In Early June
The sun is shining, chalk stained drawings litter the driveway, and fresh mulch has been laid around the yard. Today is the last day of school, and the official start of summer.
I'm working at my desk with a jar of incredible backyard-cut pink peonies nearby, drinking cold coffee (not purposefully), while watching a huge snapping mama turtle lay her eggs in a hole she dug in that fresh mulch I mentioned.
Everything and everyone is in bloom right now, growing fast and furiously. Like my peonies, I look at my boys and wonder: HOW are they so bold and brilliant? I don't feel like I've done enough to make them this way!
A finished his first season of soccer, and his first year of Kindergarten, with flying colors. My shy guy who once "participated" in a soccer season glued to my leg (as I participated in it for him), who walked into school for the first several days hand-in-hand with his older bro, now confidently runs through life on his own. He loved being on his own soccer team, has full confidence in his classroom/school, and last week after about 3 good tries, he mastered riding a two wheel bike solo Goodbye training wheels and hello to a summer of zooming!
C navigated an incredibly challenging classroom this year, facing some wild behavior from his peers while showing grace, courage, and resolve. I particularly enjoyed watching his reading/writing take off, seeing him dive into a couple book series, and write bold stories and short essays. He's grown wildly as an athlete--skills wise, but also navigating aggression and unsportsman-like behavior from other teams, winning tough games, losing tough games, and supporting his teammates.
Lately I've been extra stressed trying to navigate end of soccer and school year activities, getting that mulch down before too many weeds came up, and wrapping up training for my triathlon. I'm fluctuating between doing just an OK job at some tasks, to being so overloaded I'm messing up on others.
Did I shove popsicles at Cam's soccer team the other night, inadvertently stepping on the toes of another parent I didn't realize had already brought popsicles? Did I forget to hit "publish" on my last triathlon blog update I wanted to get out there? Yep and yep.
But then I zoom in and smile thinking about the breakfast I made today: special tiny chocolate chip pancakes instead of big ones to celebrate the end of a great year, quick gifting a couple peony stems in a kid's old birthday party paper bag I sent a playmate home from our house with for his mom, the heartwarming way my boys led conversion about the mama snapping turtle--saying she didn't know she picked an unsafe spot across the street from the pond to lay eggs, and how we should give her space.
There's STILL MORE on the agenda for this weekend, and week ahead. But first I need to put out safety cones for mama turtle to cross the street safely, and think about where to go for a celebratory end of the school year lunch with my boys. I can only take it moment by moment and I think that's alright.