Summer Scrapbook: Take Two

After a ridiculously busy day of attempting to corral 19 3-5 year olds into some semblance of order (I think I'll rename my class "The Three-Ring Circus"), I so look forward to this day at home with my little ones. I think we may just play and cuddle.

To those of you that may think "Oh, lucky her...what about housework?", I am presently combatting a tendency to overload my life with "to-dos"...this has been an ongoing struggle. I am on the verge of complete exhaustion and it is taking a lot of effort to remind myself that burning out in order to "do it all" means that I can't take care of my family at all. So I'm declaring this a No-Housework-Zone...just for today.

Before we look forward to the beautiful season that is upon on us now, I want to meander back through some of my favourite summer moments...

Saying "yes" when the kids asked to have picnic-dinners;

Violet's forays into nature photography, whilst picking raspberries;

these boots, that dress, those elbow dimples;

one mysterious, tiny egg;

the essential accessories of "The Nutbrown Maid": bare shoulders and beaded necklace;

the ever-present, generous love and help of my mother;

toddler-body-in-a-bathing-suit-bliss;

Violet's criss-cross-backed tan;

this boy learning to swim underwater, and the many sandy adventures he had;

And this...after celebrating Violet's birthday in the potting shed, Jude went outside. We were listening to Afia Walking-Tree, and he started to dance, watching his reflection in the glass. The background noises are the girls in the shed with me, as I surreptitiously filmed his dance.

This is a child who climbs, jumps, swordfights, who has never taken dance or yoga classes...and who apparently has a natural sense of grace, symmetry, balance, and a mysterious depth to his movement that left us awestruck. The quick, sudden movements add a comic element, as he wards off the early summer insects.

Happy Autumn-Days to all...