Releasing the Whirligig

When I was about eight years old, I would take a piece of strong cord (or dental floss if that's what I could find), thread the ends through a button, tie them together, and enjoy my instant toy, spinning the button round and around until the threads were pulled so tight they seemed near breaking. Then, boing! Instantly, I'd snap the string, releasing the spinning button, hoping it would buzz, and then let it swing, slack from my hand.  I had forgotten about those whirligigs until this last few weeks where I've felt just like one--as though someone had spun my insides round and round until they'd reached the snapping point when suddenly, boing! Last Friday was my last day of private practice.  Saturday morning I awoke to find that the spun-up button inside my stomach was gone, and I felt as though the elastic holding my limbs to my body had stretched, loosened so much that my arms and legs had a wider range of motion than they've had in years. (But I'm sure that's all in my head. Maybe.).

Someday (soon) I'll tell you how I said farewell to my firm and finish the non-goodbyes that I didn't have the emotions to voice. But for now, it's the last official day of summer, and it has been a tremendously good one:

Did you know they still make those disposable underwater cameras? They do! And they're still as much fun as they were when I was 16. 

Gummy (as GiGi calls her, aka Gumma, Grammy, and Grandma) is an outstanding swim teacher. 

Of course, she has a model student too. 

These boys are fish!

She's equally as comfortable under the water as above it, and she'll tell you (right before she hurls herself into four feet of water) "I cwazy!"

This one is pretty comfortable underwater too. 

I have a friend who will tell you, "I love Vegas. No, I mean I love Vegas!" I'm that way about water parks. I love water parks. No, I mean I love water parks. RJ and I went down a five story slide about 10 times in a row together in a double cereal. Okay, it was a double inner tube, but if you're five, it looks like a double Cheerio. 

We've zoo-ed. 

Shhhhhh...Auntie Amy played hookey with us one day. 

Selfies usually work better if the other party in the picture is in on the joke. 

His mother made him do this. 

I forgot swim suits, but it didn't stop them. 

Oopsie daisy!

Even her shadow was having fun. 

We Andy Alligator-ed (two separate days thanks to an unbelievably rainy August). 

It was his bestie's 5th birthday; they were just a little excited. 

We came back another day to use up pre-purchased tickets--and it was the best day ever. 

The car of the future--driverless. (He's just a little too short, but they let him drive anyway.). 

He needed a little assistance on the home stretch. 

The next round was better thanks to a carefully placed cushion. (I could use one of those to see out of the Swagger Wagon.). 

The blue bumper boat worked. The red one didn't. Guess who was driving the red one. 

I'm not sure who had more fun with this. 

We've just generally summer-ed. 

The day after I gave my notice at the firm, I ate my favorite breakfast with my two favorite people. Donuts in the park--and it wasn't even donut day!

She poses. He does not. 

The game? "Taller than GiGi" The rules? Make a tower taller than GiGi before GiGi knocks it over. Very few winners. 

Pigtails make her rascally. (RJ wasn't a fan of the morning photo shoot, but you've gotta shoot while the hairstyle is fresh.)

We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary with a backyard bash. 

We forgot to take a picture of ourselves. 

The next morning, we politely asked the children to play outside. I caught them snuggling. 

Then they caught me. 

I lied. We locked them outside so that we could clean up from the party. 

I would love to know what she's thinking. 

This. This! This is the smile I look for every day. 

We made ourselves beautiful. I'm probably teaching her all the wrong priorities, but when a woman asks for a mirror to put on a hat (hair clip) and to put on her lips, you give her the mirror! 

And then you take her  glamor shots. 

Today was the first day since before college that I had no job. It was strange. I checked for my email one too many times, and I answered every call--even the ones from telemarketers. My limbs felt looser; and, for the first time, I didn't put a timer on our visit to the park. 

We walked. And talked. We loitered and played. 

We watched the ducks. 

And someday, they'll say this never happened. But it totally did. And for once, I was the one there to snap the picture of it. 

It has been a stressful two weeks. I'm relieved and exhausted. The whirligig has stopped spinning. 

And finally (finally), I'm starting to make order where there has been none. Stay tuned. Because two days ago, I caught GiGi standing in her brother's sink drinking mouthwash (yes, you read that correctly). Things are bound to be interesting.