Summer Reflections

FBCW Park - Loving the sand

FBCW Park

First carousel ride

Day 2 of vacation and already bored

Swimming at the pool

Hostile bed takeovers - this happened multiple times

Learning to jump the baby gate and finally having to take it down

PVC house

Welcome to the world baby Anderson - Dad and Grant are grateful to add another male to the tribe!

Getting stuck in the car wash

More hostile bed takeovers

Screaming so hard she burst blood vessels and made me think she had chicken pox

Grant earned the title "Grill Master"

Swinging at J.J. Biello Park

J.J. Biello

J. J. Biello

First movie in a theater - Bee Movie

Little River groupies at the county office (we ended up in the pod of LR folks next to the Port O Potties - hmmm)

First week long sleep away camp at Sidney Dew

At DAK Kids

Camp Hollywood (this was her first man crush - yikes)

End of ceremony family night at Sidney Dew (mom slept in a tent - yep)

Allatoona Lake at Victoria Landing

Mama Hen thought Annie was straying too far

Park in Kennesaw

Sonic slush after a hot afternoon

First bowling trip (sexy shoes included)

Bowling

Rope Mill Park walking along the river

Little River playground - dueling slides

Dish washing 101 - the teacher was NOT very patient

Hobgood Park

Walking the track and discussing landscaping at Hobgood

First REAL skinned knee

4th of July parade in downtown Woodstock

Happy Birthday, Ansley

Family photo disaster #672

Getting ready for fireworks while reading a Lego magazine

Learning to spit sunflower seed hulls (she just spit the whole thing)

Working the crowd

Noah's Ark Animal Rescue - look what I rescued!

Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day

Lake Allatoona at Galt's Ferry

Maybe my favorite picture of the summer! Wardrobe malfunction!

Tellus Museum

Gem panning

Digging for fossils

Figuring out the science of prisms

Back at J.J. Biello

If only!

Run, Forest! Run!

Back at the Kennesaw Park (I've got to remember the name)!

Grant hurling Dasha off the Spinning Top of Death

3 Little Monkeys

First carnival for Annie and Dasha

Round, and round, and round, and round... ugh

Ladybug, ladybug, fly away...

Family Fun night at Hillside UMC

Dasha modeling her balloon outfit

Allatoona Lake at the Wildlife Action Center - Grant's first Ski Bob attempt

This game seemed to be something like an evil twin to Red Rover

Grace made her appearance with a broken wrist

Apple Movie Maker Camp

Annie job hunting

PVC house remodel

Big stuff after learning to operate the water dispenser on the fridge all by herself

Grant with the mayor and city manager

Grant with Councilman Jason Nelms

And those are only the venues that I'll publicize that we were at! :) We all survived the summer but it's very bittersweet to have the kids heading to middle school. The last year has ushered in too many changes. I'd just like to keep them with me for one more year!

Today has been very trying. My doctor appointment was cancelled for yesterday (good thing it wasn't a cardiologist and I was in danger) so I have to reschedule for next week. So, I'm still wearing the splint which just isn't giving me much support. I had to move from Tylenol to Motrin today to get better pain control. I also had to finish getting some of the kids' school supplies and it seemed that everything just crashed in on me at once. Grant has finally started asking some hard questions about circumstances and it just rips all of my scabs off to see the hurts that he's been carrying around. Answering his questions has been just as tough. I'm glad that he's finally beginning to share his feelings about everything but, man! As a mom, it's nearly impossible to listen to him speak from his heart and not get emotional. If he wasn't so darn insightful and wise, it wouldn't be nearly as hard. I think he's wise enough to understand the circumstances and the events that have happened but he's too innocent to understand why it's all happened and I don't have any answers to give him. Last night, he ended up falling asleep in my bed after we talked but he woke me up several times calling out Eric's name like he was dreaming. Of course, it stirred my soul and made for a pretty bad night for me, too. I would do just about anything to take away his pain.

Anyway, my point wasn't to whine tonight. We've had a great summer and I wanted to reflect on that. I'm looking forward to seeing a new group of eager little faces on Monday morning and beginning another great year. I admit that I will carry a lump in my throat all day, though, knowing that the big kids are in a new place and can't come running to me if something goes wrong. I know it's time for them to make the transition but I just don't like it.

Good night, all!