So Long Sweet Summer

 I am so many mixed emotions as I sit here tonight. I am filled with excitement and relief, worry and anxiousness, gladness and sorrow.... it's amazing how it seems like we can feel so many emotions at one time.  The girls are tucked in bed and their bags are all packed and hung up all ready to go.  The clothes are all laid out and water bottles filled.  They are both overflowing with excitement for school to start back but I must admit, I am a little sad to have to lose these sweet precious summer days with them.  

I've been working from home since March.  Jarrod was home the first few weeks this all began but for the last several months, it has just been the girls and I home each day.  And I am so thankful for this time we have had together.  I have so loved our early mornings and spending my days listening to them play and chat.  We've gone for lunch time walks or bike rides to visit our family almost every day and cuddled and talked and played so much. It's been hard at times trying to juggle work and taking care of everyone all day but the good far outweighs the bad. I will never forget these sweet simple days.

I bought these shoes for Hunter Claire the Saturday right before all of this started.  We bought them to have some cute spring shoes that she could wear to school. They never got worn to school.  We never went back to school.  But what started as these bright sparkly shoes have rode lots of miles on the scooter, enjoyed lots of lunches on the patio, swung back and forth a million times on the swing, and taken baby dolls to the backyard playground.  I've picked them up out of the middle of the floor a million times and put them in the basket by the door to be quickly grabbed and put on for our next neighborhood adventure the next day.  

I took the girls on Friday on a little prayer walk/drive.  We went around to all the schools in our city and prayed for the schools, the students, the leadership.  We prayed for health and safety and fun times for all.  I hope we can make this a new tradition.  With so much worry and unknowns and anxieties surrounding this school year, I just pray that our God put a hedge of protection around my babies and their classmates to stay not only physically well but also mentally well too.  I know these little ones are not near as worried or anxious as us grown up who think we have to control everything but I just pray their little fear and worries are eased and they can learn and grow and be a blessing to so many who are hurting and struggling these days.

We went to a wedding for the daughter of a friend of mine on Saturday.  It was a super sweet wedding and we all had a great time but it made me a little sad.  I met Maggie's dad, Jeff about ten years ago when Hadley wasn't much older than Hadley is now.  And here we are in what seems like no time watching sweet Maggie get married. Oh how fast time flies!

We've enjoyed these fast days soaking up this sweet sweet summer.  I'm not sure what I am going to do all by myself tomorrow while I work from home and the girls go off to school but I do know I will be waiting as soon as the bell rings to hug them in my arms and savor some more time with them before it too, passes by way too fast.