back to school

(I'm finally getting around to posting this.)

I was not excited to see my crazy brood of kiddos go back to school.

There was so much more I wanted to do with them! We never got to The Lake on the Hill. We didn't finish our art journals. We didn't get to as many parks as I'd wanted to. We didn't finish the library summer reading program. I had crafts and games and art projects and and and....oh! There's always so much more I want to do with them.

Summer is never long enough. But this one seemed shorter than the rest. Well, not always....those middle-of-the-night-nursing-the-baby-wondering-if-I'll-ever-sleep-again kind of nights went pretty slow. But that sweet newborn really limited the amount of things we were able to do together.

But instead of regretting, I should focus on what we did get to do. The kids got to welcome a new little brother into our home and family. They got to hold and cuddle and watch and sing to and love a new little person. They got to watch his little hands curl around their fingers, touch his tiny toes and marvel over his soft little sounds.

No, we didn't get to do all the activities I'd wanted to somehow magically squeeze into the small cracks, small windows of time left over after taking care of Rory, but what they did get to do was much much better.

We started out the first day of school with a yummy breakfast of waffles, strawberries and whip cream. Yum!

I snagged some shots of Weston and Emmett before they took off.

Those are some good lookin' boys. (Yes. I'm biased)

I have a son who is a Freshmen in high school. Wow. That is quite amazing. And he's been growing so fast lately! This kid is almost six feet tall. This is not surprising seeing as how tall his dad and other relations are, but still. I used to be able to walk next to him with my arm around his shoulders. Now I would need a stool to do that. 

And Emmett! This is his first year in middle school. Wow. He seems so young! I can't believe he's not in elementary school anymore. He was a bit nervous about going to a new school, but now he's loving it. 

I told these handsome fellows I'd take a silly pic....

Ha! They crack each other up on a regular basis.

Niiiiiiice one, boys.

After those two left to walk to school, I needed to finish getting the next two out the door. Zoe was super excited to have her hair done up in foam curlers the night before. And this was their maiden voyage. There's probably some rule about not experimenting on your daughter's hair the night before the first day of school. The possibility for some deep emotional scarring is a bit likely. But, luckily, her hair turned out great! 

The kids were all excited about their first-day-of-school clothes. I surprised Emmett and Sam with their shirts from Zulily. The bots' backpacks came from their, too. I adore on-line shopping. Especially when I have a newborn.

I'd wanted to make Zoe a fun and bright dress for the first day of school, but couldn't quite get around to it. (But I did a few weeks ago. You can read about that HERE.) She decided to wear the outfit I'd made her for her birthday. I love how this t-shirt skirt turned out. And I whipped up that fun pink feathered headband the night before. 

Let's pause for a minute to notice their shoes. These kids were thrilled with the shoes they picked out (Weston's came later) It's a good thing my brother is a Nike bigwig so we can get a great discount. Oy! Back-to-school shopping is expensive!

Sam's and Zoe's silly pics...

Goofy kids!

Zoe adores her teacher and first grade.

Sam is super happy to be in an advanced 4th/5th grade class. And he thinks his teacher is the coolest, bestest ever. (He is pretty awesome.) But it's also more of a challenge which is so great for this kid.

Sadly, I don't have pictures of the older two with their teachers. I told Weston I could gat all his teachers in the lobby for a picture. For some reason he wasn't on board with this idea.

So, the start of another year.

It's always such a bittersweet time. I love to watch my children get excited about new classes, new friends, new shoes and new experiences. But I sure do miss this house being full of them, full of their plans, laughter, friends and chatter.

But hopefully I can squish in some of those fun things I planned for the summer into free Saturdays.