Greatest Gift: What happened to summer?

I keep looking at the calendar, thinking, "It's August what?" I can't hardly remember what I did last week, needless to say what I did in June, but the last three months have whizzed by. I'm unsure what's been accomplished besides a lot of play, several naps, and humidity that knocked us down and kept us inside.

For the past two weeks, I have slightly panicked thinking that I have so much to pack in these last weeks before school starts, which is another thing that is making me panic. So I started to make a mental list of "to dos" and attempted to start checking things off.

My favorite place to take the boys is a splash pad. We were only there a few times and I started to regret not frequenting it as much as we have in passed summers. So the week before last, I slathered on the sunscreen, packed some snacks and we headed out around 9:00 (leaving my camera behind). I have quickly learned that the sooner we can get somewhere, the fewer people we have to deal with. We were the third group at the pad and we played like we owned the place. By the time the masses were there, we had had our fun and were ready to go home for lunch.

On Monday, I thought as I watched weather report on the morning news, "Gee today would be a good day to go to the community pool." Only to find out that Saturday was it's last open day of the season. I was really bummed out because that meant that it's truly the tale end of summer and we didn't even get to the pool.

We haven't been to the zoo much this summer. Maybe once...I think...hmmmm....and it's on my list, but just keeps getting pushed farther and farther back. Mostly we go to the zoo just to hang out at the parks. I keep thinking, We have parks locally, so why deal with mobs of people to hang out at a park?

Last night we made it to a little kid concert in the park and watched Tricia and the Toonies perform some of their random acts. This was Henry's first puppet experience that either of us can recall and he had lots of questions. How do they talk? How do they move? Where are they going? Why do they look like that? It was finally when we scooted out a bit early that he was able to get a peek behind the scenes as to what really went on. He froze in his steps in awe of a man putting his hand up the behind of a puppet. The puppeteer saw Henry and the puppet then waved to Henry. Henry, still frozen, put his little hand up and waved back at the puppet. After that, all his questions were answered and he ran for the playground.

So today is Henry's official last day of summer. He doesn't know it, but today's the big finale. All those feelings I held onto as a kid when you realize that three months have flown by and homework, schedules, bedtimes, teachers, school clothes, backpacks, school lunches all starts again on Monday puts a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

It's not that I don't enjoy all of those things because I am a woman of routine and queen of scheduling. I think it's the idea that I am now a parent witnessing my young son's first experience in education. I am hopeful that these early years of education are great ones full of excitement, fun and lots of learning. I look forward to glittery art projects, being read to, field trips, volunteering, and school concerts. I don't know if I'll be sad when I drop him off on Monday afternoon, but I think I'll feel a bit lonely as I walk away from the building. I'm his mom.

Now I know it's just preschool, but it's the beginning of "his journey". I hold onto a lot of hope for Henry's future as a student.

Henry, I hope your journey is filled with lots and lots and lots of laughs. I hope that people want to be around you (as much as I do). I hope your quest for questioning and understanding never dies but is only challenged. I hope you always have teachers that inspire and never squelch your desire to learn. I hope you love to read. I hope you make your teachers smile (and laugh as little) when you are around. I hope you will come home and share part of your day with me. I hope that on the days when you don't want to share because you've had a bad day, you'll know that I'll be there to sit with you, hold you and wipe your tears. I hope you never have to use your Epipen. I hope our walks to school are fun and something we look forward to every day even when it's cold outside. I hope you love little notes in your lunch box as much as I loved them when I was a kid. I hope you know how much I love you when I drop you off on your first day, and how much I will be looking forward to picking you up.

Love, Mom

Here's to summer, and "another big one that got away."