Sunshine and Rain

It would have taken a month full of rainy days to get everything done that I wanted to on the weekend.  With the transition to summer, a whole new to-do list emerges.  Like our farmer friends say, "this is go time."  And since summer is the shortest of our seasons there is a slight feeling of guilt or ungratefulness if one isn't moving and being productive and enjoying every moment.  Of course until it rains...

It rained ALL day yesterday.  Off and on.  Drizzles and downpours.  Thunder and lightening.  Gray and gloomy.

 But Saturday was a completely different story.  Hot sun.  Sunscreen.  Sprinklers.  We had a beautiful June day to celebrate great grandma's 89th birthday.  And I'd show you pictures of that fantastic celebration, because I took about 60 pictures, but when I went to download them I realized that my camera had no memory card in it.  Very sad.  I haven't had much luck with pictures of Grandma on her birthday.  

It's hard to imagine what it's like to be 89 years old.  What it's like to hold 89 years worth of memories... both the good and the not so good.  What it's like to have raised your children, to watch your children raise your grandchildren, your grandchildren raise your great-grandchildren...to see your values passed along and to finally be at peace that you have done a good job and now all your love and acceptance and guidance is felt just by your presence.

So, there are no pictures of great grandmas birthday. The sunny, beautiful day that it was.  But it is in our memories... memories that are going to make us who we are at 89.

We made the best of our rainy Sunday.  A perfect opportunity to try out umbrellas and raincoats. And to get some much needed housework done.  It was one of those days where every time you turned around there was another job to do.  Like when you open the laundry room door and see winter coats hanging and you think you should put them out of the way for summer but you actually went in there to do laundry.  And when your putting the laundry away you see that everyone's dresser needs to be weeded out again.  And as fast as you clean up the toys in one room, your two sweethearts are dumping bins in another.  And since I felt like I was losing the housework battle anyway, we took a time-out for an art project.

 A messy craft that involved glue and sparkles and left over sand in a shaker from Lexi's beach party last year...because when I'm 89 I don't want to regret being too busy getting things done to have time for my girls.

In between grandma's birthday and around the house jobs, Lexi finally got a haircut.  She sat in the chair at the hairdressers like such a big girl.  Cape wrapped around her and a very serious look on her face.  When the stylist was finished, Lexi's bangs brushed the tops of her eyebrows, then she asked, "do you want me to take a bit more off?"  And I said, "ya, maybe just a bit."  Now we can see all of her loveable, kissable face.