Poof! Just like that, we are into week 2 of school, with the golden gates of summer slammed shut behind us. It’s always a bittersweet time of year, with the swimming and ice-cream-eating over, and everyone bustling, busy and getting back to school and work properly. To-do lists are long and intentions are good. We are going to be ON TIME for school everyday, no morning chaos and shouting this year!
Our July trip to Australia already seems like a distant memory. So distant, in fact, that when people ask Gavin what we did this summer, he’s like, “Oh, you know, camping, and going to the cottage and stuff.” Yeah, buddy, and also AUSTRALIA! To which he responds, “Oh yeah, right, we went to Australia too.”
The summer of 2015 has treated us well. It was the first summer in 3 years that was not marred by endless illness. We kicked it off with a 3-week trip Down Under. Flights were good, and Skye was a gem, apart from an unfortunate dislike to her Australian carseat which resulted in mucho crying on long drives. Craig and I almost got divorced on the side of the highway linking Sydney and Canberra, but these were small bumps in an otherwise smooth road.
On our return, my jet-lagged baby kept me up all night for a week but then settled back in, while Gav was off to camp at the High Park Nature Centre with one of his best buddies, E. Unlike last year, he was able to attend all week, without having to be picked up or lie down and rest.
Gavin has continued to feel and be well. We have had a few very short episodes of headaches and vomiting, but all lasting less than 24 hours. Usually a little lie-down and something to eat or drink solves the problem quickly. A couple of times he’s had to go to bed early, but then has felt well on the following day. It all feels very miraculous and not-quite-real. I think we are still asking ourselves, Is this really our life?
The rest of our summer flew with cottage trips and a fun camp cabin weekend in Bon Echo Provincial Park. I felt blessed to get to spend some quality time with my sister and my niece, who were visiting from Vancouver.
As always, we wrapped the summer up with a birthday celebration extravaganza to ring in the 7th year of the Bean’s life. This year, Gav’s Uncle Ryan came to visit from New York, and we ended up having 3 separate parties for the birthday boy. What can I say, this kid is the best thing that’s ever happened to us, and he knows it!
