Thursday, June 24, 2010

Looking up...

(Forgive me as my commentary does not match the pictures.)

I'm exhausted.
Today is the kid's last day of school and the first day that I overslept.
Not so much that I made them late, but enough that I was practically stumbling out the door 
(still in my pajama pants) to drive them to school.
We live in a funny location that is too close to the school for them to catch a bus
and too far for them to walk in a decent amount of time.
I don't mind making them walk home on days when I'm particularly busy, 
but those days are few and far between, so I've been their school bus for most of the year.

There are some advantages to this situation.
Every day, I get 5+ minutes in the morning to hear about their plans for the day
(or maybe the weird dream that they had)
(or a conversation about how the radio people never let each other finish a sentence)
then in the afternoon I have about 20 minutes (traffic)
to ask them how their day was,
did anything interesting happen,
and how did you do on that test?

Anyone who has teenagers
(or has been one)
knows that "face time" with them is rare.
(They are busy creatures and have been known to hole up in bedrooms and basements for hours at a time,
only coming out for food.)

So that makes my time in the car with them that much more important. 


They grow up so quickly 
(really... it's not just a cliche, it's true!)
and I feel like I need to take advantage of each moment that I have left.

They've left their toys behind 
(hey... my commentary is catching up with the pictures, or vice versa!)
and in just one more year my oldest will be heading off to college.
(Oh, no! )

(And have you guys seen Toy Story 3?  I cried.)

So on mornings like this,
(when I could use a little extra sleep,
and when I'm grateful that my pajama pants can pass as yoga pants, or something like that)
I have to remind myself that this time is fleeting and 
remember how incredibly grateful I am to have these moments with them.
Photobucket


38 comments:

Alyssa S. said...

I love how you captured them in the air like that. They definitely look happy that school is done :) I can't wait until I can walk my two to school and back. Luckily, our school is hop, skip and a jump from home. GREAT pics!!

Sabrina said...

NICE! Love the cool angles and perspectives. Oh and I'm not looking forward to the time where mom's not so cool and suddenly kisses become scarce. ugh...(insert sad face here!)

Alita said...

True dat! What you wrote that is.

Hmmm I love all the angles and it would seem that the girls are on a trampoline. Fun! Seeing the badminton just made me what to play. We played that every summer as kids.

Great shots (as usual) :D

Leslie said...

awwww...that is such a sweet post. i love the pictures. my favorite is Q and J both off the ground. will there be photo shoots when we are there and will you teach me more about my camera. i am a little jealous.

Mrs. Bird said...

Great post! And, great photos :) Have a great day!

Clare B said...

lovely post. especially love the last too pictures of the basketball and shuttle cock. the lighting is fantastic.

Mary said...

Wow---college next year? It's not how old they are getting but how old we are getting right? :) Great shots--love the shuttlecock!

Bec said...

That's a late school year! Enjoy your last year with the eldest at home. Don't worry too much though, my mom and I got closer when I went away :)

theiheartblog

Yellow House said...

Happy, happy last day of school to your girls! Love the jumping pictures!

Brooke said...

The commentary and the photos are amazing! I can't wait to see Toy Story 3. And boo hoo....college... sniff. It goes so fast.

Anonymous said...

I love the way that the commentary was different from the photos for some reason! Your photos are great too!

Anonymous said...

These photos remind me of when I was young and felt such joy when the last day of school arrived! You're right - time is fleeting.

Julie said...

Very sweet commentary. I love how they were having fun in the rain :). And that badminton pic is very cool!

Unknown said...

So, so true...

Your kids always look so happy and enthusiastic! :)

My fave is the last shot.

And we are going to see Toy Story 3 this weekend - taking my boys - can't wait!

R Montalban said...

Love this, it is really great and I have a big smile on my face.

Thanks for stopping by at my entry/blog - would you believe I found the inspiration tonight for it - (so posted a second entry, shhhhh)!!! Glad my first entry made you laugh, and no dust bunnies this time as I did it outdoors with Carly - clearly she sensed my frustration!

Saj said...

The glee on their faces is wonderful! And I love the shot of the birdie in the grass. Cool!

Stillmary said...

What a beautiful post! The pictures of the kids were really good and the down low toys and all were very impressive but that picture of the trees? THAT rocked!

Grammie/Mom said...

I'm at work and can't see the pictures(they're blocked)so I can't wait to get home to see what the kids are doing. I teared up when I read your Toy Story mention...been there done that college thing with YOU!!

Lisa said...

They look so happy! Love the last two photos.

The Hollywood Memoirs said...

Very cool photos. The last two are my favorite.

Ashley Sisk said...

Ha ha, you may be tired but those teenagers are not. All of these are simply wonderful.

Karli @ The Bonnie 5 said...

HA! I'm laughing my head off at your post! LOL! You're too funny. And I thought I was the only one that cried at Toy Story 3 (and my oldest is only eight). Good thing I was hiding behind my 3D glasses. Great pics! Looks like a fun family! :-)

Susan said...

What a lovely commentary and fun pictures. I especially liked how everything caught up to each other in the end.

Bunch of Barrons said...

Wow...LOVE those last two shots. :) Great job on all of them!

Maria said...

Very nice! I think the last 2 are my favorite.

Jane said...

Oh I love those happy in the rain photos, lovely. Take care.

The Mommy said...

I just love the tree and the shuttle cock shots.

Elizabeth said...

I love the pictures!!!! The perspective on the tree shot is pretty cool and the ones of the girls jumping in the air are great! Miss you guys! xoxoxo

R Montalban said...

Thanks for coming back over to see my blog again and I am so glad you liked them.

jp said...

love your techniques here, it's hard to get these shots!

EG CameraGirl said...

How great that you've found a way to keep an extra connection to what's going on in your kids' lives. Who'd a thunk being a "bus" driver had such an advantage?

Jess said...

Love how you captured them jumping in the rain, how fun! Thanks for the reminder, I'm at the point still where I struggle every day with my little ones. It's hard to imagine they will ever grow up.

T.J. said...

I had a fleeting moment and wanted to say hi- so glad I did. These pictures, ahhh these pictures...

Julia's umbrella is AWESOME!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend Colleen :)

mothergoose518 said...

Love the lawn dart and basketball pictures!

I need to do some umbrella shots... I bought an awesome umbrella for the photowalk that I should totally use as a prop... even though I really don't do "scripted" photography.

Suburban Girl said...

Gorgeous photos and commentaries, Love the jumping shots.

Unknown said...

wonderful pics.

Dan said...

These are great pictures!

Unknown said...

First, before I forget, these shots are very fun! As for teenagers, we had 5 of them living in our house for and I did not think I'd survive. Lucky, or unluckily, for me, they all loved face time and I felt I never had any me time. Now that only one is left at home, I miss the other four, but believe me he still eats up a lot of my days, lol. :)