summer's end

N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 

It feels like I haven't seen very much of the children these last couple of weeks what with camp and a weekend trip to Chicago so I'm telling them I love them every few minutes.  Everything they say seems so dear to me...I want to write it down so I don't forget.  Because I will.  Just last night as we played our version of baseball in the backyard - Court said something so witty I wanted to make sure to record it.  But of course I didn't and now it is gone.   Tonight Charlotte said as she finished sweeping the kitchen floor after dinner, "I think the floor must feel good about itself now."

So many moments today are bittersweet.  I'm playing them over in my mind like a slow record...not wanting the day to end.  Today is the last of my Mondays...the last official mommy day.  Different from what we call family days which come knocking at the end of the week.  In one week I will have both children in school full time and I will also return to work full time.

Today we checked on the twig forts Court's been building in the park forest and added a stick or two.  I swung beside him on the swing set as he pumped his legs to go higher, no longer needing my push.  We picked up Charlotte and went for a poutine lunch in the sunshine with The Pop Shoppe orange to wash it down.  There were new back packs and pencil cases bought along with thick socks and sweatshirts.  We hoped for fresh picked new apples but settled on sweet corn instead.  And after licking the sugar and cinnamon from our fingers we declared cider donuts to be our new favourite fall treat.  I carried Court around the house on my back as we listened to Charlotte belting out a tune to her reflection in the kitchen window and the sky turned inky blue.

I just didn't want to let him down.