Summer

Today started like every other day with me waking up to Kaylee yelling good-bye and asking her dad for "just one more kiss". The front door slams twice as she is waving and watching him pull away. Some days this routine annoys me because she wakes up her siblings or worse yet, she wakes the mom, who is definitely not a morning person. This tradition started real young as Kaylee has always been daddy's little girl. At age two she would stand at the back door in our first house and cry as she would watch him get into his car, start it, and pull it out of the driveway. There was numerous days she would run outside in her pjs, skip down the five back concrete stairs, and race to the car for the coveted kiss from her favorite sidekick. Heaven forbid Eric leave the house and not say goodbye for she would be inconsolable not understanding that some days he didn't want to wake her up at 4 am due to an early flight.

Oh well, I thought as I rolled over to take a look at my phone and check the time. I check my email as I hear Kaylee let the dog out and start playing with toys in the living room. Since the baby isn't up I figure I should make some coffee and start getting ready for the day. When Jake is awake getting ready takes twice as long now that he is mobile. The other day while getting ready he took everything out of the bathroom cabinet, crawled to the tub and dumped it in. While it keep him occupied, I don't always feel like dealing with the aftermath of his destruction.

Despite not being a morning person I needed to get up and the girls needed to get ready for their last day of swim lessons. I start brewing the coffee and put some bread in the toaster. From the kitchen I can hear Cameron feet create a thud as she jumps out of her top bunk. She is excited for the day ahead which is evident when she comes into the kitchen already in her swimsuit. After a quick breakfast we are in the car. We had some time before lessons and the girls spot a garage sale. We stop and the girls find some treasures before we load back into the car to head to the town pool. Cameron can't wait to start reading her new Junie B Jones book she just bought and Kaylee is so excited that she got a Lego dolphin to add to her ever growing Lego collection. They are quiet in the car with their new items which is a pleasure since car rides often provoke random arguments.

We arrive at the pool and the kids hurry out of the car while I am still trying to unload Jake and all the stuff that goes along with having a baby come to the pool. I grab Jake who is smelling like sunscreen and slightly slippery due to it as well. I place him in the stroller. I get more sunscreen and rub it on his face just to make sure I didn't forget a spot on his delicate baby skin. I laugh at his baby rolls. He is a tan baby with a farmer's tan even though we put massive amounts of protection on him. His folds are never exposed to sun and therefore are still white. The excess sunscreen is smoothed into his hair to create a Mohawk. He is now ready for swimming.

The kids have already found their teachers and are getting wet in the pool. Cameron starts with her freestyle while Kaylee works on the back stroke. I find my spot next to Jen and Emma and sigh as I sit down. I have forty minutes to watch the lessons and drink my coffee with my friends by my side. Emma uses her magic trick on Jake and he falls asleep in the stroller, so I can truly relax. Jen and I catch up in between our kids shouting, "Hey Mom!! Look at this!!" as they flip off the diving board and into the deep end of the pool.

After lessons we stay by the pool and let the children play some more together building sand castles, hiding in their "secret" fort, and jumping off the diving board. They are enjoying every min of sun and soaking in the summer rays. The baby wakes up and ventures into the water, unsure if he likes it. However, as he explores he become use to the temperature and starts splashing around. He crawls in the water with his rear in the air so that his knee don't scrape the cement bottom of the pool. When he gets to where he is going he stops and opens his hands to clap and the water flings in himself and his friends.

Jen says, "Hey, lets surprise the kids and get them froyo today after the they are done swimming."

"Sure!" I quickly reply since I have been trying to be more spontaneous as their mom especially during the summer months. Staying up later than usual, sleeping in tents in the basement, friends coming over without major cleaning of the house, and not freaking out about their diets everyday with an occasional "ice cream for dinner" kind of thing.

When the kids heard the plan, they were quick to exit the pool and get in the steaming hot car. The drive is short, but to the girls it feels like forever before they can be reunited with their friends again. They get out and we order, Kaylee orders a giant ice cream cone with sprinkles and cam has a hot fudge sundae like usual. I order a fruit smoothie in an feeble attempt to be "healthy" but give most of it to the baby who has started learning how to drink out of straws. We sit on the wooden benches outside and laugh at the kids trying to win the race of eating their dishes before they melt in the hot summer sun.

Eric calls to say he is home early and wondering where we all were. We finish our mid afternoon snack and pile back into the hot truck and go home. He is waiting outside already changed out of his work clothes. He helps me get the kids out of the car and asks them about the pool. While they explain their new jump moves and their report cards from swim lessons, I walk to the kitchen to get dinner started. Kaylee entertains the baby while Eric grills the meat and Cameron & I start making her "famous" potatoes. We eat what we can since we already semi-ruined our appetite earlier.

It is still light out and in lieu of cleaning the dishes we decide to go on a bike ride which for me has been the best purchases of the year. It is the first summer that Cameron is riding without training wheels, however, this has not been a totally graceful process. Each time she falls she blames one of us for her fall. Either we are talking too much or riding too close or we don't tell her with enough warning where to go. In an effort to avoid riding in the baby carrier, she has been practicing. In addition, when she is riding better we can start asking friends to try a family bike ride. This is an idea she wants to complete. Each trip becomes better with fewer spills each time we go. We start on the bike trail that is across the street from our house. We ride toward the small stream and stop to see if the ducks are in the water. We watch them swim for while, and some even come to walk on the bike path wondering if we brought them food.

We walk our bikes across the busy street and continue on the bike trail. Cameron is doing well and is eager to continue further than she has ever gone. We find new trails and ride over the railroad tracks passing other families on the way. We end up in a tunnel as the kids eagerly ride through. We start heading home but before we get there, we pass the Froyo. Eric wants to stop and reward Cameron for her amazing ride. The girls are giddy with excitement for they are gonna be able to have their favorite summer treat twice in one day. They choose a blizzard type treat and try to eat as much as they can before the sun sets.

We ride towards home passing the Molenaars house and our former house on the way. It's a race with the sun as we need the light to make it home. We make it to the bike trail across the street from our house in relief. The sun has set and riding near the street is no longer a safe option.

We ride the bike trail and the most amazing thing happens. As the sunlight is slowly faded the fire flies emerge in a massive quantity. Hundreds of them come out and twinkle and sparkle on the two block trip home. They light our ride in the stillness of the dusk only being serenaded with the distant sounds of the bullfrogs in the creek. They were better than any fireworks show I have ever seen and I love that I experienced that with my kids present.

We are nearing the end of the bike trail and as we round the corner to ride our bikes past the "little store" and park the bikes in the garage Cameron says to me, "Mom, today was a really fun day."

"Yes, Cam. It was."

I don't bother making the kids change out of their clothes and they crash in their bunk beds with messy hair and dirty feet. I am thinking most summer days may not be this busy but they are are definately this good. I kiss them goodnight, their skin still holding on to the heat of sun of the day and am thankful we still have more summer days left.