My youngest, the speed reader and hockey goalie has 9 more summers around here. We are half done.
My adventurous outdoorsman only has eight summers left in the confines of our home.
And after five more summers this scuba loving fella will be off to college.
May this summer be slow and full of wonder. Spend it wisely.
I’ve been telling myself the same thing the past week or two. Much less time on the computer, and more time spent with my girls. :)
Wow. Thanks for the reminder. Its gonna go quickly!
It’s crazy, isn’t it? Whenever I think of years left in terms of annual events, it makes the time seem so short. My oldest is almost 12, and while the six years until he turns 18 sound kind of long, realizing there are only 6 Christmases left is very sobering.
Oh my gosh, I never thought about it that way! That makes me really sad. I’m emotional today though. Last day of school. I told myself I wouldn’t cry when thanking the teachers. But if course, I did. Happy and sad to see another year go by.
This is my sons last summer…. I can’t believe it.
He goes off to college at the end of August. It went by soooo quickly.
Walking my daughter to her first day of middle school this past fall was so surprisingly emotional for me. I recall hoping no one spoke to me as I walked back to my vehicle for fear I’d burst into tears. The sense of how quickly the time is slipping by really has hit. It’s precious to hear about your sweet boys and what they love and the message to us to slow down and enjoy these kids God’s given us!
ie…everyday at the pool?
shut up. i’m about to cry.
Ok. Now I’m completely depressed. My oldest has 6 summers left. I love your blog, but feeling a little hate coming on right now. :) *just kidding…but I am a bit sad*
Okay, that made my heart ache. Your babies are so handsome. I hope you have a most wonderful summer!!
Just, wow.
I have one with only 3 summers left! I told my husband I NEED another baby!!!! (I also have MUCH younger children. He said, ok!!!! :) But anyhow…. I cried the other day thinking about it!!! Much of his summer will be spent at football and in various camps…. I am not a fan of them growing up. :(
i remember when my brother said they only had 8 summers left with his oldest, and she just graduated a few weeks ago. you’re right… they flew by so much faster than i could have imagined. i love that you see it and aren’t wasting them. :)
Thank you fr the very sage reminder! Needed that.
oh my. doesn’t that make you want to hyperventilate?? i was making my list today of fun things we want to do this summer. i love making memories! my kids are 12, 10 and 7. not so far off from yours. when i feel sad, i remind myself to be thankful that they are all healthy and smart enough to be out on their own some day. that really is something to be grateful for and to be able to enjoy who they become.
Enjoy. It gets a little harried but it goes fast. They leave and just when you are starting to like the fact that you have the house to yourself… they come back. :)
Pam
Sniff. This is just the reminder I needed. Just 8 more summers for my girl…how can that be?!?
Oh Nester! I have a daughter who just turned 9- I don’t know why, but this is the first time I really don’t feel like she’ll be my baby much longer-only nine more summers? I think I’m off to go cry! I’m glad other moms feel like this cause i thought I was going insane!
Never thought about it like that……I think we’ll be enjoying the day tomorrow even more now that I read this :)
YES, it goes way too fast-and for us Mums of twins, they leave to go to college AT THE SAME TIME!
Pass the kleenex…my two are now 25 and living in NYC while we are in OR. Sniff…sniff…I want to move down the street from them ASAP! Having an “empty” nest is bot great and weird. Enjoy your guys this summer for all they are worth :)
I love this post. My 3rd child has just left the nest and I have been sooo nostalgic. I will always miss the cooking pancakes for breakfast, going to the movies, swimming in the pool, checking out the library summer days. You are so good to take note, yes enjoy every single minute of it! Even the mom I’m bored and stop fighting moments!!!
Just recently, I was thinking about how when the kids are little and work intensive for the parents, that its easy to lose sight of the whole picture–to get lost in the mundane, the baths, the meals, the sports, the whining, the owies, etc…that we lose sight of the LARGER picture. I think you are seeing the whole picture. And then they grow up and you wish you could do a few do-overs. Enjoy every day, just like you alluded to…great post! and such handsome young men!!
Suzanne
Sigh. My oldest is officially a SENIOR as of today…so I have been thinking along these lines all week…it’s all so very fleeting! Enjoy the summers while you can, moms and dads!
Wahhhhhhhhhh!
My older college daughter is not here this summer.
She has been every other summer.
She took a summer camp counselor job in Winston-Salem.
Enjoy your boys and enjoy the slow summer.
Being intentional with our kids takes work but remembering that we have only about 18 Christmases, 18 summers, 18 whatever elses really helps…mine are all grown now and I have some regrets about the busyness that I allowed in my life when they were little – working on being intentional in everything now with their kids, my precious grandbabies. Glad you caught the vision early!
Dang it, you’ve got me crying now. My girl graduates high school on Saturday, this will be her last summer at home and I am a mess. I promise not to waste a single moment this summer!
Well, when you put it that way…I think I’m going to go crawl under the table and have a good cry. I’ve only got six summers left with my girl. Thanks for reminding me to spend them intentionally. Happy Summer, Nester!
Are you trying to make me cry? Don’t remind me how little time I have left with my little babies. Time goes by too quickly. My boy is almost 10 now, and my girl is 7. I still can hear Travis’s little 2 year old voice saying “mama, gulk! gulk! (milk).” Sniff. Now he’s starting 4th grade.
