summer break

Summer break.  Oh summer break.  You had so much potential.  So many opportunities to be fun.  And now you're almost over and I'm not sure what happened.  I wasn't ready for you; I didn't know how much I needed a good plan.

Creighton was supposed to learn to write his name and tie his shoes.
We were supposed to go to the park and library and children's museum and do fun lunch dates.
We were supposed to get into a good summer routine with chores and allowance.
We were going to bake cookies and play in the kitchen.
Beckham was going to get better at basketball and being active everyday.
I was going to have nice morning devotions with the boys and memorize bible verses.
Beckham was going to regularly read to himself.
We were going to eat healthy snacks.

BUT...
We did do Boston and Wisconsin and grandma's house.  Golf lessons and VBS.
Creigh did get a little better at writing his name.
The boys got better at emptying the dishwasher and folding the towels.
We hit up the neighborhood pool and had water balloon fights.
We went to the library a couple times and once to the zoo.
Creighton learned to ride his bike.
We ate popsicles and ice-cream cones from McDonalds.
I read to the boys.
We sometimes did a morning devotion, but had lots of teaching moments to discuss.
There were summer evenings of walks and bike rides and golfing in the yard.

Summer, I wasn't ready for you; you took me by surprise.  You started with me being gone in Hawaii and coming home to house full of boys.  B & C's bickering, stubbornness, and competitive spirits; where did these come from?  It wasn't like this before.  The lack of school schedule, the wide-open and boring days, the complaining about doing a chore.  The asking for snacks, and shows, and friends to come over and play.  Why oh why is it so hard to just have a nice, normal day?  Summer, I wasn't ready for you, and granted, there were moments of fun.  But next year, oh next year, when school gets out, I'm going to be ready with a schedule and goals and activities to do in the sun.

So bring on the lunch boxes, homework and early morning routine.  School schedule is sounding quite nice.  Quiet days with just Ollie will suit me quite well; farewell to you, summer break.