Back to the Routine

Yesterday we finished our third week of school and we are now back in to a good routine. The first couple of weeks, it was a bit rough as the children were cranky and tired from adjusting to their long, 7 hour school days and doing homework in the afternoon. They were also very excited about making new friends and figuring out their daily class schedule. It didn't help that Derrick was traveling that second week and I had long days at work due to meetings and training and the first parent conference at school, but we made do. 

Amelia also lost her 6th tooth that week at her friend's house:

Luckily, both children LOVE their teachers and classmates and this year we good very lucky to have really great teachers. Here are some snapshots from their days at school (courtesy of Mrs. Chew and Mrs. Ingham): 

Elliot's Pre-K4 class:

Lunch time, which is one of Elliot's favorite times of the days:

Amelia's class hard at work. Her teacher does a lot of cool things from salt dough maps to mystery readers, Flashlight Friday's and some special pet visitors. But there is also lots of writing and math and definitely a lot more homework than last year.  

While Derrick was out of town this week again, my girlfriends came over to hang out on the deck. The weather was so nice for these past 3 days that it even got a bit chilly sitting there at night:

The children also enjoyed sitting out there doing play-doh while I finished my book one afternoon: 

Flying a kit when it is windy enough is also another favorite past-time: 

The boys are working hard on taking down the old deck and Elliot is Daddy's big helper:

My vegetable garden is still going strong. Currently, we are harvesting strawberries (yes, all summer long, they keep on growing), tomatoes, cucumbers, the last few carrots and bell peppers. Also, my pumpkin patch is taking over the yard:

I need to go thru and pick off the leaves that are wilting:

Last week, I took Elliot on a date to Build-a-Bear so that he could choose a new stuffed friend. But after looking thru their selection, he didn't find anything he truly wanted. I remembered that I had a couple of stuffed animals at home to be used for future gifts and offered those to him...he was the happiest boy on earth. He is so easy going and doesn't demand much and is easily satisfied with a cake pop while walking thru the mall for 2 hours. 

By the way, he now styles his own hair. Too cool for school:

Both of them are eager to feed the fish in the mornings. I'm just wondering what day the tank and fish will fall down:

I enjoyed those 2 days of cooler weather a lot. Fall was teasing us and I made the most of it by going for a 3 mile run in the park yesterday at noon and reading my book on the deck once the kids went to bed:

We finished the week off by hanging out with our neighbors last night after dinner. The motto: bring a chair and a drink and relax. The children raced around till it got too dark and the adults enjoyed chatting..perfect start to a relaxing weekend: 

Happy Weekend!