Summer Fun

So I haven't posted in a while...

What have I been doing, you ask?

Hmmmm....

...Let's see, the kids are out of school...

...I know we're busy doing stuff...

...I just can't remember what it is...

...Something about swimming...

...And eating lunches with Aunties and Grandpa...

...And playing Twister...

...And hide and go seek...

...And eating ice cream...

...And lots and lots of swimming...

...We need to invest in a pool...

What else is there to do during an Arizona summer?

This is a picture of what happens to my dearies when we spend hours in the pool. You can't tell but it's still light outside. Yes you heard me, Light Out Side. I believe it was 7:45pm. And they all crashed. What a wonderful sight. Kiddies so exhausted from summer fun that even the idea of staying awake long enough to get upstairs is dismissed as the couch beckons to them to lie in it's cushieness.

I almost don't even mind carrying them up the stairs to their beds. But then I remember that they are much too big for that, whew!, when did they get so stinking heavy? But don't worry, I hold their hands as I lead them to their bedrooms and safely tuck a blanket around their moppy haired heads, because summer is much too short to spend worrying about how their hair looks. In fact, I would almost say that my princess is about to sport dreadlocks. That's what happens when her hair spends most of the day in that funky stage between not really wet but not quite dry. You can't tell in this picture because she, like me, sleeps with a pillow over her head. But I digress...

So this summer has consisted of going from one pool to another, whether it's swim lessons or swim team or just hanging out at Grandma's. My dears are so incredibly tan it's as if we dipped them in chocolate. Even the babe is sporting some color, although we are so careful to slather up the SPF 500 on her brand new skin. Her cheeks are rosy, like her mom's. But it's Chance that has freckled up. I think it's an age thing, he didn't use to.

And so we live, day in and day out. I'm sure there are other things we've been doing, but nothing of real importance. Just reveling in the now.

I'll try to be better about posting, as if you haven't heard that before.

If I can only pull myself away from life...

What time is it? Like I know...

Schedule, schmedule.
This summer has turned us upside down with things to do that were not previously taken into account. Like, swim meets, which last 4 hours at least once a week in the blazing hot sun to watch your child spend all of 2 minutes in the pool.

And fun swim time, because we can't count the practicing that occurs first thing in the morning. That's more like work, although I would kill to get that kind of time and coaching in the pool. Do they have swim teams for grown ups? I would totally join.

And of course feeding baby time, which is like a revolving door nowadays. It seems like as soon as I'm done nursing, she is eating baby food. And then is back to nursing. And then baby food. all. day. long. I pray it's just a growth spurt.

There's also the trips to grandma's house that take up entire days. Those weren't scheduled in either, but are a necessity when grandma needs help with some drapes and I have nothing planned for dinner. It also gives me a good reason to stop in at the QT for a large soda pop filled with the softest, crunchiest ice I've seen. Besides Sonics' of course, Kristy.

And then there's all the driving time I've been doing getting from one place to the next. How do you schedule in driving time? Would that be categorized as rest time, because the kids all get to fall asleep, or chore time, because that's what it feels like to me.

Those five things basically sum up what I've been doing this entire week. That's it. I've accomplished hardly anything else. The dishes are getting done, although not in a timely manner. We try to pick up the downstairs before we leave for our many errands. And I make sure to shower, although sometimes it's not until very late in the day.

I couldn't even stick with a schedule for one week. I don't understand people who can. How do they do it? Am I really that disorganized? Or is my life to CHAOTIC!, (aka. Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's home movie) (thanks Megan for pointing that one out for me). Perhaps I am a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. Perhaps I'm just not ever going to be that organized and I just need to stop trying. Perhaps I should take a page from the book of Courtney and relish in the spontaneity of summer.

Looks like that's where I'm headed anyways, I might as well enjoy it.

Addendum

I need to add an addendum to my most recent post. This is not me bragging about my child or myself, just an introspection into how our psyches are similar. We are both competitive, to a fault actually. I shudder to think how this will affect her as she grows. What happens when she actually isn't good at something? Will she quit everything, throw in the towel? Will it shatter her self esteem?
I recall trying out for volleyball my freshman year of high school. I had just moved to a 5A school in the suburbs of Phoenix, coming from a small town in Ohio. I had been pretty good on my jr.high teams, and expected nothing short of making at least the freshman team, if not JV. I didn't make either. My new school was state champions that year. All the girls on the team had been in club ball for years. I was devastated, so much so that I gave up sports altogether. I decided, I knew, I wasn't good enough, without ever trying again.
That's what happened when I was suddenly faced with my own mediocrity, having always been nearing greatness. And I fear the same for my own children. I don't want them to think for a second that just because they have some disappointment, nothing is worth doing anymore. I need to somehow instill in them that it's okay to not be good at something, as long as they've tried their best and given their all. That lesson took me almost 20 years to learn.

Don't worry, she's not drowning

I have a competitive child. A child who wants to be great, no, the best at everything. A child who gets straight A's always. A child who hates to lose, always to the point of tears if she does (as if you didn't already know whom I was referring to). This is going to get her very far in life, as she will try and try and try until she can master a skill.
Take piano for example. She just started playing 2 months ago. She's had a total of 7 lessons. She practices many times during the day, without ever being asked. And she can now play almost her entire first book. Along with "I am a Child of God", right hand only. I don't force her to practice, she just wants to. She told me that once she's done learning the piano, she wants to learn other instruments. As if there is a certain stopping point she'll get to where she will play perfectly. And she's not kidding.
Softball, another example. She started off the season throwing like a girl, swinging like a girl, skipping to first base like a girl (I know she's a girl, but come on!). As she saw where she wanted to be as far as skills go, she stepped it up. And she consistently got good hits, threw hard, and started practicing underhanded fast-pitching, even though she won't be doing that for another year at least. She wants to be ahead of the game.
So swim team is starting next week. I took the two older kids down to try the team out, to see if it would be something they were interested in. My eldest took to it, tried his best, and wasn't half bad. My daughter looked like she was drowning the whole time. The freestyle stroke has never been something we've really practiced. She had to hold onto the wall many times to catch her breath because she wasn't breathing right. She belly flops when she dives in.
And yet, I can almost guarantee that in a few weeks, she'll be 10 times better at it. She wants desperately to do well, especially if her brother is. She can't wait for the meets. Sometimes I wonder where she gets this from.

Oh, right.

So I'll be running St.George this year. I'm hoping for a finish time of around 4:15, although I really want a 4:00. My last marathon was a 4:30 two years ago. Training started this week. I can't wait.