Great Summer

Although I do feel a deep loyalty to the Pacific Northwest, this summer has been a good one. All of the kids are brown from the sunshine (I guess that Jan and Alec are brown, Anne Pilar just seems to be a less bright shade of white). The recreation opportunities, in our yard alone, are almost without number. They swing, swim in our little tiny plastic pool, water slide, do yard work, ride bikes and scooters, play house and matchbox cars - we can even walk to the park or the library if we get tired of our yard.
It is always fun to go in to get the kids out of bed in the morning (I think I meant to say "usually" not "always") because their attitude is something close to "Wow, so much to do. Can't believe that we slept this long!" What a good life.
Some days I do feel a little buried under the weight of fulltime caretaking. David does all he can to lighten my load but he has a heavier load than I do. In an hour or so he will be finishing up his 30 hour shift at the hospital and coming home to four people who will be so happy to see him.
I am finding that I need to go at a slower pace. It is when I have A List and am trying to cross things off that I become frusterated with the limitations of this time in life. My world is pretty small at this point, but I am grateful for a small world. The house, the yard, the grocery store and the library. I am grateful for my children and the good company that they are to me. Jan, although she is just four, lets me see myself and my attitudes in a way that I haven't before. I am consistently amazed by how readily she forgives me when I am impatient or upset. I do think, though, that she wants my job. Alec David is the comedian. He practices. We laugh all day long. We have not quite figured out Anne Pilar yet. She is different almost every day. One thing stays the same. She is a daddy's girl.
I love the kids, but David is still my favorite. I just don't get to see him as often as I would like. I would rather have just a little bit of time with David than alot of time with somebody else, though. Today is a good day because he gets to come home for lunch!