The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round!

 Oh my gosh!  I was terribly nervous about the kids upcoming high school experience...and it was so smooth!  I love it when that happens.  And it is rare!  A major life event with a simple transition!  Yeah, waking up at 6 a.m. is no fun, but it's doable.  As much as the kids eye roll, I think they like having such busy days.  Cross country after school, meets on Saturdays, Ethan has fall ball on Sundays,  Fiona has driver's Education on Sundays, homework, new friends...  We are all sleeping VERY well.

We are doing our best to savor the warm days, knowing that they are few and it may be months until we can comfortably wear shorts and t-shirts again.  Fall is shaping up to be beautiful and busy.  Fiona will be scheduling driving practice with her driving instructor!  Yikes!  As soon as she wraps her lessons up, Ethan will start.  Before I know it they will be arguing over who gets to use my van!  (I am not looking forward to that).

September is ending, and so too is our month long birthday celebration.  Scott and I are 45.  We have a 16 year old.  I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we actually have kids...and we have kept them alive this long! No easy task.  Our mission this season is finding a healthy balance for the kids socially and academically, as well as making plenty of family time.  So far so good.  

First real cross country meet!

She did so well.

Here are all the boys at the starting line.

Looking good.

Strong finish.

Ethan on the morning of his freshman orientation.

First official day of school.

There's a gorgeous trail in town that meanders along a cow field.

Moo.

My birthday wish come true.  Family picnic.

Ethan and I built this awesome fireplace out of cement blocks Scott dug up in the back yard.

The view from a bridge along one of Scott's favorite runs.

My view from my bike.

Look at that form!!!  See the ball?  What a hitter.

A walk with my homeboy.

Family date night!

We went out to eat and then on to the museum of art.

My lone walk in the field.

Ethan had four boys over on a half day.  This was my attempt to get them all to cross country practice.

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Our first covid test.  It was negative.  He had a cold and my parents were coming over.  Just wanted to be double sure...

Fiona/Scott birthday celebration.

Yeah.  She got Cheezits.  Extra toasty.  What?!?!

Not sure why the tongue was stuck out.  Stroke?  Cute though.

Wishin'

All Snuggled In. School about to Begin...

 Again.  We have managed to get all our stuff from one place to another.  All this shifting REALLY makes you ponder hard about what you think you need.  Having to lift, box up, move, unpack and reconfigure each and every item you own is tiring.  And the more you have, the more exhausting it becomes...

For the week that we were moving the kids were staying at my parents for "Gammy/ Gampy Camp".  While Scott and I were scouring, painting and busting our butts the kids got to go bougie-boarding, out to ice cream and dinner, shopping, car show touring and the grand finale...BOUNCE HOUSE DAY!!  I'm glad they were able to dodge the worst of the move.  What is wonderful about them being older was that they were 100% responsible for their own rooms.  Each painted and set up their own space.  The home is cozy and I actually like it better than the last house.  I know it has one less bathroom and is significantly smaller...but something about it is sooo appealing.

Kids start at Falmouth High in about two weeks.  They have been attending Cross country pre-season and are getting in shape while meeting new people.  Neither of the kids loves the sport.  Both are doing it because their evil parents are making them...  They may learn to love it.  

This past weekend we found ourselves in the ER with Ethan due to a deep slice on the bottom of his heel.  We were at the rope swing along the river that we have been to a few times.  When he was getting out of the water he stepped on something that was strong and sharp.  A four hour wait at the Urgent Care and five stitches later he is healing well.  One of the first things he said after the injury was ,"Looks like I'll have to miss some cross country practices." (He even had a little smile through the pain).

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.  Yes, it's been a strange turn of events this summer...but we have managed to have adventures along the way.

Gammy took girls shopping while Ethan and Gampy went to a drag race.

Boogie boarding with Gampy.

Scott drove down one of the nights to run in the Yankee Homecoming Race with the kids.

Fiona makes it look like fun.

Ellie, Ethan, Scott, Fiona, Uncle Al, Cousin Alex

Gampy's buddy let Ethan sit in his Corvette ZO6.

Nothing beats burger and fries at Skips.

Traffic on way to and from my parents.

It's that time of year again.

Little bit of a burn...

The kids and I went out to eat at a beautiful restaurant.  What a pleasant evening with my babies.

We could watch the goats and birds from our window.

Fiona joined Pamela at an artist retreat to work on an instillation that will be headed to Vegas this fall.

She spent a few nights and showed her dad and I around when we went to pick her up.

Nice place to work.

Scott and I could really get used to this place...

Ew.  Boxes.

Ew.  Chaos.

Finally!  I got to pick the wall colors!  ANYTHING BUT BEIGE!!!!!!!

Our room.

Even Ethan got into the helping.

Fiona with her heart in the background.  We had to go in for an echocardiogram to look into a heart murmur.  She's fine....

Here are the kids with their friends last week swimming at Crescent beach.

When we got home and turned on the news, there was a broadcaster standing right where we had been, reporting on the great white shark that had been swimming around the area...

The ER.

Favorite spot.

Ethan and I explored a hike right around the corner from the house.

Cullen joined us.

He had to at least try to climb the bridge.

Fiona captured a mantis at the gas station.  He is now in a terrarium in her room.  This is a shot she took of him peering through the hole in a coffee cup we used to transport him home.

Here we are at a Sea Dogs ball game the same night as the ER.

Figured baseball is a great distraction from pain.  It worked.