One of the things I love about Minnesota is how purposefully we live our summer. Not a day is taken for granted or wasted. Rainy days are reserved for cleaning the house or going to the mall, but we don't waste a sunny warm day doing those things unless absolutely necessary. People actually work fewer hours, schedules are adjusted f0r the summer. It stays light til 10:00 pm and we don't miss a minute of it. As we near the end of summer, I am very reluctant to let go of it this year. Maybe it's a sense of how fast time is going by as I get older, or maybe we just had a really great summer. I can honestly say it's been one of the best summers our family has had. There's not any particular reason, but a collection of a lot of small ones.
I love the age that all three of our kids are at - 19, 12 and 10. Nicole has settled into her own skin, grown more content and has been a joy to have around the house. Casey is in between little girlhood and the teen years, and one day I'll find her playing polly pockets and the next attempting to put on eyeliner - blue of course! She loves color! Austin is a confident, kind hearted little guy who brings smiles and laughter whenever he's around. When we took our 2 week driving trip to Florida, I constantly found myself soaking in their conversations and laughter and trying to bottle it up in my mind. Our family travels so well together and we had an amazing time together during those two weeks.
At home, we have our favorite summer things to do and I will miss them so much (especially in January). The kids have had a great time at the local waterpark/pool and love to take their friends. I enjoy the time either reading, talking with friends, or cooling off in the pool. They are at an age where I can actually read a book! In the middle of an afternoon! We've enjoyed bonfires, grilling, going to the river (will miss that one!), getting up late, going to bed late, hanging out with friends at the spur of the moment, baseball games, soccer games, football camp, gorgeous sunsets, laying on the trampoline watching the stars, camping for the first time, riding the dirtbikes, golfing, laying in the hammock, harvesting our tomatoes, going to the cabin with friends, fishing, walking the dogs (once snow falls, that ends), the drive-in, and just not rushing around. I know my kids will have treasured memories of their Minnesota summers and for that, I love this place.
As much as I hate to see summer go, we have lots of changes in the Ryan house for fall. Casey starts middle school, and she and her friends are so excited that they have found reasons to bike up to the middle school every day this past week. There are lots of changes since the school has gone from a Jr. High to a middle school and we are excited about the opportunities she will have. She is also changing gymnastics programs - leaving Perpetual Motion and joining Wolfpack Gymnastics, which feeds the high school program. Her coach, Adam, whom she has had for many years at PM (he left a year ago) is now at Wolfpack! So we are excited about them working together again. I will need discipline in getting dinner ready earlier, as she has to be at practice at 5:30 - we'll be eating with the senior citizens!
Austin has Mr. Ross as his teacher this year - Mr. Ross was Casey's teacher last year, so we are very happy to have him 2 years in a row. I love working with him and his students, and that's where my heart is: helping kids get further in their reading and math, and being present in a child's life who needs some extra attention. Austin will also be playing football through October and will be active with Boy Scouts.
Nicole is staying home this fall, which is a huge change from last semester, and great things are happening in her life. She has a full school schedule and has also committed to be at the barn on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help ride and train horses, in addition to her 2 jobs. We are constantly in awe at the power of grace, and are filled with gratitude that God is greater than anything in this world.
As we wrap up summer, I thought I'd share some pics:
3 comments:
What a fun summer! When I look back I can't believe all we were able to do. It was a blast! I am sorry to see summer end.
I enjoyed reading this so much - you need to blog more!! Now that you will be trapped indoors more, maybe that will happen! Thanks for updating us all on what is going on with the kids. It is certainly true that the older we get, the faster time flies. Glad you guys had such a great summer!
You really did have a fun and busy summer. Glad we got to enjoy a little bit of it with you. Minnesota really has the beautiful spots. Looks like a nice place to visit in the summer. Sounds like you school year will be busy too.
Keep making those good memories. Time goes by way to fast.
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