Normal

I'm sitting feeding the most wonderfully perfect baby in the world right now. I had just stepped out of the shower when she woke up so my hair is still wet and most likely won't get done today. Two kids are playing in the pool while my oldest is studying SAT grammar on the computer. Life is perfect.

In the days and weeks after my oldest was born, I found myself  wishing her older. I kept wanting life to get back to "normal". She's a teenager now and the time has flown by. Life never got back to normal. Normal has shifted and changed countless times since then. It wasn't until my third baby that I finally understood the preciousness of this fleeting time. These days and weeks will quickly turn into months and in a few short months this baby will be entirely different. She won't rely on me for everything. Her siblings will be able to comfort and entertain her. She will be growing out of things instead of needing to grow into almost everything. She won't look, act or smell like she does now. This is normal. It is an incredibly brief, wonderful, sleep-deprived, unpredictable, slow paced, normal with its own, sensations, smells and hazy memories. I am cherishing this time. If that means the house is a little less clean, I stay home a lot more often, and I'm on the couch nursing more than I'm up and around that's just the normal magic of this time.

While I've been busy providing round the clock comfort and sustenance,  my older kids have still been busy. They held a backyard Olympics which included running the torch around the block, an opening ceremony, lots of backyard competitions and medal ceremonies. The "medals" were actually large round cookies. My oldest is still volunteering at the library and we went the other day to watch a wildlife show. Today we're planning to go back to watch Polynesian dancers. We all went to the drive-in to see Transformers a few nights ago which was a lot of fun. My son went to a birthday party and got to swim in a Venetian pool made of coral rock. There was a waterfall and underwater tunnels. It looked incredible. He had a great time.   And of course, there have been hours of lego building, crafting and artwork.

Playing in the Rain

Backyard Olympics

 

Venetian Pool

 

 Dancing with the Polynesian dancers

 

Fireworks

 

My daughter's patriotic breakfast

     We are never home for the 4th of July.  The kids and I always spend our summers at our family's camp in central NY.  While there is nowhere else we'd rather be for the summer there have been a few benefits to having to stay home this summer.  Fireworks at the beach was definitely one of them.  It was such a beautiful night with the family.  No matter how often we go, the beach never ceases to be amazing and fireworks reflecting off the ocean just made it more amazing.

 digging in the sand

waiting for the fireworks to start

they built a bench in the sand and 

decorated it with glow sticks

 watching the show

Tell me that's not amazing!

 

 getting help with the long walk back to the car

    The best part, to me, was celebrating our independence alongside so many different races and cultures. From the Muslim family to our left to the family speaking Spanish on our right, and all the other shades of skin, languages and religions represented, it made me incredibly grateful for the freedoms we have and the privilege of sharing them with so much diversity. Some days, more than others, I really love where I live!