And just like that, summer is over.
The boys went back to school this morning, and I’m feeling a little bittersweet about it. We fell right back into that familiar school morning rhythm of getting everyone up, ready, and out the door on time. But it was still kind of sad to see them go.
Especially Austin.
He and I have spent so much time together this summer. Braden has been along for plenty of our adventures too, but with him being older and doing more of his own thing, Austin has been my little sidekick for most of the summer.
And we have been everywhere.
This summer was a little different for me because I intentionally took time off from working so I could spend it with the kids. I feel incredibly lucky that I was able to do that.
It meant they weren’t stuck at home on electronics all day, every day. Instead, we had an entire summer to go places, try things, revisit our favorite spots, stay up way too late, sleep in, and just enjoy being together.
And I really did love it.
Our Summer Adventures
We definitely made the most of our Oklahoma staycation this year.
There was no big family vacation. Braden did get to visit family in New Orleans, but the rest of us stayed pretty close to home.
That didn’t mean we sat around the house all summer, though.
We went to Arcadia Lake, splash pads, Sky Zone, Surge, Main Event, ShowBiz, Topgolf, Mitch Park, and the Science Museum. We bowled. We played arcade games. We jumped. We explored. We went semi-hiking. We played outside. We got out the inflatable pool and slip-and-slide a few times.
We stayed close to home this summer, but we definitely didn’t stay home.
And there was a LOT of soccer.
Some weeks it felt like I was constantly trying to figure out, “Okay, where are we going next?”
But that’s exactly what I wanted from our summer adventures with kids. I didn’t want every day to be spent inside staring at a screen.
Although, don’t worry. There were still plenty of video games and iPads.
Somehow, the Science Museum Never Gets Old
One of the things that stands out most from this summer is all of my trips to the Science Museum with Austin.
We’ve probably been there close to 50 times over the years.
You would think there wouldn’t be anything left for him to discover.
You would be wrong.
It’s still almost like watching him experience it for the first time.
He’ll go back to the same exhibits and do the same things he’s done over and over again, but somehow he’s still in awe. Or he’ll rediscover something he hasn’t played with in a while, and suddenly it’s exciting all over again.
We went several times this summer and even made it to Members Night.
I love watching him explore that place. I think that’s one of the things I’ll remember most about this summer. Not necessarily what we did at the museum, but how excited he still gets to be there.
Watching Braden Have Fun
I also really loved the days I got to spend doing things with Braden.
We went bowling, played arcade games, and went to Sky Zone and Surge. Watching him jump around and do backflips was so much fun.
As the kids get older, I think those moments become even more special.
They’re developing their own interests, friends, and plans. So when I get to be there and watch Braden genuinely having a great time, I soak it up.
And one of the sweetest things from both boys this summer was hearing them say thank you after we’d gone somewhere.
It was simple, but it meant a lot.
A Summer Full of Soccer
Of course, we can’t talk about our summer without talking about soccer.
Austin went to Crew Camp and had summer practices, plus there was plenty of futsal for both the Vipers and Crew.
Watching Austin with soccer has been especially fun for me because I see so much of Devin in him.
Sometimes it feels like I’m getting to watch Devin grow up all over again, except we’re starting this journey much earlier with Austin.
And I really think we made the right decision.
I see so much potential in him, but more importantly, he seems to genuinely love it. He loves his coaches. He loves his teammates. And he’s starting to want to work on things on his own.
At home, we work on the mine drill, wall ball, juggling, or sometimes all three.
One of my favorite things is when Austin gets his cones or soccer ball out and just starts practicing without anyone asking him to.
I love seeing that motivation come from him.
I’m excited to see where soccer takes him, but right now I’m just enjoying watching him fall in love with it.
Not Every Day Was an Adventure
I don’t want to make it sound like every single day was some magical summer outing.
It wasn’t.
We tried to do a few things at home, like board games, although I’ll admit we didn’t do nearly as much of that as I thought we might.
There were lots of video games and iPads.
There was a lot of sleeping in.
And there were a LOT of late nights.
Some of my favorite nights were when Austin slept in Braden’s room, and they stayed up watching movies.
There was boredom too.
On days when I needed to spend a lot of time on the computer, Austin definitely let me know he was bored.
Funny enough, he never seemed quite as interested when I suggested a list of chores he could do to solve that problem.
Imagine that.
There was some arguing too. Austin and Braden are so much alike sometimes that I think that’s part of the problem.
But overall? It really wasn’t that bad.
And I’m going to miss the noise more than I expected.
The Summer I Got to Be There
I think that’s what makes today feel so bittersweet.
I wasn’t counting down the days until school started.
Sure, getting everyone back into a routine will be good. I’m not particularly excited about getting myself and everyone else up and out the door on time every morning, but I am thankful for the quiet today.
I can concentrate.
I can get things done.
I have time for some of the things I’ve been putting off because we were busy going somewhere or doing something.
But the house is also really quiet.
I’m going to miss how funny the boys are.
I’m going to miss the random stories they tell me and, probably even more, the way they tell them.
I’m going to miss having Austin with me everywhere.
I’m going to miss deciding on a random weekday that we’re going to the Science Museum, bowling, jumping, swimming, or wherever else we came up with.
Even with the arguing, the boredom, the electronics, the late nights, and all the times I heard some version of “What are we doing today?”, I wouldn’t trade this summer.
I intentionally took this time to spend with them, and I’m so glad I did.
Goodbye, Summer 2026
So now they’re back at school.
I’m sitting in a much quieter house, getting some things done and wondering how their first day is going.
And I already can’t wait to hear the stories when they get home.
We didn’t take a big vacation this year. We didn’t travel all over the country or do anything extravagant.
We just had a really, really good summer.
We explored places close to home. We jumped and bowled and played soccer. We went to the lake. We stayed up too late. We slept in. We spent way too much time at the Science Museum. We occasionally spent too much time on electronics. We laughed. We argued. We got bored. And then we found something else to do.
Most importantly, we got to spend the summer together.
Years from now, I don’t know which individual days the boys will remember.
But I hope they remember that summer 2026 was fun.
I hope they remember that we went somewhere and did something almost every week.
I hope they remember that they weren’t stuck inside the house all summer.
And I hope, somewhere in all of those memories, they remember how much I loved getting to spend this summer with them.
Because that’s what I’ll remember.