Happy Back to School!

By now, most of us are back to school… I think a few stragglers start this week. I have mixed feelings as the school year begins. I had an especially nice summer with my kids, so it’s a bit hard to go back to early mornings and less time as a family. We’ll just have to hold on to the great memories!

We took a big road trip to Toronto. It was a lot of planning, but it was so amazing to see Niagara Falls and for the kids to enjoy their first trip outside of the country.

 

We had adventures and revisited some of our favorite places. This is in South Freeport, ME.

 

We celebrated a bunch of birthdays, including LadyBug’s. She turned 7 this year.

 

We kept on learning and growing. Here the kids are making lasagna for the first time…

 

And we did a lot of just hanging around and chillin’ out. Here’s a quiet afternoon at the beach in Scarborough, ME.

 

Some days, we were just plain sick of each other and couldn’t wait to get away.

 

But mostly, we enjoyed the fun times together without the pressures of schedules and homework and tests.

This may have been one of my favorite summers of all. We had fewer commitments to other people and were able to spend more time on the things we chose to enjoy. It was still crazy busy, especially with our spur-of-the-moment (or as spur-of-the-moment as you can get with passports involved) road trip, but we did the things we wanted to do. So refreshing.

And now they’re off to school. Bug started third grade and his second new school of the year. LadyBug is in second grade. They’ve got homework planners and notebooks and a growing independence. I can’t wait to see what the year will bring. Honestly, I am also excited to get back into a schedule, delve into work, and catch up on the things I’ve been putting off. It’s bittersweet, but I’m ready.

They don’t look so bad either, right?

Here’s hoping all of our kids have amazing years, make new friends, learn new things, and have some fun along the way! Did you have a favorite summer activity? Big hopes for the fall?