Transitions

We have officially made it through the first week of summer vacation.  I know, I should be mourning it's passing, the summer always passes by too quickly.  Ours is full of fun weekend adventures, a family wedding, a family vacation and time with friends.  I'm only teaching 3 or 4 yoga classes a week, not doing my other contract work over the summer months, and truly I feel like I have more freedom than I've had in awhile.  Well, sort of.  My kids are "transitioning" into summer.  I don't think they have quite figured out what this new normal looks like. 
In some ways, they are there.  Ruby has read 4 chapter books in as many days.  She has been reading all school year, but something just clicked and she is devouring books like I devour chocolate.  She can't get enough of them.  We just got our VW van back in the driveway, it's been parked at a friends for almost 2 years, I think.  Over the last couple of days, Ruby has spent hours in the back of the van curled up with a book.  It's great, I love that she is so into reading.  I love to read.  But, she is staying up way past bedtime with her night light on, reading long after I think she's asleep.  Once again tonight, she tiptoed upstairs and scared me half to death when she said my name and was standing about 6 ft away.  She might have a future as a spy, she's stealth.  Willis is sleeping in every morning, I think he has figured out that part of summer break, you don't have to get up so early.  They are loving being outside, we are taking evening family bike rides, playing together as a family and all that stuff is good.
The not so good is....the togetherness of being with one another all day every day.  Elsie has had enough of the mayhem by about 10 a.m. and wants to be in her crib by herself, without anyone touching her or talking to her and then takes a nap (partly because I sort of forget about her for awhile and then go check on her and she's laying in her crib surrounded by books snuggled up, asleep with her blankie).    She has been more needy for my attention, wants to be held more, "picks on" her siblings more (this entails hitting one of them, usually with a book or the remote control, or pulling hair or biting, lovely, no?)  Ruby and Willis have had about 10 or 12 fights/arguments/debates by lunchtime.  I'm trying really hard to not play referee this summer and make the two of them work it out or take a time out.  99% of the time they choose to work it out, but they are still telling on each other, often. 
Who knows how long the transition will last.  I'm sure once we find our groove, we'll go on vacation, or something will shift and we'll have to find a new one anyways.  Life is really a series of transitions, some bigger, some smaller.  Some time ago I learned that the word balance comes from the root word balare (which is Latin, I think) and that it means to dance.  It's so true.  Finding balance is a continual dance and when our pendulum swings too far one way, it sometimes has to go the other to find the happy place in between. 
So, I'm dancing in the mean time....might as well get your groove on if you're not yet in the groove, right?