Summer is coming to an end

Summer is finally coming to an end. It seems as though it has been a longer summer than usual this year. Summer for our family consists of endless baseball and softball games in the hot blazing heat. I wouldn't trade it though. As my kids are getting older I realize that we may not have many more summers left with ball games every night. My kids have been playing sports since they were five. When your kids are little they just want you to sign them up. Then they want to get better so they practice out there in the yard. They give years of practicing, crying, laughing, getting excited, winning, losing, it's all there. (Thus why there is so many sports movies out there.) Madeline finally hit the age this year that she couldn't just sign up, practicing and doing her best wasn't all she had to do. She has a huge 2013 class, so there are many that have practiced and done their best. She had to earn a spot on the team for her fall sport. Sadly, that didn't happen for her. I was prepared to console her, be angry with her, take her shopping, eat ice cream with her whatever it took. My independent little girl didn't want none of that she just wanted to keep practicing in the back yard and get better for the next try out. As much as we try to teach our children, they seem to teach me more with every graying year. As I reflect on this summer it was a learning one for me, and a great deal of fun as well. We spent most of the summer at ball games. We took mini vacations to the rec with Wendy and her family. (I truly had fun on those days.) We had fires in the back yard with marshmallows, hot dogs, and plenty of bug spray. The kids and Brian spent time fishing coming back to tell me all about the huge granddaddy bass that got away. Brandon learned out to mow the grass this summer. Madeline learned how beautiful sunrise is. We haven't seen Heather this summer, but she too is taking on her own adventures in life. Only a week till school starts, but the summer adventure was a good one.