Dear Busy Summer, You Were Wild, Beautiful, and Epic

School’s Out and We’re Off

The last bell rang in May, and we barely had time to blink. Before I could say “let’s rest,” we were already knee-deep in baseball, softball, and volleyball. The kids played hard, and we cheered harder. We lived on concession stand snacks and takeout dinners. Chick-fil-A for the win, obviously. Evening practices blurred into weekend games. Somewhere in the shuffle, I stopped matching socks and just threw everything in one giant laundry basket labeled “good luck.” There’s just something about sweaty kids and dirty uniforms that feels like summer in full swing.

The beginning told us everything we needed to know…
This was going to be one very busy summer!

We didn’t get a break, but we got moments.
We got high-fives through car windows and Gatorades stacked in the fridge like trophies. We got tan lines, grass stains, and that sweet kind of exhaustion that only comes from being all in.

Camp Week and Sweet Little Joys

By mid June, the kids headed off to day camp at church. It was hot, loud, and a joyful room full of kids singing off key. My 3 came home with crafts, Bible verses half memorized, and stories that made us laugh over dinner. I’m not sure which child was more tired by the end of the week, but it was the good kind of tired. The kind you earn.

That week reminded me how fast they’re growing. How quickly they Went from being nervous at drop-off years ago, to running ahead with friends by Year three. I stood in the background, letting them fly, holding back both pride and tears.

And listen… Camp gave them room to grow, but it gave me a much-needed breather. Ten out of ten. Would recommend. Camp for the win.

A New House, A New Chapter

We kicked off July with boxes, tape guns, and enough cardboard to build a small village. Moving into a new house in the middle of summer chaos wasn’t exactly summer peaceful, but it was worth it. We didn’t know where half our stuff was, but all the TVs were mounted (thanks, babe), and the beds had clean sheets.

That counts as thriving, right?

There were moments of sadness, and moments that felt like we were turning the page on something brand new. New memories were made even as the walls were still bare. we ate dinner off paper plates, watched fireworks from a different view, and made the best of the mess.

Now a few weeks in, we’re starting to find our groove. Basketball shootouts and one-on-one games happen almost every night. Laundry piles have claimed their corners. I’ve given up on figuring out where the extension cords went. Somehow, it already feels like home.

Poolside Fireworks & a Change of Plans

We celebrated the Fourth with friends at the pool, and the kids swam until they were basically raisins. The grown-ups swapped stories, grilled too much food, reapplied sunscreen like a sport, and argued (in love) over how many popsicles is “too many.”

It was loud, chaotic, and perfect. A classic Fourth of July, the kind of summer day I hope my kids always remember.

And because we love a challenge, we left the very next day for the beach. We had barely dried off from the pool before we were shoving suitcases into the car and heading out. Was it crazy? yes. was it relaxing? is vacationing with kids ever relaxing! was it fun? absolutely!

A massive storm rolled in, the sky turned dramatic, and the beach gave us less sunshine and more “what is happening.” at least for the beginning of the week. by the end of our beach week we were sanding it up and pooling it down.

so, i’d say we made it work. We played games until too late, ate really good food, and filled every room with laughter, watch lightening streak across the ocean (from inside), did a lot of pool time, and had a blast with it all. The weather didn’t give us only dreamy photos; it gave us real time memories.

Camp Round Two & the Countdown Begins

After beach bags and sandy clothes were dumped (and mostly cleaned), we jumped right back into another round of camps. Oliver started basketball, Aiden kicked off soccer, and I started checking my calendar like it was a crossword puzzle I couldn’t solve. The pace didn’t slow, it just changed costumes.

We went from swimsuits to cleats, and the backseat turned into a snack station-slash-gear depot. I was running circles most days, convinced I had missed something important, but we made it work. Barely. But still.

And now… it’s somehow late July. How did that happen? Summer is still hanging on, but the energy is shifting. The end is creeping in, even if the heat hasn’t noticed. There’s still more ahead but a lot of it feels like “business.” Aiden has his big ear surgery this week. Ava has a week of volleyball camp. i have a school/teaching orientation. so, we can feel it. The final stretch is here.

School supplies are invading the kitchen table, and I’ve officially Googled “best lunchboxes for pre-teen girls that want to be seen as cool and older” more than once. Ready or not… here it comes.

What I’ll Miss About this busy summer

I’ll miss slow mornings, even if they were rarely quiet. I’ll miss wet bathing suits all over my new house and soggy towels tossed near ~but not on ~the hooks. I’ll miss the freedom to wing it. The joy of saying yes to a random snow cone run or a late-night movie with popcorn everywhere.

I’ll miss the moments that snuck in sideways. The ones no one thought to capture, but somehow stuck anyway. The giggles over burned toast, the surprise lap plops during movies, The way we made something out of nothing, again and again, just by being in summer mode.

Thanks for the Messy, Beautiful Middle

Southern summer, you’ve been loud and long and full. You’ve tested my patience, stolen my sleep, and turned my car into a mobile locker room. But you’ve also filled our home with joy, noise, and more memories than I can count. You gave us scraped knees, big smiles, and that glorious feeling of a day well spent.

You wore me out, but you filled me up. And in just a few weeks, when the alarms ring and the schedules tighten, I’ll miss you, busy summer… exactly as you were.

So here’s to the middle of the mess,
the heart of the chaos,
and the beautiful, busy blur of it all.