Summer's end...

Well, I have survived my first week back at work.  

All went remarkably smoothly, to tell the truth.  So, I know that I am destined to have 3 very complex students move into the district in October, to make up for it.  But I will take every week of "remarkably smooth" that I can get.

One week in and it feels a little bit like we never left last year.  Settling back into the routine, and adjusting to it all... with the exception of the 5am wakeup.  That is just brutal.

I am happy with my classroom arrangement and decor this year:

Starting back SO early in August, plus the fact that my kids were still on vacation this week, meant that things had a bit of a summery vibe in spite of my return to work.  We managed to fit in quite a bit of summering into our evening and weekend hours!

We have tried to keep up with "learning time" this summer (with fair-to-middling success) and I think reading lessons with Ivy are paying off.  I am excited to see reading start to "click" for her in first grade!

Tuesday night:  Neighborhood movie and "candy toss"-- a makeup for a the rained out event on July 4th.  SO cute.  I just love where we live.

After the children finished grabbing candy from the street, we watched "Cheaper by the Dozen" and munched on cheese puffs and enjoyed a beautiful summer night. I happily stayed up past my bedtime so my little party girl could watch the whole movie (Jack returned home partway through so he could read Harry Potter-- I do love it when that boy is into a book!)

Wednesday: Kids spent the afternoon with their Gram and it was a scrumptious evening when we went to pick them up... it totally called for a sunset Edgewater visit.

I love the quiet sunset beach. ..

 The kids spent a long time having long jump competitions.  We marked their jumps with seagull feathers.

 Thursday:  "Meet the teacher" at Boulevard.  Ivy is a bit sad that three of her besties are in the other first grade class.  Her new teacher took so much time getting to know Ivy, showing her the classroom, enlisting her help with organizing the writing center... you could just see Ivy warming up to the new school year, as she spoke.  What a terrific teacher!

We lingered on the playground til almost 8, catching up with some Boulevard "regulars" as the kids climbed and played.

 Friday:  A visit from our friend Donna-- and her dog Cheyenne!  Jack and Ivy are just so crazy about little dogs!  We ended up taking a walk to the park-- for the dogs!-- where Jack and Donna played Pokemon together for quite a while.  I love the way he'll just strike up a quick, easy conversation with anyone, as long as its about this game...

Saturday: Kite Fest at Edgewater!  A glorious summer day.  Hot, but without that oppressive humidity that has been keeping us down. 

 We picnicked and then had a grand time alternating flying and watching kites, until Jack's new handmade sled kite got tangled on the string of a giant stationary box kite, snapped, and flew away over the lake.  Whereupon all happiness that had come before evaporated in the deep sadness of a disappointed boy.  Ivy decided to be sad in solidarity.  Supportive and sweet, yes, but all the woe really put a damper on the day...

So we decided we had no recourse but to drive over to another beach and make everyone swim.  

Beaching fixes everything.

 Ivy and Jack started the visit by playing Pokemon up at the playground, and Nat and I went for a swim on our own. The lake was indescribably perfect, the water the best temperature its been all summer, clear and calm.  It was so relaxing, bobbing around  out there with our devoted spaniel watching us from a rock.  Finally the kids made it to the beach and we got them in the water too and much splashing and jumping was done and it wasn't relaxing anymore but it was just right!

We could've stayed there all day but we had to head out-- so we could get to our next fun event:  A cookout with our Hiram family to celebrate summer's end.

Just a great crop of kids, these 10.  All between the ages of 3 and 9, they play so well together.  Epic games of "hostage," "mermaid," and even "cops and robbers" went on in the yard as we sat and drank beers with our wonderful friends.  Not sure this is what we all pictured for our futures back in the day at Hiram... but I am pretty pleased with how it has turned out.

Tomorrow my little ones will head back to their "real world" of school and they will be tired little ones for sure ( we've been very lax on bedtimes.  Mountain time + Olympics + a hefty dose of lazy parents = late nights for the kids!). I am still in shock that my boy is in 4th grade... Fourth grade!  This is the real deal for him!  His memories of childhood, his formative educational experiences... its all happening.  How did we get here so fast?  Isn't he my baby, my little soft faced one who loves to be held and nurse ad study the world?  And my little girl.  The one losing her front tooth and ready to take on the world with her attitude.  How is she this fully formed person, so independent and emotional.  Wasn't it moments ago that we spent the summer curled up napping, my tiny baby and I?

But more on that later.  Tune in for "first day pics" and nostalgia later this week.

In the meantime, here is a screenshot of Jack with a Rattata.