And I'm not talking about Ava...
Summer brings a whole new perspective on life for me. After nine months of waking up early, grading endless stacks of essays, battling with 8th graders about why they need to respect adults/take their grades seriously/stop talking/etc, and feeling beaten down about half the time...finally, when I feel as though I can't take it any more, a reprieve comes. The air warms, the sun kisses my face, and I breathe long gulps of freedom. Everything seems better at the beginning of summer break. I have time for Panera breakfasts in front of the TV while I catch up on The Bachelorette. Trips to the pool with friends turn into dinner parties and beers on the deck. If I sleep poorly the night before, I don't have to worry about dragging myself to work - I can simply slip in-between the cool sheets during the long, lazy afternoon.
Summer allows for so many pleasures, a little bit of heaven each day.
Summer means:
Capris and bare feet
Play-Doh at the table after dinner...because we don't have to rush through a bath-and-bedtime routine
Ava made Play-Doh pancakes as big as her hand and then fed them to a tiny Strawberry Shortcake Happy-Meal doll (who she has dubbed "Ella"). The conversation that took place during this imaginary play:
Me: Ava, what are you feeding her? Is it vegetables?
Ava: Nooooo.
Me: Is it pizza?
Ava: Nooooo.
Me: Well, what is it?
Ava: Medicine!
Hmmm, future doctor or nurse? Or a pharmacist?
Playing outside in pajamas and dress shoes
She calls them her white shoes. She has no idea that they are made to wear with fancy dresses...but who cares? How often does one wear fancy dresses anyway?
I'm actually a little envious of her "I'll wear these fancy white shoes whenever I want" attitude. As a kid, I loved these types of shoes for one reason: they made clip-clop noises when walking. I always wished my mom would let me wear my dress shoes to school so that I could hear them clip-clop as I walked down the hall or on the concrete at recess...but she wouldn't let me. Even though I hardly ever wore those dressy shoes due to the fact that occasions to wear dressy shoes are few and far between...she still wouldn't let me.
I vow to let Ava wear dress shoes whenever she wants.
Boat rides with friends
The perfect way to spend an afternoon: head up to the Ozdemir's, pack some drinks and snacks, and enjoy a breezy, warm day out on the water. Ava and Ella play together, Kate toddles behind, and the adults chat or sit quietly in companionable silence as the girls entertain themselves. The day rounds out nicely by grilling up some chicken, scarfing down dessert...and three little girls splashing around in the bathtub.
Of course the reality of getting two toddlers together is that they fight over the same toys and as you leave, both are in tears over a bag of bouncy balls...but I digress.
Trips to Manchester, which inevitably means trips to Warvel Park
How does one get to Warvel Park? On a golf cart, of course. The benefit of a small town! We take the golf cart everywhere.
Water table fun on the deck
Ava quickly realized that standing outside of the water in a dress is not as good as being IN the water...in the nude.
There are many more little bits of heaven waiting for us this summer. This is only the beginning! The entire season is stretching out before us and it makes me feel hopeful, happy and content. Even if you are not a teacher, I hope you take the time to enjoy all that summer has to offer.
Summer is here and LIFE IS GOOD!
No comments:
Post a Comment