Take One Last Look Before it Passes By. Before it Passes You By.

Summer...over....where did it go?  School started yesterday.  My daughter, a brand new Kindergartener, entered her school full of excitement for the new year.  Summer, and all the incredible things we did, are but a memory to her. The End of the Summer. We're moving on.

It's so easy for kids to just move on, isn't it?  Carefree.  Ready for the next grand adventure.  But I can't do that.  I need time to marinate in the wonderful memories we made.  I need to reflect on everything we did, be proud of myself for surviving a summer with 3 kids, and even pat myself on the back for providing so much fun all summer long.

Last May, Masie came from pre-school and said, "Summer stinks.  We never do nuthin'."  I was blown away because she used a double negative and that drives me crazy! because we do lots of things.  She takes piano lessons, and swimming, and gymnastics.  We go to fairs, the zoo, several parks, the library!  Certainly, these are something.  I tried to remind her of all the things we do, without boring her with my own sob stories about how, as a child, I didn't have the opportunities she has. (Although that was in the back of my mind the whole time.)  She rolled her eyes at me. Rolled her eyes. *Gasp*

I love Pinterest.  I had noticed many pins of lovely summer 'to-do' charts that awesome Super Moms make for their kids prior to summer starting.  These charts typically outline what Super Mom and Super Children wish to do over the summer.  They're great!  And I was inspired.  But I'm a Survival Mom. I can't plan the entire summer.  Our lives just don't work like that.  So, rather than plan the summer, I decided to take a plain piece of poster board, add the title, "Our Great Gano Summer" and fill in it with things we did as summer progressed.

There is it, folks.  Our summer, neatly (as neat as we get) displayed on a sheet of posterboard. It seems so miniscule compared to the mammoth dreams I had for this summer.  Like Judy Moody, I wanted my kids to have their own, "Not So Bummer Summer."  It's almost sad to see three entire months reduced to 22"x28".  However, when I read over the individual events, I see that we spent hours and hours and hours together, having fun, enjoying summer, living.

We went to the library almost every Friday!  We celebrated the twins' 3rd birthday with a Fresh Beat Band themed party, complete with inflatable guitars, vented sunglasses, and a stage! We rode Thomas the Train!  We went to the drive-in movies 4 times!  We hosted a cookout for the 4th of July and sat on our front porch that evening, marvelling over the beautiful firework display some stranger let off nearby. We enjoyed 3 visits from my niece, Drea! We went to T-ball games and Vacation Bible School. We picnicked at Tuscora Park every Monday in July.  We saw hot air balloons light up in the night. We visited every park nearby and discovered some new ones too.  WE WENT TO KENNYWOOD!!! And, as you can see, lots of other things too! We did more things than we could even fit on the chart. This was so far from being a bummer summer.  It was amazing.

But now it's over.  It passed us by.  Time to move on...and dream of the adventure that waits for us next summer.