Back to School

Tomorrow Miss Grace goes back to school. As I'm sure will always be the case, this summer was busier and went much more quickly than I anticipated but it sure was great. Although we did not do any particularly extraordinary activities, our days were filled with activity, family and fun. We started most mornings with our bike/walk at the park with Danielle and her kids and always seemed to have something lined up as a follow up activity. This summer Grace mastered two wheels and became a truly awesome rider. She was able to keep up with Zach and I on family bike rides. By the end of Summer Hannah had conquered her fears and moved from the stroller to her own bike. She tells me that next summer she will be ready for two wheels but for now likes four. Her first ride she went almost 4 miles with no complaints. She showed very little fear when riding down hill, but wasn’t so sure about those up hills-more work I guess. I was so proud of both their accomplishments! We went to Yosemite in June where everyone enjoyed visiting with family and playing in the river. We got some pretty neat video of Grace swimming underwater and even got Hannah to swim across the river with me once. We made a few trips to the zoo, had two camping trips (one Daddy-Daughter exclusive) and went to the wave pool. The coast never seemed to find it’s way into our schedule but I am hopeful that before the weather turns we can make it out there. Emily has changed a lot over the summer months. She has gone from being a baby to being a toddler. She is very mobile and into everything. She grew four teeth, learned many new words and seems to be discovering the diva within. She is still mostly happy-go-lucky with lots of smiles and laughter. She idolizes her big sisters and is under the mistaken impression that she can do anything they can do. This has lead to a few bumps and bruises but I’m pretty she would say it was worth it. And so, here we are. September. Grace back to school tomorrow. Hannah starting pre-school in two weeks and Emily being the biggest mischief-maker yet. Danielle and I have plans to do a lot of preserving over the next few weeks to get our families set up for the sad winter months without fresh produce. Well, there will be fresh produce but it wont taste as good. We will continue to have Zach at home a majority of the time as we enjoy this “remote” position while it lasts. I am constantly reminding myself that this is likely temporary and the next job, we might have to go back to commuting to the city, but for now, boy is it nice having him around.