On the Horizon

I find myself looking ahead to this summer with a mix of anticipation and sadness.

Summer is my favourite! I love the warmth (even if we really do only get a month of it). I enjoy the freedom. I adore the beach. And if I'm honest, there is a (very tiny itty bitty wee small) part of me that basks in the lack of structure and routine.

This summer, though, is our last summer before a year of changes.

At the end of this summer, Braeden (11) will be going into middle school (grade six) - new school, new teachers, new friends, new bus, longer hours. Transitions such as this are particularly difficult for him, so our summer is really the calm before a stormy year.

As this summer comes to a close, Malakai (1) will be turning two. I will no longer have a baby, and will not have a baby ever again. He will move into a toddler bed, start potty training (maybe?), speak in sentences such as "I do it!"

The girls will be growing up, too. Abbey's (7) change from first to second grade should be a fairly smooth transition. On the other hand, Meg's (6) move up from kindergarten to grade one is likely to put a few bumps in our road. Five full days a week is hard work! Last year Abbey came home tired and cranky until December. If anything, I expect Meg to be a little more so (she's just got a bit more personality going on).

Shea (4) will move on up to the four-year-old class in preschool. It's still only two mornings per week, but so much new learning will take place - the alphabet, printing, numbers, colours, patterns... All the stuff that will give her a head start for kindergarten.

I am standing on a wide expanse of beach. The shoreline is nearby - free, easy, relaxed, fun. But off on the barely-visible horizon I see the hint of things unknown, and I feel the need to brace myself.