what do YOU do on a summer Tuesday?

 Here's what I did:  

Morning coffee.  Laundry.  Puttering around, then the girls got up.  We sat around, they had their coffee and I had seconds.  Where should we go?  I voted Costco, they wanted three different places.  One Walmart, one Marshalls, one Target, and we all agreed on Aldi, and that the books needed to be dropped off at the library.  

Target:  the bathing suits were buy one get one free, they were happy about that.  Sonja found one t-shirt.  Then to Old Navy,  nothing good.  T.J. Maxx, Sonja found a dress:

She tried it on for me when we got home. Before we went in, she said, "I hope I find just the perfect thing!", and she did.  It was very reasonable.  

Next, I went in the thrift store while they went in a grocery store, they were hungry so got some sandwich stuff and a few donuts.  I thrifted and found two shirts for me, two little girls' adorable tops/dresses, a boogie board for the pool, a set of wood ABC beads with strings, a teething necklace (totally washable), all for $19.    

Aldi, for chips, strawberries, salad dressing, cheese, cream, lime juice, some hair ties, eggs...

Then home...ahh, home.  We had agreed to do a clean up, so Camille wiped down appliances, I vacuumed downstairs, they took out garbage and cleaned counters and put things away.  It goes pretty fast when helpers are around!  

And now, it's a summer Wednesday...because when the girls pile into the living room, I close my computer.  Because:  I know these days with the loud silly nonsense, fake fighting, and belting out Taylor Swift songs are numbered.  I know because Emily, Abigail, Benjamin, Mariel, Joseph, Aaron, Molly, Samuel, Margaret, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, and sort of Jonny- have all moved out.  They take part of my heart, and bruise up my soul, even though I raised them with the very intent of having them stand on their own two feet.  I gave everything in me to give them good lives.   Now there are these three girls left. Sonja will start her job in pediatrics soon, and there's talk she'll get an apartment with Evelyn, who lives on her own.  Charlotte Claire is a senior in high school this year, and wants to go to Europe for a year, probably Germany like Jonathan did.  Then Miss Camille, my youngest, my sweet girl, said yesterday while wandering the aisles of Target that she was definitely going to move out and not stay home forever.  Again, that's our job as parents, to create and foster independence, and to get these children to grow up into responsible adults who move away and contribute positively to society.

But it hurts.  I'm the small pasture left behind.  

We all know that it's not like they move out and disappear into thin air...for the most part.  I rarely see Suzanne, but that's atypical.  Our house is bursting with fun and craziness most weekends. 

So these days with these girls are precious to me.  

I need to get out the door in fifteen minutes to bring Miss Cam to PT, the start of a busy day.  The girls are leaving on Sunday to go to Norway, so they're busy packing and planning and getting ready...