The Clouds

Thoughts + An Abecedarian Time Capsule of Summer 2026

Mama, I see a robot in the clouds! Look, look! 

Come see this, Mama–you’ll never believe what’s happening! 

Look what I did!

Multiple times a day my boys beckon me to “look,” “watch” and “see this, Mama!” Too often I respond with some version of “give me two seconds, I’ll be right there.” 

But like the clouds that grace the sky with their majesty and just as quickly seem to morph into some new version of themselves, my children are constantly growing and changing, slightly different than they were a season ago–sometimes even a moment ago. 

If I wait too long to look, I’ll miss that robot in the sky, or that toothy grin, or the magnatile creation that took all morning. 

In light of this, I am gazing at the sky more, watching the clouds as they pass, taking in the snapshots of summer with my family. 

***

An easy way to connect these days is to play games. Our oldest loves games like Sushi Go, Spot It, and even chess. Our youngest giggles like crazy through Yeti in my Spaghetti and is learning games like Trouble. I am trying to say yes when they ask to play games.

Beloved babysitters knock on the door and are greeted with so much joy from my kids, especially my youngest. I take my computer upstairs to work, smiling as I hear them playing endless rounds of Buzz and Zurg, jumping on the trampoline, and reading book after book after book. God bless the teenagers that are like magic to my kids’ summer. 

Charlie, my husband. He is so damn handsome and just gets better with age, his beard now showing some whites and grays mixed in with the dark brown (this is not a criticism–my own head is sprouting wiry white hairs now that I cannot seem to tame, so we are trying to embrace our signs of aging together). I love seeing him work in our yard, teach Judah to mow the lawn, ride his mountain bike, tickle our boys, and grill on the back porch. 

Dancing at a wedding of an old student, Charlie and I break it down to the early aughts hip hop that we grew up listening to, sweating like crazy in our almost 40-year-old bodies, not giving two hoots if we look silly or ridiculous or too enthusiastic. 

Everyone in our family loves watermelon, so we try and get it as often as we can. I still can't figure out how to pick a good watermelon so it feels like a bit of a crap shoot every time, but I'm trying! (If you have the trick, let me know. Several older women have told me varied versions but nothing consistently works). 

Forts grace our living room and basement far longer than I’d normally allow, but gosh is it sweet to feed them waffles in the fort during breakfast and listen to our oldest reading books to his younger brother, blankets draped over kitchen chairs, couch cushions temporarily displaced to create soft spots to land.

Green grass stains grace our kids’ clothes after playing in the backyard, and I love it. 

Heat makes me grouchy but I have to say I do love eating dinner on the back patio, watching the kids play in the street with neighbors as the sun sets over the mountains, and all the impromptu water fights that result in effervescent giggles. I realize these things are seasonal, and I am grateful for what summer allows.

I enjoy these summer months more now, as a mom, than I ever did before. 

Judah. 8 ½ years old, he is into all sports all of a sudden, shooting hoops constantly or kicking around a soccer ball and listening to audible books about the history of football and the greatest players in each sport. He still wants to build legos and writes and illustrates his own graphic novels each day. He enjoys having his little brother sleep over in his room, telling me each morning what they chatted about the night before after we said goodnight. 

Killing time on a hot day looks like going to the library and checking out books, and both boys are thrilled by this. Judah loves to look up what books are available on the computer, and Shep finds a spot on the floor and spreads out with as many robot books he can find. 

Listening to books on Audible is still entertaining to them as well, and this is how we start the day. They eat and listen to the tales of Mercy Watson or Frog and Toad, classic stories that I have memorized by now from listening to them so much. It’s oddly comforting and I want to continue this trend as long as I can.

Most days the boys watch a couple episodes of Bluey. We are late to the game in discovering the magic of this show and all 4 of us enjoy it. I heard Charlie belly laughing to it the other day as he watched with the kids and that brought me a lot of joy.

