{...a breezy life} at briemarisa.com

It's a Time for Mom linkup!

Summer time is such a special season for me. For most of my life I have lived just a little over an hour from the beach, and if you could somehow hold my heart up to your ear, you might hear the roar of the ocean.

Summer isn't just about the ocean. It's also about the neighborhood pool and water ice and staying out as late as the daylight lasts. I am twenty-nine thirty-seven and I still delight in seeing the last of the sun clinging to the sky at nearly 9pm.

I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a mom now, and although I didn't think it could be possible, summer holds even more magic and fun as I experience it with my son. From the first moment we put his toes in the ocean, PJ fell into a deep, meaningful love with all things summer.

My toes just touch the water...

 There are some things for PJ still to learn- the euphoria or counting down the last second of the Adult Swim and leaping into the pool; spontaneous ice cream because Mr. Softee happened to come by, catching the truck after you sprinted outside because you heard the faintest strains of the jingle; sitting outside with the other neighborhood kids until you're called in at dusk.
 But even with all of that to learn, PJ already knows how to slurp every last sip from summers overflowing cup of joy. When he was diagnosed with Autism, we didn't know if that would be possible. We didn't know if he would  have enough awareness of the world to smile at the sound of the waves, or shriek with delight as he splashed in the pool, or laugh his head off when he throws wet sand at Mommy. His father and I didn't know that, on the day he first laid eyes on the Atlantic, he would drag us across the beach with no fear or hesitation, determined to touch the wild water.

PJ, age 2

PJ, age 4 1/2

 When PJ can't have the ocean, he can make do with a blow-up pool, 10 inches of water, and a rigged-up "water slide" that is just a Fisher Price toy placed in the pool. We create our own water park in the shade of our trees and with snacks from the fridge just steps away. And, before he gave them up, a paci if needed.

<div align="center">
</p>
<p class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="http://cantgoogleeverything.blogspot.com/search/label/Time%20for%20Mom" title="Time for Mom"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3919/14384285982_55c6998fef_m.jpg" alt="Time for Mom" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
</p>
<p class="separator" style="clear: both;">