A Whole New World

Summer doesn't actually last 3 months. It pretty much ends in July when you wander into Wal-Mart to buy a few odds and ends and find that the school supply list for your daughter, who is entering first grade, is out and staring you in the face. At this point, you begin to hyperventilate as you launch into full-force planning mode for anything and everything starting up in September. I feel especially sorry for the folks at Hobby Lobby, as they start putting up pumpkins and cornucopias and fall paraphernalia in May!

I know a lot of you have been in this place - the place where you wonder how in the world your child ever became old enough to be in the first grade. I promise you, I was pregnant with her just a couple of years ago!

As the kiddos and I drove home from church today, Rachel said to me, "Mom, now that I can swim from the waterslide to the side of the pool without a lifeguard to catch me, I feel like I'm in a whole different world." I kind of laughed, because she says some of the funniest things and in a sort of honest, innocent way. "You're growing up fast," I replied. "You know," she said, "it's like there's a little kid world and a big kid world, and now I'm in the big kid world." "You are a big kid," I agreed, a bit ruefully.

I looked back at her, sitting in the booster seat that she doesn't quite weigh enough to sit in yet (she reached 39.5 lbs. last week!), and she was just glowing, reveling in her newly-discovered "big kid world."

But she's right. This summer she's developed a new confidence with so many things: reading, writing, swimming, helping with Malachi, and coolest of all, grasping biblical concepts and asking more in-depth questions.

We don't take many trips to the mall, since it's about an hour away; but when we do go, we make a day of it and do about 3 month's worth of shopping. We usually try to go around late January and late July, because I buy a lot of the kids' clothes off-season and everything is on clearance around those times. Usually when we go, I do all the shopping I can fit into 1-2 hours while Danny sits with the kids in the play area - it's a win-win!

Well, yesterday, for the first time, Rachel asked to go with me after lunch to do some shirt shopping, instead of playing with the others! And I couldn't believe how well she did: for 2 hours she traipsed through stores with me; picked out shirts for me to try on; went to the dressing room with me and gave me her opinion on each one (something she's always up for!); chatted it up with all the cashiers. And I realized my little girl isn't such a little girl anymore - she was more like a shopping buddy and less like someone I had to chase after and keep track of.

Anyway, Rachel won't turn 6 for another 3 weeks, but I wanted to write all this down before the moment passed (as it most likely will the next time she whines all morning or instigates a fight). But I'm so proud of her and most of the time, I really enjoy her crazy fun personality. I love you, Rachel Nicole!

And some miscellaneous pix from our week . . . .

On Tuesday we spent the afternoon with Katie, a beloved babysitter who moved away 3 years ago.
Wednesday we went to the last family day at the library; a gifted musician came and played/sang music with the kids.
Malachi and Viola, a little girl who spent the morning with us. In the background is the baby of another friend who came with her clan.
The kids entered a reading program through the library. They're supposed to read (or be read to) 20 minutes five times per week, and each week I entered their names for prizes. Well, the next to last week, Karis won a shirt that says, "Catch the reading bug" and Rachel won a "plush bug". The last week Zekers won a cool library card holder. They were all so proud of their prizes.