Life's rituals

As my kids are growing up and moving into different phases of their lives, there are certain rituals that I really look forward to throughout the year. Summer is a ritual of loading up the car several times a week to go to the pool. The ratty towels, the suits, the sunscreen. Usually I park it right on the bench by the baby pool and watch Amanda. I never wear a swimsuit, just my shorts and flip flops, sunglasses and a book. The kids swim and swim and swim and then want candy or snow cones from the front desk. Summers are also about having the house full of too many kids (everyone wants a friend over), no bedtimes, barbecues and sleeping on the trampoline. Just when I am ready to pull my hair out it is time for fall rituals. Registering for school is one of those. Every year we go to the kid's schools and fill out forms and get their assigned teacher or schedule, pay the fees and get excited!!!!!We also spend hundred's of dollars on school supplies. Crayons, glue sticks, calculators, rulers, pens, paper and Kleenex. This year, I will have a child at every school in town. Stef at the high school, Shelby and Hailey at the middle school, Brooke at the grade school and Amanda at the preschool. Then we have the first day of school... complete with photo documentation, new outfits, hair carefully styled. I always drive them to school and if they let me, accompany them into the classroom to take pictures. Then there is the Fair. In October, my favorite... Halloween... with class parties... think too many sweets, costumes, photo's, trick or treating. I guess rituals are ways to create happy memories, but they also serve to mark the time....Which is passing very quickly. I feel like somehow when I wasn't paying attention.. I moved into a new phase. A phase where I'm no longer having babies and toddlers and all that physically intense, wearing but happy work. I miss kissing a tiny forehead and having all of that love reciprocated back. Now I have moody, yelling, preteen, teen girls and not so much love of mom. Amanda will still say You're my best mom when I say.... "you're my best Manda". I know that this is just how life is and that my girls are growing into independent, beautiful young ladies who have to make mistakes and difficult decisions for themselves. They are still amazing and when they are asleep I can still kiss them on the forehead