september sunshine and my spotty mind

the end of summer is here-- it's hard to believe it's already september. the weather has been absolutely quintessential for outdoor time. thursday night was the last 'swingin summer thursday' in wc. we went and walked up and down the main drag, stopping to watch the clown and climb up in the firetruck. friday evening we stayed in and watched 'eternal sunshine of the spotless mind' after the boys were in bed. then we stayed up late recounting all of our first and fuzzy memories of how we met. it was strange to not be able to remember things that in retrospect should be monumental. but then again it was 9 years ago and another lifetime! we put bits and pieces together from both of our fragmented memories, and had some good laughs. i love being married. and i find it amazing that i already forget what life was like 'back then'. i guess that whole leaving and cleaving process really cements you into a new normal. that, and the addition of children, has completely deteriorated my brain to the point that it is painful to try to construct a sentence right now. . . or to come up with a clever title for this post.

so anyway... saturday morning i went to grocery store w/k while dave took c on their ritual outing to northbrook to get donuts. then dave had to go into work for a few hours. he is such a champ for coming home in time to take us on a 'mystery trip' to marsh creek, where he and c got to go catamaraning, while k and i played on the beach. we had a little picnic supper. and i saw a teacher i used to work with, but didn't know it was she until afterward. she had a REALLY big dog that c and i went up to pet (he has no fear of dogs quite bigger than himself). i even asked her questions about the dog, the whole time thinking she looked familiar. i worked w/her on and off for 7 years! what is wrong with me? again, my brain sometimes feels like it is missing some pieces. on a side note, i suddenly have an urge to be more detailed in writing down things like this. perhaps because i imagine that years from now i will have forgotten the things like running into an old colleague and how it made me feel, and to read about it will suddenly put me right back in that moment. not that that was the best moment, or one i'd like to look back on with fondness. but i feel compelled to record it simply b/c i know i'll forget. really, i used to have a very good memory. can you tell this is disturbing me?

... AND i guess that's not really a side note, since it has to do w/brain things. case in point... again.

sunday, christian went to sunday school and actually stayed in there for the last 30 minutes without us. he cried for a while (the teacher said) and then calmed down and would only burst into tears every few minutes. ...progress! he only has one more week til school starts. getting nervous...!

dave had to go into work again for a few hours, but then came home and took us to the skatepark where we basked in the beautiful sunshine and watched wide-eyed as the skateboarders did their thing. we also played on the fun jungley gym thing and watched the dogs in the dog park. my favorite was the enormous great dane named tonto. after making sure he was friendly, c walked right up to him (head and shoulders taller than my boy) and reached up to pat his head. priceless.

last night, after dinner, i proudly threw together some spaghetti sauce (browned 3 lbs of meat, etc) so i could assemble some freezer meals -- and left it out to cool for a couple hours. woke up this morning and had that horrible realization that i never put it away. i could cry. but before i do i'm calling mom to see if she would keep it or throw it. it was chilly in our house last night-- soooo that counts for something, right?

i know. i googled it. not looking too promising. but somehow i'm still clinging to 'mom knows best' and 'mom will agree with me' and somehow my hard work will overpower the potential bacteria that is likely swimming around in there right now.

ugh. i guess God is trying to humble me with this forgetfulness thing.

anyway, as i write this, dave is trying to get c ready to go 'play tennis' with him... which consists of dave hitting the ball against a wall and c running after them. ball boy. it looks like another beautiful day-- and i can only sit here grateful (despite my ruined sauce and my lack of brain cells) for this precious season that is quickly flying by. i saw a family in the grocery store the other day-- with 3 boys. approximately 10, 9, and 6. the two older ones had shaggy hair and were acting somewhat pre-adolescent. i watched them for a few seconds as i stood in the checkout line and suddenly tears filled my eyes, realizing that these sweet days of cuteness that define my world will not last forever.

example: christian woke up this morning and said, "i was just reading 'what people do all day' (his richard scarry book that he keeps IN his bed these days). "these people are walking into their houses," he said, pointing at the outside cover of the book. . . . then he paused....

"actually, they're kitties... not people."

sigh. take it in. take it in. take it in!