Winding Down...or Up?

We spent the day at the County Fair yesterday, it marked the last loved tradition of the summer -my mom always said when the fair rolled into town summer was on it's way out. As I watched my kids spin, drop and roll themselves into oblivion and have a treat or two that is forbidden the other 364 days of the year, a wave washed over me, was it nostalgia? Saddness? Usually this would be the case, but not this year.

This year, I felt excited.

I am excited not only for Noah and Ryan to head back to school and pick up where they left off - they had a wonderful year in school, for Fall sports and predictable schedules, but I am as equally eager to see what Lucas has up his sleeve.

Over the summer I have seen massive changes in him, the patterning - despite what critics (my former self being one of them) may say of the practice - has dramatically changed the way Lucas moves. In two months he went from an immature running pattern to beautiful crosspattern with a little "hop" in his step, his balance went from fair to good, his creeping and crawling are faster, more efficient and more symmetrical...and those are just the observable traits.  It is the less measurable qualities that have equally impressed me like successful risk taking, initiating physical play (that's a nice way of saying tackling his brothers to the ground and wrestling!), making his desires clear, both verbally and nonverbally, and successful introduction of responsibility tasks around the house. Ultimately, yesterday when we did not pattern, Lucas asked many times "Do Monkey?" (his name for patterning).

So, as I am preparing for Lucas's 4th birthday - calling Dr. Mary to get a script for our quarterly blood study, buying some new bits of intelligence (can't wait to introduce dinosaurs, authors and inventors), making new reading materials, and getting excited about the new addition to my house - Lucas's brachiation ladder his daddy is making for his birthday present and starting the brach. program- I am feeling as though I am standing on the brink of an exciting new chapter.

Better yet, I am more excited than ever to see the massive accomplishments my whole family will achieve on the next leg of our journey - together!

 (OK and maybe some haircuts!)