myself helpless for the time they would be away. We survived on the sandwich making abilities of second button for meals as I iced my knee and ruled the surviving tribe from the confines of the couch. Everyone returned, knee is healing nicely but now husband is complaining of knee pain. Doctor is thinking perhaps he has torn something. I think he is lovingly sympathetic to have taken on my pain.

Silly hair day at camp and face painting practice.

That rounds out the summer. A new school year has started. Top button is in 7th grade. Second button is in 5th grade, Sweetpea is in 1st/2nd depending, littlest is in kindergarten.