Reflections of another Summer gone

Well, Labor Day weekend has past, and so has the unofficial end to Summer!! I have been dreading this since Summer began. It feels as if the older I get the quicker the years pass (especially Summer). I know that people often say that time flies, but this Summer really did fly by.

I did not have such high expectations for this Summer, it was a Summer with no set plans, no vacation, no real weekends - man this Summer would be one of the worst !! So, I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be one of the most memorable Summers we have spent as a family !

The Summer of 2008 was very eventful for our family, and I feel as if we have grown so much closer. We have had some major schedule changes with Jim's new job (he now works every Saturday and is off one day during the week) I was less than thrilled with the idea of losing our weekends but it turned out ok - we have become very intentional about spending the day he is off together (this is what we are calling family fun day), we probably have ended up doing more together than we would have during the weekends.

So just what made the Summer of 2008 so awesome - well here are a few things - I know I'm forgetting stuff !

~Camping - one of our favorite activities - we took a few trips this Summer - One with the Moberly's, one with our small group, and one with just our family ! GREAT TIMES !!!

~Kenny Chesney Concert (this is a Summer tradition Jim and I started 4 years ago with Mackenzie - We added Aodhan into the mix 2 years ago - and I am looking forward to next Summer being able to bring Keiran along)

~T-Ball - Jim and I put together and coached t-ball for the kids. We had a great time and I think the kids did too. We even had an end of the season BBQ and awards ceremony!

~4th of July weekend - we had a great time hanging out with all of our friends

~Keiran turned 3 !! - This was a bitter sweet moment for me - she is my last baby and 3 just sounds so old, but I am looking forward to the next stage

~Quality and Quantity time alone (WITHOUT KIDS) - Jim and I got to spend 2 non-consecutive weeks together this Summer without the kids (they went on a few camping trips with my aunts, who have no kids of their own) Yes, I missed them horribly, but Jim and I really got a chance to reconnect and spend an incredible amount of time together that was mostly stress free and quiet !!

~2 block parties - a growing up in Chicago tradition revisited with my kids

~The Water park - We made countless trips to the water park this Summer - watching the kids in the water is amazing - They are like fish, and Aodhan has no fear of anything - he does the drop slide into 12 ft water and swims like a champ !

~Day trips to Chicago - We still have tons of family that lives in the city - and so we often take a drive to Chicago and head back later that night - this is so much nicer to do when it is Summer and you don't have to worry about the kids and school work the next day and it is light so much later. We hit a few museums, the rain forest cafe, and some other places I'm forgetting right now

~Junior High Camp - Jim and I had the incredible experience of leading at StuCo's Junior High Camp this summer. All I can say is that it was an incredibly powerful, amazing week

~The Jonas Brother's Concert - Do you know what 35,000 screaming girls sounds like ? Well I do ! This is also another bit of a tradition for me ( I have been to a New Kids on the Block concert when I was 9 - I took my sister and cousins, 9 years younger than me, to see Hanson and N Sync) and now, I got to share in Mackenzie's joy as she experienced the Jonas Brothers - We went with my good friend Becky and her 2 daughters - and the girls had screams of pure joy - It was great getting to make my daughter that happy (well I'm sure it had more to do with the Jonas Brothers than me actually taking her )

~Just hanging out with friends and family and having a great time

It really was an amazing Summer - I feel relaxed and refreshed! I must admit there were a few things I did not get to, but I can live with it I am pretty happy with the Summer I had. Now I just have to gear myself up for the weather change that is in store soon !