Tan Lines Fade but Memories Last Forever

On our way to banana boat, two of the girls, their mom and cousin

It's hard to believe that the summer is coming to an end. It seems like only yesterday I was picking out the girls favorite uniforms to wear for their last day of school and now we are laying out the same outfit for our first day back. With one going to sixth grade, one heading to second, and the youngest starting junior kindergarten our emotions are elevated because of this day. In honor of school starting and summer ending I took the girls out for mani/pedis and while sitting in the pedicure chairs with one to my left, one to my right, and the little one sitting in my lap I couldn't help but remind the girls of what they told me at the beginning of summer, that they were most excited about laying by the pool and trips for yogurt. As we laughed and continued soaking our feet, they began to talk about all the things we did over break and how much fun we had outside of the pool and trips for yogurt.

Away they go!

We started with the beginning of summer when we spent two weeks in Destin, Florida. Between banana boating, parasailing, jet skiing, driving a pontoon boat, going to the waterpark, and zip-lining across the Gulf of Mexico, it was hard to pick a favorite but each of them were able to narrow it down to one. The oldest loved parasailing because she was able to tackle her fear of heights, the middle loved jet skiing because she was able to pull up right next to a dolphin, and the youngest loved zip-lining because she could go super-duper fast over the water. 

Thanks to these two I look like a real-life doll :)

As we moved on to the month of July the only thing the girls could remember was how hot it was. While we thought we would be laying by the pool to survive the heat, that was not the case. It got to the point where it was so hot even the water was not refreshing and the girls would rather stay inside than go out. When I mentioned to the girls about how we lost power they were reminded of the activities we did indoors. We all are now experts at a card game called Sleeping Queens, pros at making brownies, skillful at assembling forts, and capable of turning a person into a real-life baby doll. While the month of July was hard to get through because of the heat, we had our trip to New Canaan, Connecticut to look forward to, and it was that trip the girls said they enjoyed most of all. Whenever we ask them what they like most about summer they all answer Connecticut, and that was the same response I got at the nail salon.

Check out our fort skills

While in Connecticut we stayed with the girls Grandfather (Pop Pop)- their mom's dad- and were given the royal treatment before we left Charlottesville. We were fortunate enough that we had a private jet to New Canaan and while the girls were impressed with the plane it was the snacks that caught their attention and how they could eat Oreos for breakfast. Once we arrived we had a driver pick us up and take us to Pop Pop's. As we drove through the neighborhoods and the driver pointed out the celebrities that lived in the area I noticed how well the girls were getting along, and I prayed silently to let it continue the whole trip, lucky for us, it did. We spent most of our time during the day going between the indoor and outdoor pools and on our third day the youngest ventured to the diving board to test her new swimming abilities. Before we left for New Canaan she had just started swimming with her head under water and decided while in CT she would make her first attempt off the diving board. With her goggles and one-piece swimsuit on (because a two-piece may ride up she told me) she took off the board and landing a few feet in front of it. What seemed like forever was really a matter of seconds before she popped out of the water and swam to the ladder. With a partial smile on her face she told me she was going to do a canon ball next time. From that moment on we had to bribe her to get out of the pool. Our time in New Canaan wasn't just spent by the pool or going to the beach club we also took an hour drive into Manhattan. On the agenda for that day was The American Girl Store and Cirque Du Soleil: Zarkana. Our first stop being American Girl was fun and the girls loved it, but Zarkana was the big thing. The music and acrobatics kept us all on the edge of our seats and only made the girls fonder of gymnastics. The only fight of the whole trip occurred on the ride home over who gets to see the program from Zarkana. As the trip ended we had to get back to reality and start facing the fact that summer was ending.

Boarding the plane

I was fortunate that I could take a few days off to spend with my family on vacation before summer officially ended. And as much as I loved my time away I couldn't help but think about my girls. I now know what mothers go through when they say they need time away from their children for their own sanity. As much as I love my girls I needed time for myself. It was with that mini vacation that I was able to come back to them refreshed and with lots of gifts.

End of summer toes

As the nail technicians began painting their toes bright shades of blue and pink I asked the girls the same question I ask them at dinner every night "what was the peak of your day and what was your pit," however I changed it to peak of summer and pit of summer. They all agreed that their peak of summer was Connecticut, and their pits were not going to camp, the Olympics not being long enough, and summer ending. It was the mention of summer coming to a close that made all of their faces turn sad and I knew they were all thinking about the memories we have from this summer and how it would all end when they start school. The oldest expressed what they were all thinking and told me she was excited to start school but wasn't ready for summer to end because thinking about all the things we had done made her want summer to go on. I simply reminded her and her sisters that tan lines fade but memories last forever :).