Summer Time Blues and Family Traditions.

I feel like I'm functioning better and finally figuring out how to have four children. We are ready for adventures. Good thing school starts in six days. I am never having another summer baby. I refuse. I'm talking abstinence Sept-Dec if necessary. Summertime in Wisconsin is what I live for. Fireflies, lakes, ice cream and farms, hiking, sunshine and blue skies, I could go on forever. We usually spend every day at the lake with a picnic lunch and it's dreamy. The weather started getting nice in April and I made our traditional Summer Bucket List and then I got put on bed rest and had a baby and we've accomplished nothing.

I was under the impression that I was invincible and would feel amazing and would be able to have the most awesome summer ever filled with adventures with our new baby. And then I actually HAD the baby and entered reality. Aside from the emotions and recovery and changes that happen when you have a baby (which we'll visit in a bit), I realized that new babies sun burn easily. You have to worry about them getting too hot, bugs, sand getting in their eyes and nose, lake water being too cold for them, sun. Did I mention sun and heat?

4th Trimester is a real thing. I read something somewhere that said, "Your newborn has spent the entirety of life on the inside and now they're on the outside and it is scary as *choice explicit*. They need to be comforted and reassured that it's okay." Basically the most accurate description ever. Babe goes through a lot of changes and you do too! I think my body is so used to being pregnant that now it thinks something is missing and it's just screaming, "Hey! Something's missing! Put it back!!"

According to Ross, 4th trimester is the hardest on me. First trimester I'm tired and super McBarfy. Second: hormones are all over the place. Third trimester starts out great, but pretty soon I'm throwing up again, too uncomfortable to sleep, in pain, and for the love of all that is good in the world: get this kid out of me. So to say that the first few months that our bundle of joy is in our home tops all of that is really saying something.

I am exhausted. And angry and excited and sad and frustrated and in love and worried and optimistic and every other feeling in the world all in the span of about 5 seconds. Repeat. And the thing is, that's NORMAL.

We spent the summer mostly indoors in survival mode with too little sleep and probably too much caffeine. My invincible adventure filled summer plan lost to sleep deprivation and almost unconquerable tests of sanity. Emma's two month appointment was last week. I love that her doctor is just as concerned about me as he is about the girls. I rolled up with all four girls. I think one of them was in a costume. I had 3 hours of sleep, whatever was left of yesterday's make up, hair in a mess, and Emma had a giant spit up all down my shirt as we were waiting. He said that he has 3 major things he looks for and values in families and one minor thing. About 1% of his patients meet all of the major things and even less than that meet all 4. We do all of the major things and up until about a year ago had all four. (when we switched to disposable diapers.) He commented on that and said it was the ultimate compliment he could give to a parent and he has a lot of respect for me. I had to hold back from kissing him or bursting into tears in the office. He also said that within the next month Emma should start to figure the world out and settle down. Which means I'll settle down, too.

So here we are: Aug 26. School starts in 6 days and I'm kind of finally getting everything put back together. The last summer we had before any of the kiddos were in school and it's over. Gone. And I'm in mourning.

Yesterday I was updating my calendar and I was putting things in October and November and it hit me. And I stared at the computer for a good 15 minutes and just SOBBED. (remember the psycho emotions we just talked about?) My facebook memories have been reminding me of my impatient love of Fall. In years past I had already decorated, made fall crafts with the girls, and had cream cheese caramel apple cookie bars in the oven.

It took that good sob session to come to term with the situation. It's almost September and it is what it is. We're just going to have to have a super awesome Fall. Starting with our new family traditions. I'm a sucker for quirky family traditions.

It's a packed weekend. Tomorrow is our end of  summer party. (more to come on that) But what I'm really excited for is our new back to school traditions.

This year we will be having a family first day of school feast (say that five times fast) to be held the night of the first day of school. Complete with fancy menu, fancy glassware for fancy drinks, crowns for all, decorations, pumpkin bars for dessert, and the unveiling of our Family Theme for the school year.

I've been thinking about what our theme should be for weeks now and yesterday I sat down and got serious about it. I made a list and was emailing them to Ross and as I was typing the last option, I knew I had found it. My girl friend at Jessica Olsen Photography (Stalk her on facebook,and AZ friends you should hire her. She takes the most beautiful photos.) whipped this up for me last night.

It will be framed and hung on our wall for the school year. So girls don't know it yet, but our theme for the 2016-2017 school year is "The Joy of Trying Again". I'm working on some memorabilia for the girls to hand out at our feast. I ordered some gorgeous silver charms with the word "joy" inscribed on them. I think each year I'll pick out a charm that reflects our theme and the girls can collect them and make a bracelet out of them. I'm thinking about having some pins made for them, too, because why not?


We've had some big changes and adjustments in our family and even more in the works; I knew this was the perfect theme for our family this year. So in the spirit of finding joy in trying again, I think a Fall bucket list is in order. Because we're going to have an amazing Fall.