Summer Is Gone...

The summer it seems, is drawing to a close.

As a child I loved summer, but really, what child doesn't? Endless days spent swimming at the pool, visits with out-of-town family and traveling, plus, fabulous weekends visiting local California destinations like Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. Afternoons spent roaming in the park and of course lots of trips for ice cream. We went on an ice-cream run this afternoon in fact to the twins' favorite ice cream parlor.

This summer has been for me, a reminder of my childhood. Four summers ago I was on maternity leave, and really pregnant with twins and unable to leave the house most days due to the heat and being on bedrest at home. The last couple of summers were nice, but the girls were too little to really 'get' anything like the beach or the pool.

The girls and I have totally enjoyed this summer. Mike's parents just visited us for several days from New York (I still have MANY MORE photos to upload here to the slideshow above from their visit) and it was a great time for all of us. All summer, there was the beach and the pool and the park (and the park, and the park..... lots of time spent at the park and doing playdates with some of Paige and Taylor's little friends at the park). Ice cream was eaten, sand was played in, pools were jumped in, swings were swung and slides were slid. And, a few tot parties were squeezed in along the way too.

And, now my babies have turned into toddlers, gearing up for preschool when they turn 4 years of age later this year. Preschool! WOW! That last little bit of baby that clung to them somehow seems gone. I now find that on days that we are at home, they hardly even need me around as they have one another to play with. Oh, they need me for the stories we read, the meals we share together, the chats we have about places we go and things we see, but then in other ways, they really don't need me. For example, just today, as I sat in the floor playing dollhouse with Paige and Taylor, one of the girls looked up at me and said, "no, mommy, we're playing with these right now." It hit me at that exact moment that yes, in many ways, they are becoming their own little Miss Independents. They are always spunky, silly, spirited little girls. I love that about them. Actually, I love it and hate it all at the same time. I love it when Paige tells me "Come on!!!" in the same voice and with the same intonation as I use. And, I love it when Taylor climbs on one side of the monkey bars at the park so much better than she previously did. I love it so much, in fact, that it inspires such admiration from me. Oh, I feel like I miss babies some days when I see how much they're growing up and how little they need me....heck, there's even time for me to be on FaceBook throughout the day catching up with my other stay-at-home mommy friends who have also crossed over from tending to babies to now tending to toddlers who no longer "need" them as much either.

It's like my babies slipped away in the blink of an eye, and all of a sudden grew up into little girls. In fact, it's making me want to try again for another baby. There, I said it. You heard it here, first. Another baby is on my mind. Now that Paige and Taylor are growing up, I feel like heck yeah, I could do this again - maybe even do another pair of twins again - if that's what God blessed us with. Oh, well, we'll see......