busy. busy. dreadfully busy.

The last few days have been busy.

A good busy,

but busy.

Summer ending.

Lesson plans being prepared.

(Who knew teaching four high school classes to my daughter would take so much preparation?  Oh, wait – I did.)

Camp drawing to a close.

Annual camp-ending traditions being observed and embraced.

Oh – and raising six children who have ambitiously declared it their goal to make plans to swim every remaining day of summer.

I have actually not sat down before this computer screen in three days.

I have missed typing words.  I have.

But instead of typing I’ve been wrapped up with other agendas.

Agendas that involve listening to this tiny man/boy.

Laughing as he insists on wearing his hat over his eyes and then tilting his head to see where he’s going.

Being absolutely overwhelmed at his genuine adorableness.

Letting those blue-blue eyes twinkle and remind me of how speedily two years really passes.

On my list this week,

written over the syllabus to type and the daily schedules to plan,

I tried to make time for Summer.

Time to run through a greengreengreen field with bare feet and a myriad of small heads.

I watched and watched every time London asked me to as she learned to stand on her head.

Some of this week’s plans just went straight out the window as we embraced visits from good friends instead.

And I marveled at the joy it brings our family when a young college student or two chooses to stay at our House of Chaos instead of anywhere else on earth.

We laughed late into the night at bad reality television shows and chatted endlessly about items both monumental and incidental.

And it was good to be reminded that we can be good company too.

I actively spent more time on bended knee with this guy.

We took him to a waterfall and watched him shimmy up the rocks before the rest of us could even enter the water.

And then we watched him accidentally slide down that same rock,

only to have his racing body stopped in transit by his unaware little brother.

This is what I have been doing this week.

In case you have been wondering.

School is right around the corner.

Summer’s end is resting on our shoulders.

And our family has one last summer tradition to make happen.

We call it – getting out of dodge.

(Actually, we don’t.  But I just did.)

Next week our whole family is going to ditch the routine and look at one another.

I’m not going to touch words.

(Wait – that’s not true.  I’m bringing two novels.  Both that I’ve already read.  We Were the Mulvaneys and Jane Eyre.

By “not touching words” I actually only mean that I won’t be writing any blog posts next week.)

The mountain cabin to which we are bound hardly has any cell service so we’re thinking about ditching all electronic devices as well.

We have hikes planned and tubing on the agenda and a lake day tossed in too.

What we won’t be doing is leaving the company of one another.

We won’t be going to work or doing chores or planning for a school year.

Mostly, we just want to be.

To sit down or stand up.

To sleep in or stay up.

To play checkers and drink chocolate milk.

To look at waterfalls and eat summer sausage with a slice of cheese on the edge of the road.

And then take that road – wherever it leads.

I’ll be back after next week.

I’ll have new photos and new energy.

And I hope you’ll come back when I do.

Until then, my sweet sweet readers and friends,

may it all be peace and beauty and grace,

even when it’s not.