Some days....

I try to be positive, I really do. But when it comes to Riley, some days it's a real challenge. Like the time when he threw up Pediasure all over the place less than a month after getting our new car. Or his feeding tube comes undone and it leaks ALL OVER. ALL NIGHT LONG. That's what I dealt with a few mornings ago. For some reason he won't call me at night if he pees all over or if his feeding tube leaks all over. No matter how absolutely soaked he gets, he never calls me. He just waits for me to find it in the morning. And for some reason it's ALWAYS a school day. You know, when I have to get all 4 kids ready by a certain time or else people miss buses. Kids miss school. And I always know, because the smell hits you about halfway down the hallway. And you want to turn around and go back to bed and pull the covers over your head and wait for someone else to take care of it. But there is no one else. So you continue down that hallway, knowing what you will find. Pediasure all over the wood floor. Sticky, stinky, by now somewhat curdled Pediasure. Just waiting. And of course it's all over him and the bed. Thank God for mattress protectors. When they work. Which, of course, this time it didn't.

I love my oldest son with all my heart, but some days.... Some days I just wish he were "normal."

End of summer blues

Well we are here. It is the unofficial end to summer. The kids have been back in school for a few weeks now, homework battles are in full swing. The pool is no longer bath water and we will be closing it for the season this week. All good things must come to an end.

The weather here is about to get cooler. If it's not going to be in the 90s and have 90+ degree temps in the pool, I'm ready for the Fall. I'm ready for the evening fires, for the sweatshirts, and for the football. It's been a great summer, filled with a lot of fun. We had an awesome, amazing vacation to the Smokey Mountains. We spent plenty of time swimming and the kids have loved going to the ice cream place. Now it is time to turn off the A/C and pull out the warmer clothes. Time to pull out the warmer comforters and blankets.

It is always a bittersweet feeling knowing that summer is ending. Fall is my favorite season, but it also means more time inside for the kids and less fresh air. The days get shorter and with less sunshine, moods can get disturbed. But it is what it is.