We're into the happiest part of summer. This is the part when the days stretch in front of us full of promise, the smell of sunscreen and chlorine still make me smile, and my kitchen has never been cleaner because we're eating so many meals at the pool.
Almost every evening finds us at swim practice. My little band of swim suited men follow me past the ping pong table and the concessions stand, dragging pool noodles and an assortment of lethal water guns.
Seth has practice first. I watch his skinny frame glide through the water, mostly identifiable by his bright green goggles. I see the improvement that he's made since last summer, and, more importantly, he does, too. "I passed someone tonight. And I passed someone last night, too, Mommy." ;)
While Seth swims, the little boys play and then come over to me to eat whatever dinner I've managed to scrounge together before it's their turn. We're feasting on the best of summer produce, peaches, watermelon, big, juicy grapes. They eat trail mix and lunch meat and cheese and bread and pizza I've picked up at Little Caesar's on the way, and tonight, I even managed to bring taco salad (and keep the taco meat hot!)
Then it's Ben and Evan's turn. They're swimming in the 6 and under group, so they're mostly getting carried through the water. Ben is the baby of the team. I picked up his black swim trunks tonight. They're impossibly small. Yes, he's on the team, but he wears his puddle jumper as he runs fearlessly off the diving board, crowing loudly all the way down.
David has started joining us after work. It's so hot that we're in the water just for relief from the heat. Though I avoid water gun battles, I am often caught in the crossfire. Sometimes I turn on them with a gun of my own, and they giggle and jump away, delighted.
We come home, and I drape suits and towels over the chairs and the swing on the back porch. Naked little boys play with Legos and Magnatiles instead of heading up to bed like they should. I put a few things in the washing machine.
I know that tomorrow morning will find me sitting with a book after breakfast is over instead of getting ready to start school. Maybe I'll be listening in the background to this book on CD for the thousandth time. They put it in the CD player near our kitchen table and press play while they build and create. Seth tells me that I'll be doing summer school to learn about droids. They pull out games and blocks that have been neglected all year. I am recruited to play table tennis.
Sweet, sweet summer....
