Summertime!

I know, I know, I know.  I really should have noticed several weeks ago that summer is really over- and our visitors are certainly gone- and that it was time to share with you our summer adventures.  Or maybe it was really time to start this about 4 months ago in numerous editions, but hind sight doesn't provide much of an excuse.  Does it sound really, really lame to say I've been busy- or maybe distracted- or just plain lazy.  I think on any given day any and all might apply.  But I think probably the most accurate explanation might be that the sheer abundance of all of our visitors- and the massive number of pictures taken- made the task seem rather daunting.  I put it off!  I found diversions, many of which are presented in the pictures below. I would put it on each day's "To Do" only to find the day complete and the summer blog still hidden in the pictures- and memories- tucked nicely away.  Now I'd like to promise that I'll be better.  That in the future our life will be recorded in a more timely fashion.  I don't think you'd believe me.  I don't think I'd even believe me.  So I'm sure future blogs will be somewhat like my past blogs- we just have to wait for the spirit to move me.  Well, I am moved- so read on!  

Now this blog is going to be much more a story in pictures rather than words. Actually this blog only presents the joys that family can bring over a given period of time represented in fractions of seconds of time.  One has to fill in spaces in between knowing that each fraction of a second that the picture provides represents what is sometimes a week of events.  Not being here to experience the events may leave one wondering about the details, but given that even we probably cannot fill in the details allows you to provide your own.  Just make them a much fun as you can imagine. I think always the magic of a child is captured in the upturned face- the wide eye stare- the mischievous glance. And this blog is so often about the wee ones of our summer visitors.  Now we did have some "adult" company- and often our wee ones came accompanied by an adult- but the pictures suggest that this was the summer when just being little captured the centers of attention- ours at least.

The summer we lived wasn't the summer we planned- the summer we lived just happened- circumstances changed- our summer changed.  Had you asked me what I anticipated our summer might be like last May I would have said "quiet".  I would have been wrong.  For whatever our summer might have been, "quiet" is not one of the adjectives you might choose.  There were some brief quiet moments.  Children do take naps.  Grandparents even get the occasional nap.

Beginning in May, Brandy and Mikayla arrived and intended to stay for about a week while they waited to close on their new house in Michigan and for their "stuff" from Florida to make the trip to Michigan in the moving van.  This short week visit stretched to four weeks with the unforeseen delays that so often complicate buying and moving into a new house.  It was a gift to us-but a frustration to Brandy and Will as they persevered the complications that just kept adding upon each other.  

Clint left in late spring for his last trip to Afghanistan (he is now safe in California with his beautiful family) and Marianne planned a summer "road" trip that would include a stay of two weeks in Cincinnati.  The "road" trip fell through and Marianne and the kids arrived in late May and left mid September (with two "road" trips to Florida interrupting the Cincinnati time).

And then Amber and Evan (and their new puppy "Bo") drove down from Chicago for a visit- and later Matthew and his girlfriend Sarah (with their dog- and frequent visitor to Ohio- "Gigi") drove over from Philadelphia.  So the summer was filled to the brim.  We made trips to the zoo, and to the pool (and given the heat we went a lot more often to the pool than the zoo) and the Children's Museum and the park.  We ate in.  We ate out.  Mikayla took swimming lessons.  Reeder took swimming lessons, musical theater and cooking classes (and a day horse camp as well) and swam on the Wyoming Rec Center Swim team.  Hayes took sports camp and also took swimming lessons.  And Weiler just managed to look adorable in the middle of the commotion about him.  And of  course, Sarah joined in the fun with Anthony and occasionally Deseree.  But Deseree is nearly 16, not a wee one at all.

So this story is in the pictures.  I hope you enjoy.  You must know that I will often go back to this blog and look again- and relive again- our summer with the wee ones. I'd like to think I might find a way to create some organization in these pictures- but I just don't think I'll be able to get them as organized as I might like- even my memories mix everything all up.  But perhaps we can all just meander along together.

Now I don't know exactly which picture to flash on the page first.  There just isn't one picture that captures the summer.  It is rather each individual moment that finally adds up to our experience of summer.  So I think I'll just begin- and leave you to sort out the summer in whatever fashion you might.  As I said earlier, whatever you might come up with is probably as good as what we could describe as long as it gives you a smile.

Maybe I'll start with cousins!

And of course trips to the Root Beer Stand:

And trips to the Dairy Queen:

And lunch at the counter of Half Day Cafe:

And Reds games:

And the park:

And the POOL!

Sarah's Graduation!

Adventures away from home:

Reeder's Horse Camp!  She did terrific!

And of course many wonderful times at home!

It is quiet now.  Autumn has set in, the days are finally cool, everyone is well settled in their new homes and we have quiet evenings at home.  So maybe now is the best time to write about the summer, to look at the pictures again and remember what a wonderful summer it was.