Where does the time go?

This title could cover so many things. Like we were at our cabin for our annual reunion and as I looked at the pictures Lois had framed on the wall of the creation of the cabin I remembered taking those photos. I remembered riding up to watch the cabin being moved along the highway and over bridges and under wires. I remember "Little Gramma" telling us the story of her fathers great big draft horses over and over all the way up to Smiley Creek - she was a little forgetful and just kept telling the same story over and over. How excited we were to actually have a family cabin where we could vacation. I remember our first trip up their with our families. The kids were all little. We didn't have running water for the babies (diapers etc.) and there was saw dust all over everything. Heck, the saw was in the living room. Nancy dosed all the kids with benedryl so that they would go to sleep. Gale and I slept on the kitchen floor and a squirrel ran across our sleeping bag in the middle of the night. We didn't have a b oat but the kids had a wonderful time running up and down the trails that have since been eliminated. A couple of years ago I took a picture of Breea next to the tree where Caleb had carved her name. Every time I go to Carey I drive past our old house and look at "my tree" that Caleb dug up at the cabin and kept alive in a garbage bag until my birthday in September.
After we got home I kept Jace, Braden and Tyler joined by Mason and Matthew for swimming lessons. I love watching them progress during this two weeks. Tyler was so apprehensive Sunday night before swimming Monday that he called his Mom and asked her to come and get him. A short three days later he was bobbing, swimming underwater, gliding and jumping off the diving board. He made amazing progress. Matthew is learning the basics and he's so tall and skinney that his arms and legs seem to be going everywhere but he still gets through the water. Mason is a fish and loves the water no matter what he is doing. Jace and Braden have to be able to tread water for five minutes and they can't practice in my pool so it will be interesting. I remember the first grandchild I had for swimming lessons - Yes it was Bryson. He was so scared of the water that every lifeguard knew it. They had to cajole him and talk and talk to get him away from the side of the pool. Then all of a sudden it clicked for him and he became a swimmer! I love the moment when it clicks! Every time. I guess thats why I do this. I am already exhausted and can barely keep up with the meals but I , like Braden, look forward to this time every year. It is the highlight of my summer. And since I have been writing five exhausted little boys have succumbed to slumber. They are so cute when they are asleep!

Summer wonderful Summer

I enjoy the fall with all the colors and the crisp days and I love the spring with the tiny shoots peaking through the dark earth and blossoming like a photograph going from black and white to full vibrant color. But all through the dreary winter I think of summer and a tiny spark of the warmth that is August fills my visions like watching clouds on a warm summer day. I try not to get so excited as spring comes and goes for endless months. Then it is finally here and we open the pool and the rain stops. And then though it is wonderful there always seems to be something missing. I remember thinking the warmth is nice but I must have built this up way to much. Then the swarms of grandchildren arrive and giggle and splash in the pool. They catch grashoppers to feed the big fish and help me make cookies which they devour with relish. I get granddaughters who sometimes share their secrets or want to know what their mother was like as a child Sometimes I get to read them long books and tuck them into bed. Some of them even let me kiss them good night. This is why I love summer! I hope they never stop comming