first day of school

The girls just finished their first week of school. Amelia started fifth grade (last year of elementary school!) and Elsa started second grade. Oliver will start preschool in another week. Amelia ended up with the teacher she had in 3rd grade and he team teaches with the teacher she had last year (they both moved up to 5th grade). They are both great teachers. Amelia loved her teacher last year who really encouraged her love of reading so we're thrilled that she has her for reading again this year. She also ended up having her best friend in her class so she was excited about that. Elsa's teacher seems nice although Elsa didn't end up with any of her good friends in her class. But she likes to make new friends and seems to like the second grade. Both girls got right back into their school routines and I haven't even heard a single complaint about homework yet. There's still time.

Back to school prep was easy. We didn't bother with any new clothes since they're still wearing summer clothes. They each got a new pair of shoes. Their backpacks were still in good condition so they just decided to swap backpacks with each other to change things up. I'm appreciating the low maintenance while I can.

Simon misses his sisters. Throughout the day he says "pick up girls? pick up girls?"

And in other exciting news, after a record number of posts in one month, I am officially up to date with this blog!!!

Three Bears Acres

The kids had been looking forward to visiting Three Bears Acres all summer long. We finally made it on one of the last days of summer break. We met some friends there and had a great time. They had new slides that were really fun and really fast. The kids always love the mud kitchen and the slip 'n slide too. Simon is still talking about the jumping pillow.

farmers market and other random happenings

 Apparently Oliver got hungry while waiting for me to come and help him on the toilet. Still laughing about this scene I came upon.

The girls created an elaborate zoo one day. It's still there.

Elsa and I had a fun date to the Farmers Market. We had lunch at the State Farmers Market Restaurant for the first time. They bring you a basket of biscuits and hush puppies so obviously we loved it.

Virginia visit (river farm and swimming)

We went to River Farm one morning. It was beautiful with so many flowers in bloom and the views of the Potomac are always lovely. The kids ran around nonstop and then rehearsed and put on a play (Cinderella) for us. We went swimming in the afternoon and lots of old friends joined us at the pool. It was so fun to see so many friends. And as a bonus, Katy brought some of her signature cupcakes. Delicious! That evening Brent was kind enough to watch the four youngest kids so Kirsten and I could take the five older girls out for pizza in Del Ray. We had yummy pizza at Del Ray Pizzeria and then waited in a long line for delicious frozen custard from the Dairy Godmother. We got to have a big, yummy breakfast the next morning with the Pinkneys which was really fun. We got on the road by noon on Friday to head back home but traffic still added TWO hours to our drive. It's always so painful to head south on 95, especially on a Friday. It was a long drive home, but all four exhausted kids slept for a lot of it.

Elsa brought this note for the Littles. It's always sad to see how much they miss their friends.

Virginia visit (yards park)

We spent an evening hanging out at Yards Park with the Davis family and the Littles. We always love coming here and had such a fun night playing in the water. I wish I could have spent more time chatting with friends, something that is always difficult while trying to keep an eye on 4 kids around water.

Virginia visit (pontoon boats and aquatic gardens)

While Ben was in L.A. for the week, I took the kids up to Virginia to visit friends. We stayed with the Littles and had a great time. The kids were in heaven playing with their friends nonstop. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows the first night. The next morning we headed to the Bladensburg Waterfront Park and did one of their free pontoon boat rides down the Anacostia River. We saw lots of wildlife. We had a picnic lunch and then made a stop at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, one of my favorite hidden gems in the D.C. area. There were still tons of lotus flowers in bloom and it was beautiful. Unfortunately it was also very hot and the kids wore down quickly. Simon also got stung by a bee and I got stung trying to get it out of his shirt. Luckily he got over it quickly, although he would occasionally point to the sting and say "it still hurts mommy."