Just like that, and August is gone...

August was a bitter-sweet month for me.  Sweet, because we had so much fun, first with Abel, and then just the kids and I with last minute field trips.  They also played a lot of basketball with their dad, jumped in the trampoline with him, and helped him make delicious desserts.  They enjoyed having Elijah read Hardy Boys, as well as studying the scriptures every night.  Bitter, because I had to say goodbye to my kids as I sent them off to school in the morning.  I wish we had more vacation time; I could use some more time with my sweet angels.

This whole month, Gillian has been taking sewing lessons from Sister Paul, our friend and neighbor.  Her friend and Gillian would start around 9 in the morning and then would come back at 1 in time for lunch.  They went twice a week, sometime five hours at a time.  Gillian loved learning how to sew.  She made us pillows, pencil holders for her brothers, and a skirt for herself.  I'm so proud of my girl and her hard work.  I can't wait to see what other great projects she can accomplish.

The kids had a few play dates with friends, enjoyed playing legos, chess, and battleship with each other, helped me harvest the garden, and stayed very late in watching two movies in the drive-in theater.

The temple in Oakland opened back up in August, after a five-week closure for maintenance.  I've enjoyed going and feeling the spirit every week.  This week's attendance was a little more special.  I had planned to go early in the morning on Tuesday, but it hadn't work out for me.  After eating dinner, having the kids take showers, and reading the scriptures with them, I sent them off to bed early so they could  have enough rest before school started the next day.  Time was about seven, and at that point I was thinking that I just might make the 7:45 session.  I called Sister Paul to watch the kids, and I drove to the temple.  I made it in enough time for the last session.  Later, as I was entering the Celestial room, I ran into Elijah, who works at the temple on Tuesdays.  I didn't think I would see him, since the temple is big and there are myriads of things he would be doing.  But I knew he was there.  As for Elijah, he had no idea I had decided to come that night, so he was taken aback.  Needless to say, after the initial surprise, we were both very happy to spend a few minutes together in the Celestial room.  Best way to end the day!

On Wednesday, the older children started school.  Gillian started middle school, Jefferson 4th, and James 2nd.  Charlton is also starting Pre-k, but his doesn't start till the second week of September.  On their first day of school, I couldn't stop crying.  I cried during breakfast, I cried during morning prayer, and I sobbed when I dropped Gillian off in front of her middle school.  I didn't want to let her go out of my embrace.  She gave me a kiss and told me that everything was going to be alright.  But who can calm the heart of a mother?!

That morning, as I was going about my day cleaning and tidying up so I could take my mind off from the absence of my older three, I found the following list on Jefferson's bed.  It brought a smile on my face, and gratitude in my heart for having taught them well.  I still missed them, and I will miss them everyday - a mother's heart never gets used to not having her kids around, even for a small absence - but at least I knew they are responsible and could take care of themselves well.

On Friday, Charlton and I took off for a special day at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.  We spent the whole day being with each other, learning about the various creatures of the earth, touching the fish, looking at the birds, holding butterflies on the tips of our fingers, shopping, eating lunch, and then strolling around the Golden Gate Park.  The day was very beautiful and the temperature was perfect with a cool breeze touching our skin.  On the way home, Charlton exclaimed that I was the best date ever!  You aren't so bad yourself, my boy.  You sure know how to show a girl a good time. 

On Saturday, the last day of August and officially our last day of summer vacation, I had a lot of fun activities planned for my family.  I didn't get to do all of them, but watching the new movie of One Direction was on the top of the list.  We missed going to their concert this summer, but no worries - today the movie, next summer the real thing.  Needless to say, Gillian and I sang our hearts out to every song they showed in their movie. 

While Gillian and I went to the movies, Elijah played basketball with the boys, jumped on the trampoline, fixed the flat tire in Jefferson's bike, added training wheels on James's bike so Charlton can use it, and bought James a brand new bike a bit bigger than the old one so he can use it to ride to school.  They ended their date with lunch at In N' Out.  The boys were in heaven.

That evening, while we were all back from our errands, and I was finally done with my long but absolutely interesting Borgia book (Blood and Beauty by Sarah Dunant), we went and relaxed outside in the hammock.  The sky graced us with a display of colors varying from vibrant blue, to warm grey, to sweet purple, to pearly pink, to passionate red, to tangerine orange, to a blaze of yellow, red, orange, grey and magic all mixed together.  As I was watching the sky, a line from a book Gillian and I read this summer came to mind: "In silence the three of them looked at the sunset and thought about God." (Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib).  I'm grateful for my life and for my Heavenly Father who gave this gift to me.

Summer days may be over, but our adventures have just begun...

It's always sunny...at the Garmon residence

Abel stayed with us for about two weeks.  The first week was occupied with Gillian's birthday, lots of sightseeing around the area, and eating delicious homemade dinners.  The second week was a bit busy since the older kids were attending basketball camp all morning, and Charlton was continuing with his swimming lessons.  Abel was sweet enough to be part of the kids' lives by accompanying me to the drop-offs and pick-ups and sometimes watching their games.  Not wanting to waste time, we would stop by Chick-fil-A or In N' Out for lunch and then continue on with our activities and sightseeing.

Here are the kids running miles at a time at running club, playing basketball, swimming, and having a great time with their uncle.

Running club started great, but we were too busy to attend all of the times.  In the end Charlton was the most consistent one with ten miles under his belt, compared to last year when Jefferson broke the record with a total of 45 miles throughout 8 Mondays.  Better attendance next year!

 

 

 

 

 

One of my kids' favorite activities with uncle Abe was swimming at Crown Beach in Alameda with nobody around, and then following it up with a drive-in movie.  We took out some Little Caesar's pizza, popcorn, and candy, and fixed our car comfortably for all of us to sit down and enjoy the night.  Despicable Me 2 was the best addition to our day.

The beach was a bit cold for Gillian and I.  We both had blankets wrapped around us.  The boys, however, were of a different opinion.  James kept drawing mustachioed Mexicans on the beach, and Abel and Jefferson swam further and further till I couldn't see them very well.  I had to send Gillian waving her blanket to them so they could come back.  Knowing Jefferson, he would have probably wanted to swim till they reached the other side of the marina, something that I wasn't prepared for him to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before Abel left, we celebrated Elijah's birthday with some yummy taco salad and a three-tier cake.  My sweet husband turned 36!  As always, he didn't want much fanfare on his birthday, just plain good food, tasty cake, and his family around him. How differently he and I see birthday parties!

His boss at work surprised him with an all-edible, beehive-shaped birthday cake.  Elijah had taken some of our own honey to work and they all had loved it, especially his boss.  So it was quite appropriate to celebrate Elijah's hard work and friendship with this particular cake.

After Abel left, we decided the coming week was going to be way more relaxed than the previous two.  And we started our quiet week by washing 6 loads of sheets, towels, and blankets used on various occasions throughout our vacation with Abel.  After that was done, the kids and I washed 6 other loads of dirty laundry with baskets full out of each room.  Folding them was quite a feat!

 

After the laundry came cleaning the house.  Even Charlton pitched in with the chores.  He actually demanded that he be provided with a list just like his siblings.

 

After those duties were performed, we set out to enjoy the rest of the week doing nothing.  Well, almost nothing.  We harvested the garden, enjoyed play dates, jumped on the trampoline or snuggled with mom after jumping, worked crossword puzzles, made homemade popcorn, read a bunch of biographies and other interesting books, and just napped.