Friday, August 8, 2008

I'm sorry but I just have to say

...that I have the two most adorable children that I have ever laid eyes on. Don't you agree? I mean, really....


But as addicting as Eli's little cheeks are and as charming as Ethan can be, Adam and I managed to tear ourselves away from them long enough today to hit the local water park. We had a BLAST! We have taken Ethan there so many times and whenever we do, we always longingly look at the "big kid" slides while we head off to the kiddie park. So today, we did all the crazy, scary (well, Adam didn't think they were scary) slides that we always want to do but never can. The day was rounded out by some quiet time lounging by the wave pool. A great way to beat the heat, that's for sure. And by the way, adjusting to this oppressive heat in Hotlanta has not been fun after being spoiled by the warm sun and cool sea breezes of New England for the past three weeks.
Just another reminder that vacation is over, summer is ending and "real life" is beginning again. Only this year, it seems more "final". Ethan is in pre-K this year, which means he goes every single day...no more lazy days spent in our jammies until noon...no more lounging around with breakfast for three hours while playing blocks and surfing the internet...no more seemingly endless days spent at the pool with friends...no more late, extended playdates because the morning was so fun and the afternoon was empty and Julie and I just kept chatting and chatting (sometimes over a beer or wine)...Nope, it is full-on reality from here on out.
My sacred, sacred days of having nothing to do except play with Ethan are over! And I do mean sacred. I will forever cherish our Wednesday mornings spent at music class followed by a liesurely lunch a Doc Green's where I watched and listened as Ethan discovered the world; our trips to the mall to get a pretzel and play on the rides; our long-lasting trips to Target because we simply had nothing else better to do; picnics at the duck pond; movie matinees; endless swinging at the park; puttering around Publix pondering what to make for dinner long after I should've had dinner on the table;
My most dear and treasured memories of my times with Ethan are playing over and over in my head. A never-ending loop of my mind's snapshots and videos of days filled with love and emotion and learning and faltering. What a ride it has been. And I know our fun is far from over and I'm sure some would say it has just begun and am I ever looking forward to seeing the boy the that Ethan is becoming emerge...but I know it is time I will never, ever get back...it is time that has passed and will stay exactly that, in the past. And though I have Eli and can do it all again with a new little, wonderful, sweet person, it just won't be the same. I will still have a schedule to stick to...a definite time to be out of the house to make the run to school and a definite time to be back in the car to run back to school. There will be no more endless stretches of hours and hours in front of us. We shared our innocence of being a first time mom and a first time son together. It was us against everyone else. My eternal sidekick. The sacredness of those hours and days spent together will always mean more than the world to me. I will never forget them and will always love every minute I spent playing with that sweet little boy, my oldest son, Ethan.

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