brothers and the great outdoors

I am not a boy so I don't know exactly what it is like to be a boy with a brother. I do know what it is like to be a girl with a sister (2 of them actually) as well as a girl with a brother (3 of them). It feels good, darn good and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

My boys make me happy. Watching them play together and seeing them bond over the usual boyish rituals (several of which fall under the 'refuse to blog about that' heading) reminds me of watching my 2 middle brothers when they were this little. That thought leads to that cold fact that blares like an icy wind in my face so often as a mother, time is speeding so, so quickly.

My brothers are growing up. The oldest will be 20 tomorrow.

My boys are growing up.

Time, time, time, where have you gone?

But instead of being sad today, I am mustering up some hopefulness. I hope my boys will jostle all the enjoyment they can out of their days.

I hope they introduce each other to new friends and chase after life with all the gung-ho power they've got.

I hope they will grow and learn and roll in the grass together.

I hope they snatch food from each other but always share their kindness.

I hope they always leave the boys at the other table wishing their brother was here.

I hope they copy the good traits of the other.

I hope they help each other through all the ups and downs life has to offer.

I hope they keep right on making the kind of memories that will remind them someday of how lucky they've been to have each other.

And I hope the days of girl-chasing are a long ways off.

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Oops, too late!

Happy birthday West! So glad to have become a big sister to a baby brother 20 short years ago. xoxo

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Our 'getting out more' mindset began with the first breaths of Summer. The parks and outdoor spaces seemed to be calling our very names. And as luck would have it, beautiful weather has embraced our small town and only adds to the attraction of the great outdoors.

'Getting out more' generally refers to social situations and while our main intention has been to get outside more, we've been lucky in the social aspect as well.

There have often been friendly faces willing to while way the afternoon in a shady spot we share.

Teenagers to observe the action with practiced preoccupation.

Youngsters to dabble, dally, giggle and yell like a pirate about the outskirts of the adult conversations.

And a few mischievous buggers to keep us all on our parenting toes.

After all, one wouldn't want to fade away into an iced-tea-induced stupor only to startle at the realization that there is now a small puddle of drool on one's slice of cobbler. No...

But believe me, chasing some little slip of an impling to the very outskirts of the playground, narrowly avoiding a busy road/overfull creek/rabid grizzly, prevents all forms of stupor-- in fact it sometimes induces cardiac arrest.

But, on the bright side, you would be outside...

So they wont have to fit the gurney through any narrow doorways.

Just call me Pollyanna.

Love,

Here's Hoping in NE