Last summer went by so fast, the next thing I knew, I was rushing Ally to the first day of first grade. Although I volunteered quite a bit in her classroom, I missed her while she was there. And this Fall, both kids will go to school every day, and I'm already having anxiety about sending them both away. So when school let out in May, I resolved to make the most of my time with them.
I planned an outing a day from the day school was out until we left for our Orlando vacation. By the time Saturday rolled around, the kids begged to be allowed to just stay at home. Perfect for all of us because after a week on the road or in the office, Sam is ready to kick back in the comforts of his home.
While it was still cool out, Grandpa would come over and play with the
monkeys kids outside. You can see how much my Dad loves these kids. Too bad Ethan can't be as nice to his Grampie.
Every so often, good 'ol Ethan would get in trouble and find himself in the corner. Most kids can't wait to get out of the corner, right? Not Ethan. He is one odd duck. He will stay in the corner until he is good and ready to come out. On this particular day, he was in so much trouble, and he was so mad he decided to defy me by not sitting, per se, but at least still on the chair in the corner as directed. This boy loves to push buttons and limits.
We have seen a lot more bickering this summer. Ally usually walks away from a fight, or whimpers when Ethan hits her. In his questionable wisdom, Sam offered her a reward if she'd just hit him back. It has made this summer interesting, to say the least. But most of the time, they are best buddies and Ally always hugs her brother to comfort him. It warms my hardened heart.
Sam's annual company picnic proved to be a lot of fun this year for the kids, now fully able to appreciate all the activities and treats. His company really strives to make this picnic about the kids, and makes for such a memorable experience. Of course, as we were waiting in line for our food, this little princess took her brother to the shade and let us, her servants, stay in line in the full sun.
Oh, Orlando! How we loved bringing the kids to Sea World for the first time, seeing their reactions to so many firsts. All the packing, sweating, waiting was worth it to see the look of wonder on their faces the first time they saw a dolphin jump out of the water, their shock when Shamu splashed them with ice-cold salt water, their trepidation replaced by sheer excitement and joy when feeding dolphins. So many firsts, so many memories. So worth all the money we spent, even the two gigantic plush Shamu toys that barely made it home (one now shoved into a closet somewhere).
From Orlando to Ft. Myers to see our good friends, Bonnie and David Dorsey and their family. My sweet girl experienced the beach for the first time, and was a vision of perfection with the sunset. Gorgeous weather, great company, and an unbelievably good time. David is holding is suddenly camera-shy son, Sam, whom he and Bonnie adopted from Korea three years ago. They adopted this little guy from Korea and named him after Sam. I was stunned. I never knew Sam had that effect on anyone. During their adoption process, I suggested a baby from Vietnam. I think they feared they'd get a little Anh, because they gave about as much thought to that as I do when Ally asks me for jet pack.
We have a little over three weeks before the kids go back, and I feel like time is flying right by me. I don't want to let them go, but I know I cannot stop Time from tick tick ticking away. Our last hurrah for the summer will be in Vail, CO. I hope to help create more memories for them, taking my exertion-adverse children on multiple hikes. I suspect that by the time we are done with that, the kids will be ready to get rid of ME.
