Today marks the last day of summer vacation. They start school on Monday for three hours five days a week. We marked the days off on the calendar. Two short months. Nine brief weeks. Yes, it went quickly, but it was so very sweet.
As I tucked them into bed tonight sleepy and dirty from the final day of summer fun, I did not feel any longing or regret for what could've been, but rather pure joy and contentment from the time we have spent just being together.
They are two and four, and what it took to create a summer full of bliss for us might not look like much to most people. Playgrounds, picnics, parades, puddle jumping, road trips to St Louis, St Joe, and Chicago, dance parties, sleepovers, pool play, tons of tag, Bible stories all snuggled up on the couch, bonfires and marshmallows, many museums, good books, splash parks, sand angels, rainbow sprinkles, veggies fresh out of the garden, sidewalk chalk, blowing bubbles, silly songs, math games, finger paint, sand and water play on the deck, building sand castles on the beach, bike rides, sweaty hikes, watering and weeding and watching plants grow, play dates, new friends, old friends, dropping off dinners made to bless others, cool moss, fresh lemonade, the county fair, slip and slides, sprinklers, and plenty of sunscreen!
This has been the happiest summer of my life. There is nothing I would rather do than make these teeny tiny memories full of love with my family. We have loved each other well this summer. We have basked in God's glorious creation. We have soaked up every drippy drop of joy. Our hearts are so full! We are richly and abundantly blessed!
