September is upon us- another summer just about gone. Boy, I remember when I was little, summer was such a gift-3 long months to indulge in sleeping in, staying up late and endless trips to the pool and library. I do think my kids enjoy the summer time they have, but I realized that our summer is quite like the rest of the year. Since we do summer school- a lighter version of regular school- there is little escape from school. Trips to the library continue all year around and pool time morphs into snow play (it's all water). But, there are a few things I think we are anxious to wave goodbye to that come with summer. . .
Bug bites. There are times in the summer where my kids look like they have chicken pox due to the multiple bites they've incurred. I can't help but wonder why it is we never feel these little pests until after their duty is done. If we were bombarded by a herd of elephants- not a doubt we'd feel it. If we were overrun by a pack of dogs, we'd run like a bunch of scared girls-screams included! If we happened to run across an army of frogs, there would be more screaming than before- and that would be from just me. A swarm of bees- I trust we would find our legs pumping to escape. Why there is certain times when we can even feel 1 hair out of place on our heads. So, I am absolutely baffled that 20 to 30 mosquitoes can search, swarm and suck on the fruits of our obviously good tasting blood and we don't feel a thing until after they are gone and we are left with more spots than a dot to dot book.
Thank God for hydrocortisone! Dousing this out has become my part time summer job. The pay is terrible and the applications can be worse- bugs have a way of finding obscure body parts to bite! The poor Baby Boy- he must have sweeeet blood. He had so many bites this summer. One in particular was in his underarm and due to his constant attention of scratching, it grew to the size of a small country- well at least to the size of a well defined bicep- too bad he couldn't show that off as a muscle- especially since he has just now come to acceptance of wearing muscle shirts. Jane Austen Wanna be assured him daily that he had a tumor growing there. He would just respond by more scratching.
Happily, we wave goodbye to summer bug bites!
Bruises. I know, this is seriously something that is a year round occurrence. However, my kids are a bit more daring during the summer. I'm sure it has something to do with the freedom in less layers of clothes, barefoot running and fried brain cells due to high summer temperatures. This last summer, The Cute one who Gets Everything Free at Garage Sales, The Boy and The Baby Boy took it upon themselves to learn how to do front flips on the trampoline. I keep looking at the warning sign on the side of the trampoline that shows a stick figure with a neck broke in half. Scary! I don't think I was ever more relieved when the older of the three had "brain block" all of the sudden and couldn't remember how to do it any longer. I put on my best "Awwwww, too bad" face and then danced the "Whooo-Hooo" dance behind their back! And being the baby, The Baby Boy has decided to copy his older siblings and "forget" how to roll on the trampoline too.
Other toys like bikes and skateboards are summer time fun and bring a barrage of scrapes and bang-ups with them. We do like spending time outside playing with the multitude of yard toys, so it is inevitable that in just about 2 days my children have dawned the "knee socks" of brown and purple bruises. The boys wear them proudly and love to capture any one's ear to relate all the stories that earned them their badges, which surprisingly always involves pirates and sharks, not to mention guns and sailing through the air. Have to love the imagination!
The Boy has just learned to ride his bike without training wheels- no easy feat for a 4 year old, but he was majorly determined and encouraged by the older sisters he took off. I can't help but beam when my kids catch on to bike riding, it amazes me that the same child who can't walk across the room without knocking into chairs, couches or other siblings can manage balancing on 2 wheels and glide somewhat smoothly down the driveway. And now the bruise stories can be a bit more thrilling- for as everyone knows, escaping from a shark riding pirate is always more fun on a motorcycle than on foot!
Closing the curtains. Sigh. The sad part of summer ending is the curtains close a bit earlier each night. With the daylight growing shorter, it feels as if we are somehow robbed of time and often we find ourselves wondering where the hours went and we scurry to get everything done. The winter solstice and return of a bit longer light is celebrated like Christmas for us. The moment we are sitting around the supper table and all of the sudden realize we can still clearly see outside is call for a hoopla.
While I'll quote my mother in saying "God made the bugs for a purpose!" I'm happily envisioning Heaven shy of bugs therefore free of bites! Sadly, for boys, the bruises fade, so I'm assuming Heaven full of bruise stories that mirror the fish stories of "the one that got away" - lacking proof to impress. And joyfully I'm banking on my Heavenly mansion with curtains always thrown wide open letting the glory of God shine on my supper table each and every night!
Contentedly surviving myself,
Mary
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