9/4/12

Hold on! It could be a bumpy ride.


I've said it before on this blog and I will say it again now: I LOVE this time of year. The cooler temperatures feel amazing, (today's unseasonably hot & humid weather excluded) the autumn colors look stunning, and the sounds of football whistles & school bells signal another year has begun.

Back to school is so bittersweet for me as a mom. For about 100 days every summer I get to witness the amazingness of my kids up close everyday. Being home with them all summer is such a wild ride, but I'm fortunate to be driving the crazy train. It's fun (& a little annoying) to hear them talk constantly about the nuggets of knowledge that are stuck like glue in their brains and it's almost scary to see them physically change right before your eyes. I mean Owen reads books even I can't even get into and has man legs, and Sophia has a mouth full of jagged adult teeth and deals the money while we play Monopoly without hardly any help at all. And they both sing Flo Rida's Whistle song word for word...much to my chagrin!

But now with back to school their teachers get to watch how they transform on a daily basis. Trevor & I only get glimpses of that for a few hours in the evening and maybe chance sighting on our busy weekends. We are like backseat drivers from September to May. We quietly observe from behind as the kids steer their own lives for most of the day. The small backseat windows don't allow for much of a view. You only notice things when they come at you much more suddenly. They sneak up on you like a ninjas in the night, and those ninjas are usually karate chopping my heart out.

Now don't get me wrong I enjoy having the kids back in school. It is an opportunity for me to find a bit more balance here at home, I love that they actually miss me occasionally, and I'm especially proud to watch them tackle the new challenges each new school year presents. Their elementary school adventures keep amazing me from afar until summer rolls back around. Then it's my turn to take the wheel once again. So until then I will enjoy my time in the backseat while Owen & Sophia direct us where they want to go.

The good news is whoever rides in the backseat is in charge of the radio....see you next June, Flo Rida! Which is still way, Way, WAY too soon.