June 2

This loving sibling scene unfolded in my kitchen just after noon.

Abby, fresh from her morning jog around the neighborhood, went in for a hug from pajama-clad Brady, who had recently emerged from his bedroom to explore the food options in the pantry. Brady deflected his sister's overt play for affection with a palm to the forehead, and Abby responded with a foot to the stomach.

It was antagonistic sibling cinema at its finest.

But seriously, they didn't actually harm one another, and the exchange made me laugh. And laughter is a blessing.

June 1

A single, simple sentence came to mind multiple times today: 

And then there was one.

For more than 20 years, my hours have been filled to brimming with the sounds of childhood: giggling and laughing and shouting and crying and yelling and exclaiming.

But today, with Adam at work and Abby off to the first meeting of her credentialing program and Isaac on a trip to Napa with his pals, it was just Brady and me. 

And then there was one.

To his credit, he handled the his first real day of summer vacation --and being the only kid in the house-- quite well. He played a video game and then got in the pool, where I joined him on a giant floatie and watched as he dove into the water over and over and over again. And then we took a trip to the AMPM for an Icee (for him), and then went to the grocery store for milk. And then as the sun moved closer to the horizon, he went out back and practiced his pitch grips by hurling a rubber ball against the side of the house. 

It's probably going to take some time to get used to the relative quiet, but I'm grateful that my children are growing and changing and taking advantage of opportunities to stretch their wings. And I'm grateful that for the time being, one is still a kid, because I'm not ready to be an empty nester just yet.