"It think I can...I think I can...I DID IT!"

I remember sitting at a swimming pool (well actually I wasn't sitting, more like running around and playing in the water) with my toddlers a few years ago and hearing something I'll never forget. Back then I was a bon-a-fide (SP) "mother of preschoolers" - the real kind with a 4 and 2 year old boy (that fact should give me extra points). Not like I am now - mother of school aged children and well a baby.

I hadn't entered the stage of sending my children off to school at the time, realizing how nice it can be (don't you give me that mess about always missing them now...)to get a break and get some stuff done. I was still in the 24/7 no preschool at all (I lived in the country for goodness sake in West Tn.)thinking I was all that and a chocolate chip cookie.

Anyway...there were other mothers there swimming with their kids but one mom with her 4 kids ages raging from 6 to baby (she had twins) made the comment "I CAN'T WAIT FOR SCHOOL TO START BACK!!!" Well I've never!!!! I thought right then that that mother must be horrible. I judged her like a small town beauty queen. But now I could eat my thoughts!

"I can't wait for school to start back." You heard it right here on this blog. In May I stared down these summer months like I was looking into the eyes of a raging bull. I can honestly say I was fearfull of what they would be like. My first summer with three kids...a baby...a baby who I had been spoiled by being at home with by myself for the past 7 months to nap and read and watch the morning news and sip my coffee and visit with friends. But I made it!

I am officially giving myself a pat on the back right now. I overcame my fears of taking three kids to a public pool and packing lunch and feeding them all (baby too) while getting her to sleep in her stroller in the hot sun. I succeeded at taking everyone bowling, to the park, to the Discovery Center - letting my house turn into total chaos as the boys played indoors with all my pillows and sheets and she crawled everywhere trying to eat everything! I drove to my parents by myself with all the kids to stay and visit & even took them all potty at a rest stop for goodness sakes! I did it! I learned to do art projects with everyone and baby in tow; I learned to read books with them while Elizabeth tried to eat the pages; I gave up my naps to spend time with the boys and then stayed awake too late those nights but still was able to get up at 6am the next day! I gave up morning news and am all the better for it. I feel like I've reconnected with my boys and really enjoyed each of them and their very different personalities the past few months.

But now all good things must come to an end (hee hee) and school is ready to begin. I'm just so excited that I made it; that I succeeded this summer. Elizabeth has truly had the best summer hanging out with her big brothers. She loves having them home and watching them play and having them dote all over her. I really wonder how she will make it all day without them here to play with.

So, as the little engine that was so fearful and doubted his ability I too can say "I think I can I think I can I think I can...wait...I DID IT!"