My Lost Summer

TV junky.

Almost two years ago my summer came to a crashing halt with one doctor's appointment. ... am I being a bit dramatic? ... yes. I had been placed on bedrest ... moderate bedrest ... so yes I am definitely being overly dramatic. However, my trip to the Fort Worth Zoo was canceled. Honestly, the 8 year old in me was quite please because frankly the zoo was total punishment to me as a child. Walking around in the heat looking at smelly animals doing nothing in a cage that is the size of my back yard, was definitely not my cup of tea! But I was excited to take Elle. I was excited to see her reaction to all of the animals doing nothing in small cages. While the 8 year old me was cheering, the 30 year old me was devastated. It wasn't so much that my summer plans were canceled, it was that all the things I was looking forward to doing and exploring through Elle's eyes had been yanked out from under me. 

Our summer was strikingly different from what I had planned for it to be. Instead of showing Elle different animals, I taught her how to watch double features about animals while I napped. Instead of playing in the yard, we sat on the patio and washed the dog while sitting down. Instead of swimming, we pretended to swim in the back yard. Instead of going on fun lunch dates, I taught her that it is possible to cook lunch from the kitchen table. Instead of playing in the bathtub, I taught her how to walk into the shower and wash herself. We did lots of coloring and reading, but nothing active. This was nothing like what I wanted my last summer with Elle as an only child to look like. I now truly realize how fast I made that 20 month old little girl grow up. 

I knew Elle's little world was about to be rocked when we brought her sisters home, and I was determined to make that summer about her as much as possible. In hindsight, it was. We "The- always-on-the-go-Warrens" were finally forced to just be still and just enjoy each other. God always has a funny way of giving us just what we need, when we need it. He knew that for the next two years, most of the "action" in life would just simply have to pass us by because we would be at home tending to the girls. Life as we knew it would and did change tremendously. Eating out was a thing in the past. Date nights would be and are few and far between. An afternoon to myself would become a rarity. Trips to the Fort Worth Zoo would just simply have to wait. And honestly I wouldn't trade any of it! 

I feel like I’ve come full circle this summer … well not really because I am definitely not about to have twins again! But I feel like I am finally getting to experience my lost summer. Yet this summer, I get to explore life through the eyes of not one, but two little girls. I am ready for all of the action, but if we are being completely honest, I'd love for these little girls to learn to watch a double feature while I take a nap. I'd even settle for a Sesame Street Episode, but that's just not in the cards with these wild two! And if my 32 year old self could give my 30 year old self any advice, it would be that my 8 year old self is always right. The zoo would have been a total let down that summer because Elle would have more than likely sat in a stroller and chilled ... just like my two tiny friends to the left are doing. My lost summer wasn’t really lost. It was exactly how it was intended to be … still and restful.