Commence Back To School

We have been busy little bees around here to say the least. So grab a cup of joe, or diet coke, or wine and settle in for a bit. It's a longy but goody ;)  We spent the last few weeks of Summer squeezing in what fun we could...ok and maybe I was a little manic counting down the days until I could squeeze in an hour of freedom.  Three, wild boys all Summer long definitely took it's toll on me. I am getting old after all. Come days end, I was s.p.e.n.t.

We did a lot of swimming in our new pool and in true West fashion we go all out even then ; )

We are now into card and board games big time and as depicted below, I get very into it as well!

We spend days outside running the property. Riding tractors, flying on our scooters. Getting boo boo's and jumping right back up so as not to miss a moment.  What I know for sure about this move from "Suburbia" to property is it is one of the single best choices we have made. It was a spur of the moment, one to many cocktail nights together between Dave and I to put the old house on the market and the next thing you know it sold and here we are.  There was a higher power (and one bada*# realtor) that allowed all of these cards to line up.  We are never inside. The boys play from sun up to sun down. They come traipsing through the house with sweaty faces, black feet and big smiles.  My mother would go into cardiac arrest if she saw these boys come days end, but I know and often remind her it's nothing that can't be washed ; )

...who needs shoes or shorts for that matter... 

We went to the zoo to see the animals, or should I say sweat our as*#es off!  (The Florida heat is scorching right now)  While we there I could remember bringing just the two older boys and being in panic mode when they insisted on going on the monkey boat.  This time, the four of us piled on the boat, sat like angels and listened to the whole tour.  They are growing up and it is so incredibly bittersweet....

i did not make out in this deal... heavy boys right thar ; )

And the best for last...

check out that reddish hair!

I stared at him in awe the entire time as he watched, discovered and learned.  I am still blown away by how far this baby has come...I don't know why I expect that to go away. Ever.

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We started preparing for back to school.  Stocking up on those yummy smelling school supplies, and yes you read that right. I love the smell of new crayons and pencils. I remember being little and loving when I opened that pink box residing in my desk all smelling of my new digs.  Apparently things haven't changed and apparently I passed that on to Mason who smells EVERYthing! The boys got haircuts, Pax included who screamed "don't touch me" the entire time through tears. He hates to be touched by anyone other than those close to him, gee...I don't know why that would be. But, JCPenney girl wasn't phased in the least. Girlfriend shared her gum with him and ran around telling anyone who would listen how amazing he was.  She got to see his boo boo because he had so much hair on his shirt we had to take it off.  Thus the story began and thus she got a client for life because she was so patient and kind with him.

Seriously, they don't get anymore gorgeous than that!  I am so, so, SO blessed with three of the most amazing, kind boys ever.  They blow me away with their compassion for others. Now for each other...that's a whole different story ; ) although when nip comes to tuck they will protect each other like nothing I have ever seen. Mason especially would take me down protecting them if he really wanted to.  If one is in trouble and getting reamed, the others will gang up on me and scream, literally, "leave my brother alone!' and my heart... oh' it melts.  They will always have each other and man does that comfort me.

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So, ya'll know running is in the Sommer genes, so it should come surprise that as soon as Dad started 5 am practices again, when it was early enough for me to go before the kids wake up that I began to run again. I wonder if I will ever stop, no matter where life takes me it's something I always gravitate back to.  It makes me happy to join his team, motivates me and best of all keeps me in constant contact with my family. I get to see my Dads "horsey smile"  every morning, my brother in his spandex cheering me on always starts my day off right and of course my sister who, like me, was not blessed with the fast "running gene" is the perfect partner. We gossip and complain and sometimes almost fall and then we laugh. Then later that day I will get an email from sister telling me how important I am in her life with a list of all our inside jokes which is endless. Sisters got the memory of an elephant! And I know that those are the moments....

Which led us to Dads annual Fast Cat road race that he holds every year to raise money for his team.  It was stifling out. Like pretty sure my O2 saturation's would have alarmed any medical personnel that  checked them.  I ran. The family ran. The boys ran! And we made more moments.

austin may have gotten "the gene" just sayin...look at that stride!

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It seems we did a lot of napping too and nothing melts my heart more than a sleeping child/baby so I snapped away...

Please take a moment to look at those PINK piggies. I know, big deal right.  Not with Pax. For 2 1/2 years of life he had purple feet. There was no blood flow to the lower half of his body until all of his surgeries were completed. Today he is pink and that is a sight to behold. I still check them daily. I did it for so long I don't know that I will ever stop.  He is a walking miracle. His doctors~the miracle workers.  I watched NY Med last week with the cardiac baby born with his heart in the wrong place and I wept with that Mother in the truest form because I knew EXACTLY how she felt in that moment. It came rushing back to me like it was yesterday. That little baby had a " complete repair" and I won't lie I was wicked jealous, but as Paxton grows and thrives I fall more in love with him every day.  For some reason every day I wait for that ball to drop.  It's to good to be true.  I think at the end of the day I feel like I have to think that way to guard myself should something lie ahead. If I always carry that, I won't be blown away should it come. It's no way to live, I know, but I don't know any other way. 

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Before I knew it, the day had come.  My babies were headed off to school. Mason to VPK 4, Paxton to blended 3's and my Austin bear was headed into Kindergarten.  Seriously kindergarten!!!!!

From this:

To this:

From this:

From this:

before there were any scars, surgeries, feeding tubes or owies.... ;,,,,,/

To this:

In the blink of an eye....

yes, I stalked through the window on the door : )

A week into school at this point and my boys...oh they are rocking it. Austin gets dropped off in car line and picked up in car line. He walks himself to class and waves good bye just before doing so. I tear up still at that little wave.  Paxton LOVES his class and his teacher. I am told he has impeccable manners and insists that no one sit in his seat even though there are no assigned seats. Mason is adjusting. He is my little actor and puts a bit of a scene on every morning clinging to my leg, but does amazing once I am gone.  I am told that he is quite the sweet talker which is no surprise to me at all ;)

...These are the moments... I thank God that I'm alive. These are the moments I'll remember all my life...

Love and hugs,

j

ps~ stay safe Naples, St. Pete, Tampa peeps!