Lunches: a two-month hiatus

Ben is very, very happy.
The reason: school is out for the summer and he no longer needs to dread the arrival of the school bus that daily took away his older brother and sister. In fact, he is so overwhelmed by their 'not leaving', that he keeps asking me if the school bus is coming, why the school bus is not coming and how long it will not be coming for. A few minutes ago, I heard him ask Hannah, "Is the school bus coming?" In frustration, she replied somewhat brusquely, "No, Ben, it's not coming. It's the summer!" Matter-of-factly, he concluded, "I guess the baby's coming, then." Funny, I sort of feel the same way.
The end of school simultaneously signals the end of the much-hated packing of the lunches (this might be the straw that breaks this non-homeschooler's back), as well as the final progression toward the arrival of our fifth child, otherwise known as "The Baby". When will he come? Where will he be born? Will his father deliver him en-route to the hospital? What is his name? What does he look like? Who will he be? So exciting.
Dave has his final staff meeting this morning and a staff get-together in the afternoon at his principal's cottage. I think that he is going to try his hand at water skiing. My mother advised him to make sure his swimming trunks were tied securely as the loss of one's bottoms is often the outcome of rising out of the water while being towed by a boat. I just told him to quickly drop back into the water if he can't find his shorts. Say a prayer for him.
Dave competed in the local duathlon yesterday (2km run, 32 km bike, 8 km run). He finished middle of the pack although he had one of the fastest runs. (Ben and Joe crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with their daddy but my camera died.) Thus, we are left to conclude that his Canadian-Tire road bike is just not cutting it like those of his competitors. For example, the race route is comprised of some formidable hills at which Dave excels. He told me that he routinely passed another competitor on those hills only to be swiftly passed by the same man on the downhills. For those unfamiliar with bike racing: this is the opposite of what should happen. Truthfully, my father who spent a good part of his youth racing bikes, tried out Dave's bike last summer and quickly returned with a look of extreme frustration on his face and a word of advice: "Mate, you need a new bike. This thing doesn't even move in a straight line." Alas, the bike fund has started (a two -year project) and we will funnel all parental birthday funds towards the upgrading of Dave's two-wheeled status. (No more new socks and underwear, Grandma Anne.)
So, here we sit on the first day of summer. We are all still pyjamaed and the kids are reading books in the living room. Swimming lessons have yet to start (next week) and the summer lies ahead with its glorious promise of ... summerness. We are looking forward to all that it holds.