Summer Milestones

Baby I. laughed.

Just the other night, gazing into her father's eyes, she had a way down deep chuckle.  I love watching, Mr. Flavius with his children, especially when they share these moments.  There's a twinkle in their eyes that speaks of mutual adoration and inside jokes.  Even the baby gets it.

B. is becoming a water baby.  In these last Texas days of ours, I am getting as much use out of the neighborhood pool as I can.  Making up for lost time I suppose.  I know there were whole summers I avoided going, because I was afraid of managing The Many, because I had not yet accepted that I was The Lifeguard, because there was always The New Baby.  As far as reasons go I've got them in spades, but these days I am trying to find ways to say yes as much as possible.  I don't want little resentments from The One towards The Many because we avoided sleep overs or pool time or whatever it is.  So for now, I am sitting (read that as:  pacing) in the shade with the baby, watching the many, lifeguarding as best I can.

It drives Mr. Flavius crazy, but Summer Swim Days means one thing: Sno Cones.  [Household favorites are Tiger's Blood and Wedding Cake with Sno Cream, both flavors from twenty-some-odd years ago my childhood.  In case you were wondering: Sno Cream is not optional.  I mean, really, what kind of crazy nut job is going to endure the anxiety and strain of watching 7 children at the pool, under the sun shade, yet mostly in the sun, in 100ºF weather, and not going looking for a frozen drink when it's all over?  Not to suggest that endlessly watching little girl's handstands and spins, and baby boy splashes, while monitoring the big'uns and also watching to see who also might be watching the big'uns (cause you can never be too careful) is fun.  It's fun.  It's work, but the good kind.  Did I mention I'm watching 7 children?  It's an endless counting game.

Beautiful M. turned 10.  We had a few girls for a sleepover.  Popcorn and a Movie (Gnomio and Juliet) and then swimming the next day (and then I was watching 10!).  We gave her a charm bracelet and a new chain for her cross. Blow-up mattresses filled the family room, all the girls wanted to share the same bed with M.  I'm sure she was flattered.  It was sweet to watch them all together chatting and making summer plans for the time remaining. My mother celebrated with us the next day and called it The Last Birthday.  I suspect she's not taking our upcoming move well.

We endured our inspections on our Texas house and on the Pennsylvania house.  Praying for our buyers and sellers has become a must.  I would like these experiences of buying their first home to be a wonderful one and not one they regret or have any resentment over.  Likewise, I want our sellers to feel good about selling their family home of over 32 years.  I remember buying and selling our first home and I occasionally must remind myself not to hold onto disappointments and frustrations from that time because we were young and inexperienced.  Now, I'm still young, but more experienced.  I feel like I understand the process a bit better.  Of course we've added out of state purchasing to our repertoire now.  

Our Texas time is now in it's final days.  Mr. Flavius made it official and purchased our hotel rooms from the Big Trip Up Yonder.  We leave very early on July 11th.  I told a dear friend yesterday and tears filled her eyes.  I panicked, did a crazy, "No-No! You can't cry- there's no crying," sort of thing.  I feel bad about it now.  How low is my EQ?  I think that once I start though, it will be a while before I stop crying myself.  Not that I'm unhappy, but all the happy memories and wonderful friends and family that we are leaving behind, all those potential memories together that will now be different and far away.

If you only knew. . . I'm missing you already.