Lazy Summer Days and Family Summer Nights


FINALLY!!! You may think that since I get summers "off," my days are all lazy, but let me assure you that I'm working hard being a good mother to create summer memories for Anna Cate and Molly and keep up with the house. But now I'm home getting help with those memories in my mother's home, so we are now enjoying the "lazy" days of summer.  Technically, this is my parents' home, but my father couldn't tell you the color of one single room in the house and is about as domestic as a feral lion, so really this is my mother's home.  Last evening, I sat at my mother's island at 10:00 and watched Anna Cate and Mom shuck corn for dinner tonight and listened to Anna Cate sing her songs from Vacation Bible Songs, and I thought, "this is summer."

The girls and I came to Tennessee Sunday for our annual two week summer getaway to Centerville, and I always have mixed feelings about coming here for so long. I don't like to leave our home, our summer routine, our fun friends, our yielding garden, and of course, we miss Daddy!

We skyped with him and Molly Mae fussed so hard that she couldn't reach out for Bj to hold her. We are having such a nice summer at home in Virginia.

Last Saturday we enjoyed a family ice cream date to Carl's.

And on the way there we passed Baba on the road and were so happy she could join us.

We participated in our church's Vacation Bible School. I helped out with story time, so there was child care for Molly. Anna Cate participated and enjoyed it all, and even learned some life lessons outside of the Bible.  There were so many 5 year olds that there were two classes, and she was separated from her best friends. While I was weak in my heart and head about wanting her to change to be with her pals, she adjusted and I was proud that she made new friends.  I admit that I was a tad envious of the Moms who dropped their children off and then left for the gym, a break, time to get things done, or get coffee with friends, but I always have so much fun with the adults and the children in our church, and feel so lucky to be involved with such a wonderful church family. We are rewarded by both our time with such lovely people and the ways we work together to enrich the spiritual lives of my daughters. So I learned some lessons, too.

After the send off of VBS on Friday, Anna Cate went to North Carolina with Patti (to see Harry Potter). Our dear, kind, beautiful Patti turns 50 today!!! I can not imagine our life right now without her; she so intricately is woven into the fabric of our experience as family in Fredericksburg.  In talking about her, my Dad says, "she completely incarnates the idea Christian love." Indeed, she does and is. We love her so much.

 Molly was with a babysitter and I headed to DC to visit with my dear friend Dorinda who treated me to an amazing dinner and date to see WICKED. Have you seen it? I am in love with the story and the music and can't wait to find a time to see it again, even if it is just on a video. It was so good to connect with Dorinda in her fabulous life in the heart of such a powerful city.  Her beauty and grace exudes in her home and in the style, yet her spirit is the same as the Hickman County girl we both are.  I love discussing life, home,past, present and future with her.

So we have a good life at home in Virginia, but as soon as I get here, I know that this is where we should be for an extended time too.  We had a family friend, Yvette, visit with her girls for a few days.

We skype often, but it was so fun to get our girls together in person. In fact, Anna Cate said what she looked forward to most about our trip was meeting Aunt Yvette in person.

Daddy became friends with Yvette when she was a freshman at Lane College.

She said that her daughter Peighton gets to go to summer camp to experience the country to which I replied that this is my children's summer camp experience.
And, we get to see family.

My neice, Kitty, is 13 months old and is a sweet, happy and affectionate baby. Although, I guess 13 months is not a baby, but I don't want to think about that since I still think Molly Mae at 16 months is a baby.


Last night at dinner, Anna Cate proclaimed, "we have to catch lighting bugs tonight."

After it got too dark and they were no longer lighting the air for us to be able to catch them, Mom explained to Anna Cate that the males only shine their light to attract females, and after it gets too dark they assume no one is interested so they quit. She said, "but we are interested."

We are interested and happy and content here in Centerville, Tn, and glad we came.  I like the lazy days, the swimming with friends, and the familar faces.


But most of all we come for this:

Relationship. Daddy Doug gives Molly her milk and cuddles her to sleep every night and she rushes to hug his legs every time she sees him.

The summer night is like a perfection of thought.      ~Wallace Stevens

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