This is the last week of summer up in this neck of the woods. On a normal year it might feel like a late start but this year I am so thankful for the extra time to settle into a new normal before starting another big thing.

Most summers I have a list of must do’s. Fun stuff like hike here or have dinner there. This summer was more survival mode with summer fun thrown into the mix.  I can say now that we have made it to the last week and we have survived the move, unpacking and most of our settling in and have had lots of fun throughout.

Owen…after fighting his crocs every day of summer just yesterday mastered them the first time with no help. He typically engages in a little croc routine that includes: “I do by myself”, wrestle with croc, get upset and cry,  get upset when help is offered, try again, yell for help. But yesterday he managed to get it all coordinated with the back strap and getting his foot in and his pride was  evident. This is summer learning folks!  Owen has also taken on singing and has learned to sing along with the alphabet, “Where is thumbkin?”, Monkey’s on the bed and Jingle Bells. yes, jingle bells. The boy brings Christmas in the summer. He had 4 straight days last week of normal sleeping the mornings but he is back to his cooky 5 AM mornings.

Jackson…Has spent lots of time cultivating an enjoyment for writing and coloring. These are things in the past that he has less interest in but over the past few months he has been enjoying his “work” as he calls it. Jackson has loved going to the pool most days and has been making up for lost time from the past 2 summers. He had a crash course in swimming again last week for 4 days and has taken off in the past weeks.   We recently discovered the show Wild Kratts on PBS and he is learning so fast I am a bit scared of what kindergarten will bring. I might have to study up!

Seth….learned to be a professional painter, semiprofessional electrician and an amateur lawnmower this summer (kidding on the amateur…3 times of mowing and he’s a pro).  He has broken his back to spruce this place up. And it is MUCH improved. Seth is currently being trained for his new job and is looking forward to the pace picking up a bit.

As for me, I have hopefully finished this packing and unpacking business for a while. We have gotten good at it I guess but I don’t love it. The house still needs lots of little projects and decorating done so I am trying to not rush anything and hope to enjoy some of the process in the Fall. I am looking forward to starting Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPs) and Community Bible Study with Owen and can’t wait to meet some more local moms. I have been dragging myself to the Y for the last few weeks. Tonight I am attempting Zumba. All I can think about as I type this is when I got into show choir in high school my teacher said I made it only based on my singing and sight reading…not the dancing!   I will either leave laughing or crying!!

I am working on some posts for next week on back to school! I get about a paragraph in and my excitement turns to terror of sending Jackson to school…so I step away and come back when I am excited again! More coming on back to school!  In the meantime I am dragging my feet and eeeetching out every last inch of summer.

Here are a couple of cute summer shots with friends!

and a bath with black water wasn’t on our summer to do list but here you have it! Fun on the farm and ice cream cones equals very dirty kids!