Boys of Summer

As with summers past, we are knee deep into swimming and tennis madness.  Our days begin at 8 am and essentially involve going from home to the pool to the tennis courts and back again.  It is a crazy schedule, but the boys love it.  Truly, love it.  And there is nothing as good as a summer day that ends with three little boys exhausted, but happy.

All three boys are on the swim team.  They practice for an hour every weekday, swimming lengths of the pool again, and again, and well, again.  But they are laughing and enjoying it, so it is all good.  The coach this year instituted a "fun friday" practice schedule that involves playing games with the coaches and ice cream sundaes, so that is even better.  Fun Fridays are big in our house.  How could ice cream at 10 am not be big with boys?  In addition to daily practices, the boys compete in a swim meet against other clubs once a week.

All three boys take daily tennis lessons and Aidan and Brennan are also on tennis team, with daily tennis team practices and matches two to three times a week.  I continue to be amazed at the improvement they have made on the court.  Aidan and Brennan really fell in love with tennis this summer and not a day goes by that they do not beg me to take them back to the courts to hit or to practice.  I love watching them hit with each other or help each other practice.  (And yes, maybe, I do indulge in a little day dreaming about the next Bryan Brothers dynamo doubles team being right there in front of me.)

Their tennis coaches must have heard my inner daydreams because they teamed Aidan and Brennan up as a doubles team for one of their matches.  It was a cry worthy moment to see them both, together, working as a team on the court.  They won their match 6-1 and I could not have been prouder.

In addition to doubles, both boys have also done amazingly well at singles.  I have bitten my nails to the quick with nerves watching them compete, but have been so unbelievably proud at their composure, their sportsmanship and their high level of play with each and every match.  

Our next stop is championships for both tennis and swimming!  

Insight

I love when my children have moments of wisdom that they impart upon me.  I was struggling the other day with some comments made to me and my boys knew it.  At one point during the day, Aidan grabbed me, gave me a big hug and whispered into my ear, "Mom, remember that it doesn't matter what other people think about you.  What really matters is what you think about yourself."

Yes, that.  I am going to hold that moment close for a while.

New Neighbor

A new family moved across the street last year.  They have a little boy, who is around three or four, who has some developmental issues and a seizure disorder.  He can't speak, but does vocalize through hums and happy shrieks.  He can also sign.  He is a sweet, sweet boy who has fallen in love with my boys and with Chewy.

We find this little boy at our house quite a bit, playing with the dog, clapping and laughing as Chewy fetches and races around him, playing with balls or rope.  Chewy is so very gentle with him and will sit perfectly still as the boy pets him or hugs him.  We told the boys' parents they are welcome to come over to play with the dog whenever they want because of course, Chewy loves the attention and the affection.

A month or so ago, the little boy ran across the street without his parents.  I think he escaped from the house when his parents' backs were turned.  Chris and I caught him when he was about halfway across the street and escorted him over to our house to play.  His mom wasn't too far behind him.  We thought the boy wanted to play with Chewy, so I called Chewy to come into the front yard to play with him.  But when Chewy appeared, while the boy was happy to pet him, he appeared to be looking for something or someone else that he couldn't vocalize.

A moment or two later, Aidan walked into the front yard and this boy exploded in sheer joy.  He clapped his hands, smiled from ear to ear and shrieked small shouts of happiness.  He repeated this, a second and a third time, when both Brennan and Griffin came out to play.  The little boy liked the dog, but he really wanted the time with my boys.

My boys played with him for a long while.  They play with him every time he comes across the street to play.  A few days ago, they went into the little boy's yard to play with him and go through the sprinkler with him.  They played over at his house for an hour or two and all I could hear was this little boy laughing and clapping the entire time.

Last week, the boy escaped the house again, running across the street when he saw us outside.  Chris ran and grabbed him to escort him across the street.  His Dad was out a few minutes later, apologizing profusely, but he laughed and said our yard was just too big a draw.  The Dad watched his little boy playing with my boys, got quiet for a minute and cleared his throat.

He turned to me and said quietly, "Your boys have been great with my boy.  We feel grateful with how they play with him and are kind to him.  Thanks for that."  He stopped and his eyes teared up. "The other day, he was looking out the front window, watching your boys play in the front yard.  He looked at me, pointed outside and signed the word for friends.  Friends."  He stopped again and nodded.  "It means a lot."

I think it meant just as much to me and Chris.

Beach 2013

One of the top items on our summer fun list every year is our trip to my brother and sister in law's beach house.  The boys are giddy with excitement for weeks in advance, counting down to the beach, the surf, the sand, and well, all the fun that comes with vacation.