I am going to make a confession.
I hate summer.
*ducks*
Perhaps I have confessed that before on this blog, and certainly those in my life are well aware of this fact. I’m just of Eastern European stock, man. I need icicles. I just do not fare well in the heat. I wilt a little. It’s terrible for my curly hair. And nobody wants details on how my stomach reacts to the indoor/outdoor cold/hot, cold/hot of a summer party. Blech.
I’m still kind of amazed that I lived in Florida for seven years. I was indoors most of the time.
But I digress … .
Like most parents, my life is now more about my children, and since 50% of the children in my household are now in school full time (Max), and didn’t qualify for ESY (Extended School Year), I decided back in the spring that we’d keep ourselves as busy as possible this summer. I’d try to … oh goodness, “embrace” it.
An oh, are we ever. I found one summer camp in all of Northern Virginia that would take an ASD kid his age. We did two weeks in June, and it was amazing. We had to drive for almost an hour to get there, and there was a mall about fifteen minutes away. So Andy and I would head to the indoor play park, ride the carousel and have a grand time while we waited. (It brought back great memories of my years in retail.) We’d pick up Maxamillion, go have lunch, and go home and crash for the afternoon.
After camp ended we did Ohio trip number one of the summer, where we landed around the Fourth of July. We had a barbeque, went to the beach, went to the pool, went to the zoo, visited friends on their new farm (Max loved the pigs, Andy rode a backhoe), saw all of our family and lots of friends. I even spent half a day in a salon. Amazing, this trip.
That baby was crazy for the elephants. He was hugging the stuffed one I paid $1,585,404.68 for today.
They were doing some kind of weird reindeer call with their lips. Boys.
Who can resist boys and sand? Totally immersed. This was seriously our most relaxing day this summer. And I hate the beach!
Now at my mom’s house, Max sleeps upstairs and either my mom (if Ned/Thor/Gunnar is with us) sleeps upstairs, or I do. But Andy, historically, has slept in the spare bedroom in a crib or a pack-n-play.
Until this trip, when he was having none of that, I had to compromise and that left us with a pack-n-play wedged between the dresser and bed in my mom’s room, me in my mom’s bed and my mom in the spare room upstairs with Mikey. Goodness.
Good thing Nana loves them. Who else would help them water the driveway?
Then we get home and it’s a week with Andy of sitting in his room for an hour while he cries himself to sleep, busting out the serious crib toy with bubbles and fishies and music and lights, and crossing my fingers he doesn’t jump out of the crib. Again.
Eventually sleep became sleep and we continued our summer ’o fun. I survived a pool playdate without anyone drowning or injuring themselves. We have made returns to the animal park where despite the mud and dirt and well, lots of animal saliva (yuck) and super amounts of sunshine, the boys have … fun. FUN! Remember fun?
This sloth sees right into my soul.
And so can the llama.
Speaking of pigs …
That boy loved them pigs. That mud loved them shoes too.
Seriously. Max luuuuuuved the pigs.
So now we’re plotting another Ohio/New York trip combo, a week to chill back at home and then our big annual birthday trip to celebrate Andy’s second birthday and Max’s *gulp* FIFTH birthday.
And for the first time IN MY LIFE I’m kind of almost a little bit sad for summer to be rushing by so fast. I mean, I like the idea of embracing, of going of doing (that’s the Gemini in me). But to not wish away summer for a delicious pumpkin spice latte? Blashphemy!
The Fourth Trimester Blog 