Summer :: Winding Down

1. G's swindling booth  2. smashed tree frog in the "green bin"  3.  boys jumping up and down for the bookmobile

I've been asked quite a bit lately What do you do?  Oh, that question gets me every single time.  I've tried on a few answers for size.  Well, I'm a mom.  I work part-time.  Um, I volunteer at my son's school and within our community.  I worked on a local politician's reelection campaign....Uh....

Yeah, it never comes out quite right.  It's like I'm confused by the question and answering with a question.  I'm a mom?  I work part-time?  It's lame.  I work really hard on a number of things that are important to me, my family and our community.  BUT...I've hit a wall.  I'm ready to let go of a few things, seek out new opportunities and fill my cup in other ways, as summer has shown me the way to my happiness and helped me reevaluate the way in which I spend my time.

We hit the road last week and stayed in Pismo Beach for the night.  We stayed at a little hotel right on the beach that had a pool.  We spotted hundreds of juvenile brown pelicans and lingered waterside for a few hours.

My new favorite jumping photo of G @ Pismo Beach
Road trip supplies riding shotgun

Our son is an amazing traveler.  Load him up with a bag of books and audio books on his iPod and he's set for hours and hours.

We drove through Los Angeles and took in the L.A. skyline (most of which my dad worked on back in the day).  Our friends moved to Orange and we quickly familiarized ourselves with their new home.

Olympic-sized community swimming pool, as well as a pool table in their game room.  The boys played for hours and hours each day.

I love going away, but there is nothing like coming home.  Especially, to the peace and quiet that is our home.  G set quickly about organizing his Lego collection.  I took in the grey skies, slower pace and noticed all of the llama & turkey action going on around our home this week.

Grady came down with a summer cold and then quickly passed it on to me.  It hit me like a brick.

I've been searching for over four years for a mid-century modern credenza/sideboard.  Well, the search is over.  My daily hunts on Craig's List finally paid off and the little beauty (pictured above) is now ours.  Steve may have to modify it a bit, but it fits the space and we both like it.  That fact, in and of itself, is a small miracle.

I lined the drawers with Sea Ranch Lodge project blue prints, as well as wrapped a few gifts with those same plans.  Such a fun way to repurpose those plans.  G embellished the wrapping paper with his own landscaping of bushes, trees and a few birds.

Anna's Hummingbird siting & drawing to match

The summer drawing journal is a thing of beauty.  I will treasure this little black book for many years to come.  We've settled into a rhythm of me asking Hey, will you draw me a little something?  And the boy responding with a game of What do you want me to draw? and then doing the exact opposite of what I want and trying to convince me why his idea is better.  I don't care.  I just want to see him take the time to use his talent.

The first soccer game of the season was on the calendar and I was completely bedridden with a sore throat and sinus infection.  I was going to miss it and that really bummed me out.  He got dressed and was really ready to hit the field.  His team won 4 - 1 and they have decided on the team name Angry Hippos. Yes, Angry Hippos.  They are eight and nine years old, obviously.

In a bizarre turn of events, my little man requested toast with peanut butter & avocado for breakfast.  I almost passed out.  He also declared his love of guacamole and inquired why I don't make it more often.  Okay, this is not my kid.  Really?  Seemingly overnight (or nine years...) this boy loves avocado.    A miracle.

The art wall in his room is coming along nicely and he picked every single piece of art displayed.  He loves it.

I took him back to school shopping for a new pair of skinny jeans, two long sleeved shirts and a appliqued skull hoodie.  Oh, and a new Shaun White baseball cap.  He felt cool and special.  He is.

The summer is winding down and it was such a lovely stretch of days, weeks, months.

We have been convalescing for almost a week and I'm look forward to getting out of the house, soaking up some sunshine and having one more adventure before my little man says goodbye to this summer of 2012.