end of summer

The last day of August. I find myself wishing I could push on the brakes and keep summer here. This summer has been so perfect that I am sad to see it go. And though the fall here is beautiful and wonderful, the summer has been divine.

Last weekend I was itching to do one more summer outing, so we loaded up the kids in search of a swimming hole. Vermont is full of them, and the one we found a great one less than an hour away.



Jack taught Katie the art of throwing rocks.



The day before school started we held our 2nd annual school fashion show and back to school night. The kids really looked forward to it and it was a really great night.




Now we are back into a routine, which is great. And the whining in the house has significantly reduced, which is awesome. I am still not sure if I am ready for cooler weather, or for my boy to start preschool, but I'm sure I will get used to it.

how did she get so big?

(Ana's first day of first grade.)

days run together

early mornings. breakfast. dishes.

a trip to the park.

white dandelion wishes.



deep breaths. repetition.

always serving another.

children play and whine.

"be kind to your brother."


or "No screaming."

said a thousand times.

playing dolls and cars.

singing nursery rhymes.


waiting til 5:00.

daaddy's home! then dinner.

Race up the stairs!

See who is the winner.


Bedtime stories and snuggles.

and one last song.

the days run together.

the days are long.


cooler days.

the leaves, then snow fall.

tulips bloom. summer sun.

suddenly, leaves change and fall.


another year gone again.

load the bus. shed a few tears.

long may be the days.

but short are the years.

things i will never understand

I will never understand how Ana's room can go from clean to complete disaster in less than a day.

I will never understand how the kids manage to get sticky blue toothpaste all over the bathroom and themselves during teeth-brushing time.

I will never understand how 45 minute quiet time is absolute torture, and yet at bedtime, when the children are supposed to go to sleep, they stay awake playing for hours.

I will never understand how my baby can grow to a toddler overnight.



I will never understand why they think saying "the s-word" is an acceptable alternative to saying "stupid."

I will never understand how summer went so quickly and it is time to start school again.

(unrelated picture of Jack playing chef.)

...the days are long, but the years are short. ...

where have i been?

Maine, mostly. We went over the weekend. I have also been trying to get stuff ready for school to start. We are so ready. I have a 6 year old who has a bit of an attitude lately that I can't seem to curb. So, the usual stuff.

I also managed to repaint a desk. In analyzing my house-work techniques I have noticed a common theme: piles. There are piles of junk mail and piles of real mail and piles of pictures the kids color and piles of stuff to take upstairs and piles and piles and piles. Junk attracts junk, they say.

But I didn't really have anywhere to PUT any of these things. So I just piled them up. Finally I think to myself that I needed a central place. ONE place to put all these piles. One place that is easy to clean and keep organized, instead of stacking it up on my piano and mantle and dining room table.

Then we spotted a free little desk by the side of the road. It needed some easy fix-ups and a coat of paint, but it was in pretty good shape so we brought it home.



Tada!


Of course, it only looks like this every few days when I clean off all the piles. Dave saw the piles and asked if the desk was serving its purpose covered in junk. "Yes!" I said. He looked a little skeptical, but it is keeping the piles off my piano and table and stereo and stairs, and being in a small space means it is easier to clean off, and I do it more often. Plus the drawers are super organized and I can always find a pen and a piece of paper and the tape and my calendar markers and other office supplies. So, I love the little desk. And it cost me a grand total of $0.

More on Maine tomorrow or the next day. We'll see.

don't blink

I am freaking out you guys.

Want to know why?

Because I blinked.

And somehow this:

(June 2011)

(August 2011)

Became this:

(July 2012)

(August 2012)

How did this happen? And when?

Ana is (almost) a first grader! Katie is practically a toddler!

Time is going by way too fast. How can this be when the days seem so long? This winter I had a habit of telling Jack, "I want you to stay 3 forever." He responded by laughing and insisting he had to turn 4. He was right. I still wish that. I loved him at 3.

But I love him at 4 and Ana at 6 and Katie at 1.

As I was looking through old pictures today I thought to myself, "I wish I could go back 6 months and see them again." But then I realized that I would then have to re-live the last 6 months and I don't really want to do that. They have been hard on me emotionally. We are back to a happy place now.

I just need to stop blinking!

because i know the grandmas miss these kids

I uploaded a bunch of videos yesterday. We'll ignore the fact that I got totally sad because I realized that my kids won't stay little forever and that they are growing up right before my eyes. My kids rock people, and I love these kids more than anything and I am so glad I am their mother.


For your viewing pleasure...

on a sunday afternoon:




Jack's primary talk:




Katie going down the slide:

one year

Our little Katie-Koo is 1!!

And she is adorable.

Everyone in our family adores her. Ana and Jack still do not leave her alone and she has her Daddy wrapped around that little finger of hers.

I love her too.

She is very excited about being one! Or maybe just about sliding, which she loves.


We celebrated in the usual fashion.

Presents:







And of course, CAKE!


Tidbits:

*Her first consistent word is "tickle" which she always says while tickling herself on the tummy.
*She also says Dada, hi, hug, uh-oh, Mama, and thank you
*She isn't a great eater. She only tolerates me spoon feeding her for about 5 minutes, but doesn't really want to eat anything else either. She will eat all types of fruit, carrots and sweet potatoes and yogurt and cheese. That's about it. Oh, and scrambled eggs, which are probably her favorite.
*She isn't a great sleeper. She nurses to sleep most of the time. Most days she falls asleep in the car and naps in her car seat. She wakes up around 6:30, takes only 1 nap, (which usually lasts 1.5 to 2 hours) and goes to sleep after 8.
*She is a wonderful smiler and giggler. Her whole face lights up.
*She loves to clap and wave and high five and grab my glasses off my face.
*She holds her hand out when she wants something you have. Your food, your drink, your toy, etc.
*While outside (which we do a lot) she spends her time sliding and eating dirt.

And one more thing:

She's walking! She took a couple steps after church one day and by Wednesday she was walking all over. This video is from last Wednesday at the kids' swim lessons, and she is a lot more steady than this already.



Happy Birthday, Baby girl. We love ya!