Enjoy you next several summers with your boys. xoxo
Oh wow – that hit me like a ton of bricks!! I’ve got 10 & 7 summers left w/ my boys. When you think if it from that perspective it seems so painfully short! Here’s to a great, memorable summer!!
Ummm…could you post some sort of warning to a post like this. This caught me completely off guard, and by the time I got to your third son…. made me break down into sobs. With my two 13 year olds…and one almost 8 year old….I have begun a countdown of sorts. It’s depressing. Today is the sort of day I will miss most….everyone having a friend over….everyone going with us to watch my son’s soccer game….summer in the air….sorry…I have to go get another tissue.
A friend whose children are just a few years older than mine told me this same idea years ago. Now I’m at my oldest son’s last summer. Trying to hold it together….
Or they could be 37 and still living at home! Then you might be counting summers for a different reason! Thanks for the reminder to enjoy this wonderful, crazy, busy, “Mom, I don’t have anything to do!” season of life.
Well now I’m all teary-eyed :(
Oh, I’ve never thought of it that way. My oldest is finishing Kindergarten today and turns 6 next week. That means I’ve got 12 summers left. This past year has just flown by. Like Suzanne said, sometimes I feel so buried in the day-to-day (especially with a new baby in the house) that I’m missing all those little moments and forgetting about the big picture. It’s definitely time to slow down.
makes me cry.
OMG – tears. Thank God my little one still has 12 more summers!!
Ummmm, now I have a huge lump in my throat. This could be my youngest son’s last summer (he goes off to college in Sept but I THINK he’ll be home next summer) and my other moved out in February. I had no idea that last summer would be his last. It really does go by too fast. Enjoy them!
So true. This summer only comes once. So often we forget the finality of each day… there will only ever be one June 2nd 2011, so live it to the fullest joy possible!
Stop making me cry …this is my eldest son’s last summer before graduating high school and he wants to go directly into the marines before college. How sad and proud I am at the same time!
Thank you so much for the reminder. You are a blessing.
Thanks for bringing me to tears on a Thursday morning…
Aaargh! I’ve been saying the same thing :( It’s all going so fast!
I recently made the decision that I would turn off my comments for the summer.
Yikes! Blogging to the sound of crickets!!!
(It will be announced on my blog tomorrow.)
I am one of those people who feel like they must respond to each and every comment and sometimes I spend upwards of 2 hours a day visiting their blogs.
I’ve decided that I would rather play outside with the hose, make kool aid popsicles and generally terrorize the neighborhood this summer with my son, age 9.
His sister, age 22, still comes by all the time. To eat, do her laundry and see if mom we’ll make her something pretty. :) So keep thefaith. Often, children NEVER leave.
O my goodness! Tear my heart out! I have a 2 year old little boy and this has really make me think, thank you for that!
Love your blog!!
Thought this was something good to post.
We’ve had bad luck with our kids – they’ve all grown up. ~Christopher Morley
One of my favorite quotes EVER!
Counting this summer we are entering…I have 3 (with oldest) . BOO!!! Now I’m depressed. :-(
Thank you for this!
I remember when my third child was 4 1/2 and I realized she was one quarter of the time done at home. Only three more of the chunk of time we just had. So sad. I never considered summers though. I’m glad you posted this at the beginning of the summer, so I can be more purposeful with my 8 summer son, 11 summer daughter, 13 summer daughter, 17 summer daughter, and the little boy in my belly that I will do better to cherish every single summer day of his 18 summers! (That’s really not a lot of summers.)
I think I might cry now. I’ve never broken it down into how many more summers are left. My oldest is at 5, too.
Great reminder to soak it all up. Years just fly by and you can’t control the passing of time but you can choose to be in the moment and put your family and time together first. Thanks for a reminder to slow down.
I’m on the verge of tears as my 10 month old approaches the 1 year mark. Oh how this time is fleeting.
I’ve got a “5 summers left” too – hard to believe!! – the future still harder to imagine…he’s so cool and precious now, just becoming a man. Hard to me to believe I’ll love him more/ how much more precious he’ll be then…
BLessings on your summer. Smile.
This will be my Son’s first summer home from being away at college – more than a 1,000 miles away. The last time I saw him was Jan. 2 when he left to go back to school. It’s been hard as its only the 2 of us and this was actually the first time I ever (EVER!) lived alone. He comes home Tuesday and I can hardly wait!! This transition to college has been difficult for me, I’m looking forward to spending time with my now more adult son. We’ve been making plans for trips to museums and jobs around the house that he will help me with (hopefully he finds a part-time summer job but no luck yet).
I guess what I’m trying to say is that you might only have 5 summers left with your oldest and the summers after that will definitely change. But they canl be as enjoyable, heart touching, joy-filled, proud, playful, fun and filled with teachable moments as the ones you have now, only different. At least those are my hopes for our summer!
freaking. out. now.
this summer is going to be better than last year’s; thanks at least, in part, to Ritalin. I gave both my boys a “medication holiday” last summer, and it was the worst decision ever. I’m not kidding. We are NOT doing 6+ trips to the emergency room this summer. We are having good fun, minus the injuries, moodiness, and other AD/HD pain! thank God for Ritalin. hello summer!