It’s the night before school and I can’t sleep. As a teacher, the night before school, I couldn’t sleep as well (jitters!) and neither can I as a mother (will I oversleep?!). I reluctantly reach for my phone and scroll through social media. I see my feed flooded with back-to-school photos of those who started last week. I squint my eyes. The toddlers that I took photos of a few years ago are now fifth graders. My friends’ children seem leaner and longer and older.
I scroll through my back-to-school photos of my girls and see how time has changed each of us. My girls voices are deeper, less chipmunk like. Squishy cheeks are now flattened, and shoe sizes catch up to my own sole.
They say time flies, but children are like walking clocks and you really see the time stamped on them. I put my phone down, and finally fall asleep. I don’t oversleep (whew!) and am rewarded with a few hours to take photos off of my camera, respond to emails, and shun housework.
Because if time has taught me something, I know now that children grow so fast, and that houses get oh-so-messy within minutes.
So, without further ado…some golden summer photos!
I just arrived home yesterday from a family wedding. I love these two four-year-olds who wandered off to the neighbors’ lawn to come closer and closer to a goose. I love the excitement of a 4 year old. Their countdowns until school, the way their cheeks puff out when they smile, the way laughter bubbles from their lips, and the way they try to be sneaky, but their eyes and mouths give them away.
A beautiful wedding cake that tasted as good as it looked. Cake eaten on a lawn by a lake with family tastes even sweeter!
Lots of trips to see family. My maternal grandmother has 8 children and all the cousins are close. This summer was spent schlepping bags at Hartsfield Jackson International airport!
Wedding décor where pink and mint marry each other harmoniously. A lot of the girls/women in our family somehow showed up in these same colors, without planning! I wore the mint!
Holding my delicious smiling nephew!
Sunny twirls for the 9 year old; never underestimate the power of Golden Hour, the hour before sunset where everything is touched with gold.
The girls room that we meant to paint years ago and finally had it done! They chose this color!
Today H officially started Kindergarten and A is in 5th grade and Z in 7th grade! The first day of school is so full with excitement. It’s the Tuesday after the first day we need to watch out for. The adrenaline rush is gone and sleepy bodies and minds are slower in the morning. I am not a morning person at all so making this adjustment is hard on adults too!
Lastly, a book update – thank you for ordering and reading my books so far! Please do pre-order ANISA’S INTERNATIONAL DAY, it’s a way of letting the publishers know you like my work and want to read more. I hope you’ll like it. It’s perfect for those young readers of chapter books!
Link to pre-order is here and has indie bookstores links and Amazon!
Thank you!!
~ Reem
Doodling Through Life 