Neighbors. To the people who see us bra-less in the morning, pre-brushed teeth as we pad our way in slippers to the mailbox. Who let our kids play in their backyard while we get work done in the yard. Who make espresso martinis on Friday evenings and invite us in and no one feels like we have to clean or tidy or put on a show. Whose kids play with our kids day in and day out, now putting on talent shows for all the adults in the neighborhood. What a gift. 

Old movies have made a comeback in our house during pizza Friday movie nights, and I'm really enjoying quoting lines with my oldest son from Cool Runnings, Dennis the Menace, and The Sandlot. I heard him saying Junior's pump-up speech (from the bar scene in Cool Runnings) to himself the other day, and I was very proud. He didn't quite know what "badass mother" meant, so he omitted that, which is probably for the best at this phase of life.

Popsicles. We buy box upon box of popsicles–some “healthy” (or at least not full of all the bad sugars and dyes), touting the superiority of their 100% fruit juice ingredients, and many that are decidedly not healthy or organic or whatever adjective it is that makes us feel better. When it gets too hot and moods are testy or it’s been a long day and we all need a little joy, or even when it’s been a great day, to top it off with a popsicle is never not a good idea. Meaning, always a great idea. One we use a lot. Small effort=high reward with popsicles, my husband always says.

Quiet time has an even sweeter element during summer. We all desperately need the 1-2 hour break from activities and people that our family kind of sacredly swears by everyday. It’s called “no nap day,” a phrase used a few years ago when our oldest no longer needed to nap but our youngest did. This idea has stuck, and “no nap day” is when the AC is cranking, the doors to rooms are shut, and everyone has some well-needed alone time. I pray my boys are learning to be content by themselves, with their thoughts and their creativity, not needing to be entertained constantly or moved from one thing to the next. At the end, their rooms are full of crafted creations with lego pieces strewn about and toys galore but the sanity and down time it affords us all is gold. 

Really thankful for AC. The sun at 5,000 feet of elevation hits different. 
Colorado is getting hotter, it seems, and it's so nice to come into a cool house after playing outside. 

Shep. 5 years old this summer, he’s a ball of fun. He had his first day camp experience, and quickly won the hearts of all his leaders. He is still very much into robots, but also loves crafting with his big brother, jumping on the trampoline, shooting water guns at targets on the fence (and sometimes the dog), and playing games. He also still naps with me on the couch occasionally, which is a real treat. I know these days won’t last forever! 

The sound of Shep’s voice saying his camp memory verse is so precious to me. “I pway you know how hiiiiiiiiigh, how looooooong, how wiiiiiiide and how deep is the love of Jesus cwust.” 

Underneath leaves in our garden the other day, we found a multitude of ladybugs. Not joking, like 50 of them. I thought it was some massive sign we were blessed beyond belief with gardening favor. Turns out they were just attracted to all the aphids, but, oh well. Felt special anyway.

Voices singing “Baby Beluga” as both boys are settled in bed, one in the top bunk and one below for the first sleepover in Shep's new room. I never want to forget that sound. They chit chat till falling asleep, and then spend time each morning talking about their dreams before coming down for breakfast. 

Wild love courses through me when I look at my family. Sometimes I genuinely feel like my breath catches in my throat and I can't believe I get to be a wife to Charlie, and a mom Judah and Shep. I'm so very grateful. 

Xrays are not needed when Shep hurts his ankle in our garage and I'm relieved. We FaceTime Charlie who is out of town teaching other paramedics and immediately Shep is calmer as his Daddy suggests eating a popsicle to help him calm down. He limps for a few days and then is galloping and running at the splash pad, so I know he's ok. 

Year after year I feel the pull of Summer to be present and not worry but simultaneously don't squander this time because eventually the seasons change (the whole "You only get 18 summers with them" we have all heard). I'm trying to land in the middle, with small bucket lists of things we want to do mixed with far more of embracing the everyday moments and slower pace. 

Zinnia seeds are planted (much out of the influence of so many Exhale friends and their gardens!!!) and I am watching our pots daily like a nervous mama. Signs of life have come up but time will tell how they do. 

***

I took this photo on a rooftop bar with friends the other night, trying to capture the magnificence of the Colorado sky. Nothing quite does it justice!

***

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series "Sky."