Sunday, September 25, 2011

Summer Memories (Virtual) Jar

I can't deny it any longer. Summer is OVER. School's been in session for 7 weeks; my white shoes, never-to-be-worn-past-Labor-day, were stowed away 3 weeks ago, and this past Friday marked the official start of the fall season. It was hard to say goodbye to summer.

And so - in order to fill our Summer Memories Jar, I decided to go through the photos I took this summer, to remind me of moments I might have otherwise forgotten. Here, I've included just a few. They are random and out of sequence, just like our *real* memory collection jar.

Summer 2011

I *love* finding stuff like this at the end of the evening, when I am tidying up the house. Who would have thought to place a zebra in a baby crib? Genius, I tell you!

Aidan was invited on stage to play the washboard (tie) when we went to a local winery during one of their live music concerts. He played it cool onstage, but he was in HEAVEN and talks about his stage debut frequently...

Swimming, swimming, and more swimming - this year was perhaps the most fun we've had at the pool. All of the boys are becoming terrific swimmers, and everyone looked forward to a trip to the pool!

Pax, fearless Pax was jumping off the diving board regularly in order to keep up with Big Brothers!
Leo demonstrated *the funniest* faces when he dived off the board! It was mostly a combination of fear, determination, and excitement. And it was priceless.


Aidan's creativity never ceases to delight me. Here, he decided to fill his truck with lavender from our garden, and present it to me. It's still sitting on our kitchen window where I enjoy it each time I'm washing dishes or prepping meals.


My awesome brother, gifting me with his guitar-playing wisdom....

Forts, forts and more forts! The older boys became Masters of Fort Building this summer. This one came complete with a welcome sign and decorations!


We discovered a local sprinkler park, and it was an instant family favorite. The boys had such a blast each time we went!

(We've tried desperately to catch this "tantrum face" on camera. This is as close as we've come. Pax folds his arms in a huff and usually puffs out his lip at us when he is utterly put-out with the injustice heaped upon his almost-two-year-old self.)

Summertime Joy.

Endless amusement at the dinner table!

Celebrating TEN YEARS of happily married life together...
Iced coffee on hot summer days, enjoyed on the "nature chairs" on the porch!


Daredevil Pax, climbing out of his crib.....


Pax learned how to give fist bumps during Camp Laguna....



Leo was in charge of setting the table this night. It made my heart swell when I saw Pax's place setting.... (shortly before Pax refused to sit in his high chair, and insisted on a "big boy" chair like Leo's.)

Cardboard Boat Race at Camp Laguna - need I say more??!!!


Boys who always make me laugh....


Camp Laguna group picture - this was our 9th year of Camp Laguna Craziness!!
The cutest bumblebee to buzz around our garden....


Myrtle Beach....


Lazy afternoons spent reading Roald Dahl's vast collection of beloved stories....


Hiking at local trails....


A summer full of cherished memories! Hooray!!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

From a younger poet

Since I'm kind of on a poetry kick these days.....

This is the poem that Aidan wrote, with minimal help from me. I suggested the acrostic version (an easy way to introduce poetry composition to the youngest poets) and I offered a few starter words (need; often) but the rest is 100% his own.

Aidan wrote this for a science project on weather; poetry is a perfect pairing for any project!

Windsock

Whoooo!! Windy.
I like breezes
Needed at a windy highway
Direction of the wind

Shows speed
Often used at a busy airport
Colorful
Kind of like a kite!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Homage

Recently I stumbled upon one of my many Lucille Clifton collections of poetry, and the random page to which I opened revealed one of my most favorite poems. Lucille Clifton - author, poet, distinguished Poet Laureate of Maryland, Professor at St. Mary's College of Maryland - my own beloved teacher - continues to inspire me.

In reading Homage to my Hips, she inspired my own...


Homage to The Girls

These breasts are saggy breasts,
baggy breasts,
wrinkly, deflated-balloon breasts.

They don't fill my perky polka-dot cups
anymore.
They don't demand more support,
anymore.
They're known to ask for additional
assistance
come bikini season.

These breasts were big breasts -
my cups runneth over.

These breasts were milky breasts -
engorging, bonding, nourishing, sustaining...
55 months long.

These breasts were immodest breasts -
bared at bars and backyard barbeques,
at the insistence of

the babe

to

Bond
Nourish
Sustain.

And so

I know them to be
beautiful.