Summer Chaos (The Kind We’ll Miss One Day)

We’ve been a little quieter these past few weeks. When summer finally shows up in Manitoba, you drop everything and lean in. Days get fuller, routines loosen, and before we know it, we’re swept up in the rhythm of summer: beach days, backyard hangouts, sunscreen battles, and snack requests on repeat.

We wait all year for this. 

The barefoot mornings. The warmth. The long evenings when no one’s in a rush for bedtime. In Manitoba, summer is short, but it’s everything. And when it finally shows up, life picks up right along with it.

And still, somehow, we find ourselves distracted, rushed, a little scattered. Even when we don’t want to be.

Like when you’re driving somewhere and suddenly realize you don’t remember the last 30 seconds of the road because your mind was somewhere else, planning, worrying, or just daydreaming and you missed the moment completely.

We’ve been thinking a lot lately about how hard it is to be present—really present—in a world that’s always pushing us to do more, be more, keep moving. There’s always something pulling at our attention. Something to check, clean, fix, or finish. And in all that urgency, it’s easy to miss what’s happening right in front of us, especially during the summer. 

Years ago, some European friends told us how Canadians always seem to be in a rush. At the time, we kind of laughed it off. And the older we get, the more we see what they meant.

Even when we know how fast time moves, even when we feel it, we still find ourselves racing through the days.

Summer always feels full in its own way. And this summer? It looks different for both of us.

Between the two of us, our days don’t follow the same rhythm. One of us is working outside the home this year, with the kids spending most of their time with grandparents. The other is working from home and parenting older kids, some working, some off doing their own thing, all needing us in quieter, less obvious ways. It’s not better or worse, it’s just new.

And it’s got us reflecting on how much has changed.

There were the backyard splash pool years. The endless trips to the spray park. The floaties. The water balloons. The snacks packed for everyone. The naps in car seats on the way home.

Now it’s mid-day marshmallow roasts, kids who want to build their own fires, and wanting sleepover parties. It’s dragging coolers to the beach...It’s watching them grow into people with real opinions and plans, some thoughtful, some questionable and realizing they don’t need us in the same way anymore. It’s cheering them on while quietly cringing, knowing full well they have to make their own mistakes to truly learn from them. It’s holding our breath when they make choices we wouldn’t and then softening when we remember that we once did the same.

It’s watching them discover new hobbies, get wildly obsessed, and spend all their money on gear or supplies, fully aware that this too is just another phase. One day it’s bracelets, the next it’s paint markers and lip gloss making kits, the next it’s a deep dive into laser tag, walkie-talkies, quads and Go karts. And even though we know the phase will pass, we let them go all in, because that’s how they figure out what sticks.

And watching our kids grow up, we’re proud of who they’re becoming. We’re grateful for the moments we still get. But Yes, there’s still a little ache for the summers we’ve already lived through.

That’s why we keep coming back to this:

We don’t want to miss the version of summer we’re in right now, just because we’re distracted or trying to chase something else.

Not every moment needs to be magical. We don’t need to cram in more. We just want to notice what’s already happening.

The backyard laughter. The half-hugs. The unprompted stories. The arguments when they really have no darn clue.  The glance from a teenager who still wants us close, even if they won’t admit it out loud.

We notice it too in our parents and grandparents, how life keeps moving, yet they find themselves pulled toward family gatherings, time with grandkids, and those simple moments that quietly become the memories that matter most.

So this summer, it’s all about soaking it in. No matter what chapter of life you’re in, chasing toddlers, navigating teenage moods, or enjoying quieter days, embrace the busy moments, but also make space for the calm ones. We’re learning it’s not about making everything perfect, but about being present for the moments that truly matter before they quietly pass us by.