I took off work today so that I could clean the house. It's not as bad as it sounds. The house is clean on the surface. I just need to do some deep scrubbing and organizing. I can already tell that I'm not going to get as much done as I had hoped. Too much time spent sipping coffee and enjoying the cool fall-ish morning.
The girls and I played in the dirt yesterday evening. I weeded, planted, and watered some new violas while Emily and Ava scratched designs (digging holes) in the earth. Sunny stretched out in the yard with her front paws crossed, watching us work with lazy interest. The evening was pleasant and had the damp hay smell that reminds me so much of cooler weather. We came in when it got too dark to see. It's amazing how much shorter the days have become. I stopped to chat with David and remarked on the fact that I had barely seen him all evening. He cheerfully told me that he was working on a family newspaper and that he had just finished the comics section. He plans to add a news column and an advice column as well. I smiled at his enthusiasm and remembered my own childish version of the Pickwick Portfolio from Little Women.
School is back in swing for all members of my household. Ava started Pre-K this year and has adjusted well. She enjoys going to school every day and finally gets to feel like a big kid. She still looks like my little elvish baby from time to time, but when I look back at photos, I can tell how much she has grown over the past year. David is doing well in fourth grade and seems to have a great teacher this year. When we went to church camp a few weeks ago, he spent most of his time hanging out with other kids and made considerable effort to avoid familial association. I was glad to see him striking out on his own, but didn't realize the transition would begin so soon. He still gives me hugs when he thinks no one else is watching, and I will gladly take them for as long as I can. Emily has discovered that first grade homework is not as fun as she thought it would be. She's looking more wild and willowy than ever and is currently missing her two front teeth. When she grins or lisps out something serious, the cuteness is overwhelming. She constantly amazes me with her quick thinking and unique fashion sense. If Emily decides that two pieces of clothing look good together, I am helpless to change her mind.
Johnathan is back in college at UNG, and the transition has been interesting. He is throwing himself into his studies and trying to make up for lost time. There are days when the clean laundry piles up on our bed and the dishwasher doesn't get unloaded, but then there are days where everything seems to click into place. We're balancing homework, Scouts, dance classes, Bible studies, and kids choir, but I think we all fall into bed at night with a sense of accomplishment.
On that note, I should stop writing and start cleaning. The kids will be home all too soon, and the afternoon will disappear from there.
"Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find..."
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