Summer Start

Summer has started in South Dakota…sort of. It’s 49 degrees here and raining, but we really have had some warmer days. Even if one is not a farmer, here so much of what people do is dictated by the weather. Since the sun rises just before 5:30 a.m. and doesn’t set until 10:00 p.m., there is plenty of time for projects and play. This is the time of year when people do home fix-up and repair, put in their gardens, go fishing and boating, walk and ride their bicycles with their family, and generally play outside. This is probably one of the few places left where a child may leave his house right after breakfast to go play with friends, and probably not return home until dinner time, and the parents don’t have to worry. Oh, the freedom of childhood is here again!

We have had our share of projects this year. The only room in our house that was not the right color when we bought it was Zac’s bathroom. Now that we have had days warm and dry enough to leave the windows open, Zac has a “new” bathroom. We also had a portion of our yard that was overgrown and a good harbor for mosquitoes, mice, and garter snakes last year. Alan and I decided to clear it out and create a play area/shade garden. Thanks to the loan of a tractor and box tiller from a neighbor, Alan was able to quickly clear out the trash trees and bushes and prepare the area for planting. Only here does it not raise more than a little curiosity to see a tractor parked in the neighbor’s yard. This summer the boys will be able to use the sandbox that Daddy built in that area of the yard.

The kids have had a great start to the summer too. Zac went fishing for the first time a couple of weekends ago. The local lake is stocked with fish every year. Not only did he have fun learning how to fish with Daddy, he had success and brought home three fish. Zac also started T-ball this year. He has been such a baseball fan for a long time, and he is very good at hitting and throwing the ball. He has had fun in his first week learning how to catch and play with a team.

Nathan recently acquired his own T-ball bat to add to his first glove. He wants so much to be just like his big brother, but he is not old enough for the T-ball team, so he’ll have to settle for playing ball in the yard. He loves falling asleep at night listening to baseball games on his radio. Nathan’s favorite phrase now is “It’s behind you…over there.” It doesn’t matter if what he is referencing is right in front of you; he says “It’s behind you.” Maybe we should work on his direction this summer.

Bethany has started to bloom. She is a baby who loves life! She smiles and coos and giggles and laughs. She says “Momma” and Dadda” when she wants our attention. “Baba” is still practice sounds, but “NaeNae” is clearly her version of “no no” when she is not happy. She sits in her highchair to eat meals with the family, but she still prefers to nurse and cuddle with Mommy. Bethany is also sitting up on her own for short periods, but she really likes to play while sitting in somebody’s lap. It won’t be long before she is crawling and chasing her brothers through the house. She also loves to be outside. The weekend we cleared out the shade garden area it was warm and breezy and our apple tree was in full bloom. Bethany played on the picnic blanket until she was tired and fussy, and then she and I lay on the blanket together under the apple tree with the blossoms softly drifting down on us until she nursed herself to sleep. I can’t think of a better way to start our first summer with our boys and new addition.