Beautiful Weather and Good Times

Well, its that time of year again--back to school. I guess everyone says it and feels it, but I'll add my voice anyway, "I can't believe I have a third grader and a kindergartner!" School started for Elise last week and she jumped right in. By third grade, this stuff is old hat to her. She has a wonderfully nice teacher, a well-behaved class, and seems to have made the adjustment to a new grade with more homework with ease. Ian went one day last week and then started for real this week. Cory walked him in on his one day last week and then that stinker insisted on walking in by himself this week. He didn't even want Elise to walk with him. What a big kid!! It is a really long walk to the kindergarten classes, and I wasn't sure he'd be able to find his way. Apparently he either has a good memory or a good sense of direction, because he made it just fine. (I, on the other hand, spent the day debating different plans, all involving a subtle way in which I could venture down the school and peek in his room to make sure he made it okay.) I can already see the wisdom in holding him back last year. He's so much more prepared this year. I miss my two kiddos while they are in school, but it has been good for Merry Grace, Paige and I, and good for the older kids too. I think they really like having a sibling at school with them. They even eat lunch at the same time, so they wave to each other in the lunch room. They are just too cute. My favorite part of the day is picking the two of them up from school each afternoon. They come out to the car together, holding hands. It is precious!

The little girls and I are enjoying some time around the house and doing some projects here and there. We went to Lowe's and got a few flowers to put around the house. (Did I mention that it was SUPER easy to go to Lowe's with only two kids?) We came home to enjoy the beautiful fall-like weather, clean off the front porch, and plant the flowers we'd picked out. Our hanging baskets are now full of pink and purple petunias, and there are mums in various pots on the porch. Merry Grace and Paige enjoyed the outside time, too. Merry Grace had bought a clay pot which she painted in the yard while I cleaned. She spent quite a bit of time on it, adding different colors along and along, and ended up with a lovely camouflage green pot. We then stamped some words onto it which read, "I love Mommy & Daddy & Lisy & and Ian & Paige & Lois & Carolina." Paige crawled all over the porch, ate potting soil, splashed in the water from the hose where we were watering things, got filthy dirty and had the time of her life. The porch looks great, we feel refreshed from all the fresh air, and life is good.