Good bye Summer, Hello School Year

What a wonderful SuMmEr we had. 

Just wonderful. 

once the sun FINALLY came out

we hung out in the pool. 

a lot

we hung out with friends.

there's nothing like good ol' friends. 

aren't they just the best!!!

We had summer wish list. 

Things we wanted to do. 

And by golly we almost got them all checked off. 

these two crack me up.
we took lots of evening walks.
looking for skunks.
they are all over our neighborhood.
we didn't see any on our walks
but we did have one stuck in our back yard this summer.
behind the pool fence, trapped.
it was awful.

this kid cracks me up.

we shared ice cream, to see which one was our favorite.

We looked for lizards.

We snuggled.

We laughed.

We rode our bikes to the donut store.

We played. 

We went to the desert.

We watched movies outside.

and so much more. 

and today was it.

our last day of summer.

school starts tomorrow.

am i sad? 

a little.
 i love having my kids home.

my soon to be 1st grader said tonight.

"mommy, i'm kinda happy nervous"

"it's going to be different from last year, isn't it"

"it won't be just you and me until we get sissy"

"you won't pick me up first"
"no" i said. "but i'll still volunteer and you and sissy will get out together"

and then she said

"do you think you can drop us off together in the morning, and we can walk to our classes together"
"we could just hug & kiss and go our ways, cuz we are so close to each other so she won't have
to walk me down to my class"
i said

"A.B.S.O.L.U.T.E.L.Y."

it won't be the same. 

it will be different.

and that is the part that makes me just a little sad.

i dig my kids. 

and i love to see the next step.

the next adventure.

but i also love the last one. 

the last adventure. 

i love where they've been
and look forward to were they will go.

i'm just happy to be their mom.

so happy. 

here's to another great school year.
off to bed early.
excited, nervous.
i love all this emotion...
i love being a MoM.

i've always told my hubby to be guest blogger on my blog.
he has a blog, but doesn't update it often.
so tonight, as i wrote mine he wrote his.
here it is

Bucket List

A bucket list is defined as a “wish list of things to do before one ‘kicks the bucket’”.  Never have given much though to one myself.  Sure there are things I want to do: catch a game with my dad and brother at Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago, walk along a Tahitian Beach at sunset with Kristy, drink Guinness in Ireland, and visit Palermo, Italy where my grandparents were raised.

I guess getting older will do this to you . . . force you to think of your own mortality and take stock on what you have or have not done.  Well, this summer I was able to help people work on their list.  At the onset of the summer Kristy and the girls sat down and worked on a to-do summer list.  I guess you could call it a bucket list for elementary age girls.  It is a long list, not necessarily dramatic or extremely risk taking.  There is no swim with the dolphins, or fly in a plane, or go water skiing.

No this list was pretty simple.  Maybe it reflects what they view as important or maybe it reflects what values Kristy and I have instilled in them that are important.  Anyhow their summer list included “laugh”.  That’s it . . . just . . . laugh.  Didn’t matter when or why or how.  They just wanted to laugh.  The other night I made Sophia laugh so loud just by hiding outside her bedroom window making odd sounds.  When she laughs it is from her soul.  It is something to see.

Another thing on their list. . . . color.  Yep color.  Markers, crayons, colored pencils, paint.  They just wanted to take a blank canvas and make it their own.  Isabella is such a grand colorer.  She takes the time to outline the picture, then lightly shade in her subject.  When she is done she show off her artwork like she is DaVinci.  A lot of coloring went on this summer.

We waited until the last moment to cross this one off: ride our bikes to the donut store to get donuts.  Not tremendously far but there is a hill to maneuver up and back.  We woke up, threw on our sweatshirts and took a morning ride.  And there we sat munching on chocolate donuts and drinking ice cold milk.  

This fall I turn 40.  I guess that maybe I will sit down one of these years and put a list to pen.  But in the meantime I’ll help the girls work on their lists.  The events may not be death defying; but the memories are priceless.