Last Beach Day ... Sept. 16

We had temps in the high 80s this weekend, so we decided to pull off one last beach day for the summer. We took the dogs to Grand Mere, which was packed with families and boats. I guess everyone else is ALSO trying to squeeze every last moment out of summer!! The water wasn't TOO chilly—we all went under! It was a gorgeous day!

Milk Mustache ... September

Rhy has been crafting like crazy, for her dolls lately. Last night, I found one of her dolls sitting at my kitchen table like this. When I asked her about it, Rhy said she made her doll a glass of milk, and figured she needed a mustache to go with it.

Morning Devos with Daddy ... September

We do morning devotions with the kids before school. There is nothing I love so much as to watch Nate reading the Bible with the kids. It makes my heart so happy! This time, right here, is our most important time of the day.

Cross Country: Asher ... September

Asher is running cross country this year, for the first time. He's having a blast with it. There are about 90 runners on this year's team. Their home field is Riverview Park, and we love watching him and cheering him on.

Dog Days ... September

Roubi never misses a chance to sit by her "boy". Love this goofy dog. And Lucca had surgery on his teeth ... he lost 5, but his breath is SO much better, and he's much perkier without all those pesky sore, infected teeth in his mouth! But he DID spend a day recuperating as any male does ... getting lots of love and snuggles from females and looking appropriately pathetic.

Back to School ... September

School started today. I can never quite explain the queer achiness in my heart that I get on this particular day. This morning, I woke to the smell of hair product as Asher, our shiny new Junior Higher, woke at 5:30 a.m. to do his hair. Then Nate went downstairs, the pitch darkness pressing against our windows, turning on cheerful twinkle lights and making coffee. I stayed upstairs and did “two French braids” as ordered, for Miss Rhy. Then we ate breakfast and did our bible readings… (ironically, the kids chose to start with Ecclesiastes: “Wisdom is Meaningless” and Proverbs 22 (where we left off, in June) … “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it….”). We measured the kids height against the wall, and I had to sigh inside as Asher strained to stretch as tall as he could, so he would “measure up” to his expectations. Then we took photos. Asher left first, at 6:50 a.m. Gabe left second, at 7:15 a.m. Then Nate at 7:45 a.m. Then, finally, I took Rhy to school at 8:08. Three kids in three different schools this year. Then I came home to an empty house. This is always my LEAST favorite day of the year. I miss the noise. The mayhem. The gentle murmur of voices. Rhylah, crafting in the next room. Asher, STILL PRETENDING, as he dresses up as Newt Scamander, or Harry Potter, or Bilbo Baggins, or whoever he’s pretending to be. Gabriel, as he reads on the couch, twirling his hair (or the dogs ears) with one hand … movie marathons, arguments, trips to the fridge, trips to the beach … books, music … random dancing, legos, movie making … forts in the woods. And no, it’s not ending FOREVER. But there’s something about those carefree summer months. There’s something so timeless about that in-between space, where we have endless days to just BE. Because things change. Families evolve. Teenagers start to drive and get jobs. Moms get jobs. Kids grow up. And other summers are just never QUITE the same. Because LIFE happens. And that’s why this is my least favorite day. I miss my loveable, obnoxious, inventive, wonderful little people. I miss them as they are NOW. Because they will never be quite THIS way, again.

More Odds'n Ends ... August

Asher got a Newt Scamander outfit .... we moved mom and dad into their new house, AND enjoyed their new hot tub ... and Rhylah enjoys reading a Garfield book before church starts.

Wait, we have TURTLES?? ... August

Lucca finally realized that we have turtles. It only took him 8 months to figure it out. Funny little dog. He was watching them like a hawk ... even climbed up on their tank/table. Goof!

DRIVING!!! ... August

Well .... after a month of driving classes, Gabriel is now BEHIND THE WHEEL!! Look out world! :) I waiting with him at the DMV for well over an hour to get his level 1 permit. Then we walked out to the van and I dangled the keys at him and he looked at me, excited, and said "Really??" I'll never forget it. My heart gave a little hiccup. Stop growing up so fast, my boy!! (I will say that I did VERY well as he drove ... no shrieking or yelling, only occasionally repeating "slow down, slow down, slow down." He even agreed that I did okay. ;)

Middle School ... August

Asher starts Middle School at Upton this year! He is SOOOO excited! We went to Upton Start-Up Day recently, and he got his school photo taken and got his schedule and was able to walk through it and try his luck with his new lock on his locker. Gabriel was on hand to help out, which was sweet. I can't believe how fast he's growing up!

Roxy's ... August

It's the end of an era. Roxy's ... our favorite burger joint (and the place we named our first DOG after!!) is closing. Here we are enjoying out last Roxy's hamburger. They are so yummy! (I think the secret is the chopped green olives). We went with Kathy, and had fun reminiscing about Uncle John, and how he'd eat his Roxy burger with a TON of mayo and a fork! In fact, when he died, we went to ROxy's, and Nate ordered a burger "John Nichols style" and the people there knew EXACTLY what he meant!! WE love this place. And we will miss it!

Random Stuff ... August

In August, the tomatoes FINALLY start to come in. Alleluia!! We also kept workin' hard, scraping the house ... whew!! And we had a total eclipse, which was fun. We made a shoe box viewer, so we didn't hurt our eyes watching it. But the cool thing was, that near the end, cloud cover came over so heavy, that you could look up and see a faint outline of the eclipse through the heavy clouds. Super amazing!!