Busy with BTS

Never before have we spent this much time celebrating "Back To School" (or perhaps better said 'mourning the end of summer.') Our weekend was full, beginning with shoe-shopping Saturday morning, and later that day an end-of-summer celebration at grandma & grandpas house where we enjoyed a fish-fry dinner, treasure hunt, volleyball, campfire, glow sticks, sparklers & s'mores. It really was a good time for all ages, and nice to be outside enjoying the unusually cool August weather. On Sunday after mass, we attended the Back to School ice cream social at the Elementary building where we visited Sam and Grace's classrooms and enjoyed root beer floats and freeze pops. Sunday evening brought about an impromptu bondfire in our back yard with all the neighbor kids staying late to enjoy s'mores, popcorn, ghost stories by the fire, and lots of fun backyard games (like ghost in the graveyard, hide-n-seek, capture the flag, and more.) It really was a fun night, and I'm grateful the kids came up with the idea. This evening John was back at work, so after dinner the kids and I met up with some friends for ice cream at the park, and while the kids burned off a little energy (for their early bedtimes tonight) the moms got some walking/talking in on the path that surrounds the park area. It was a nice simple way to say goodbye to our carefree days of sleeping in, no homework, and unlimited outdoor fun. Tomorrow begins a new school year for our 6 oldest...Alice and Emma walking in one direction to the middle school for their first year there as 4th graders, Sam and Grace walking opposite towards the elementary to 3rd and 1st grade, and in the afternoon Mary and John will begin kindergarden. It's amazing to me how time has flown these past 5 years, and seems impossible that these next two could be starting school this year. It really does feel like just yesteday they were babies, although, I guess I could say that for all of them. Moms of little ones, be warned, one blink and you'll miss it...they'll jump from blankies to back packs quicker than you can imagine!!