So.

Here we are.

It’s now the middle-getting-to-the-end of August. Summer is officially over. I’m going back to work in 4 days. Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!! I always said that the first week back to school would make being a school-based SLP not worth it. Not even worth the summers and holidays off. I SO don’t feel that way now. I’ll miss the no schedule, slow pace, daily naps part of summer. But I’m looking forward to getting back to my job. I’m excited to see my school kids and looking forward to seeing my new co-workers. And it’s good to know I’ve got a long-ish break coming up in December. And it’s only 9 months until NEXT summer!!

Going back will be good for the whole clan here at casa voiture. We need routine. Kids need their bedtimes, I need to do the laundry on a regular basis, and D needs to get up in time to make the coffee. I function better when there’s a lot going on. I only managed being home full-time this summer because I knew there was an end to it.

And there’s a part of me that has never really grown out of the school schedule. I still get very excited about the newness of a new school year starting. I love the idea of back-to-school clothes and shoes. I like the crisp fall air that means the county fair and high school football games. A teeny shred of my being likes the coming of the winter days, when we’ll have to bundle up and hang out inside over the weekends. I’m looking forward to buying new materials and setting up my treatment room. Geesh...I can almost smell new paste and crayons.

Meanwhile, the fam here has been a little busy. I had a long weekend away from D and the kids to celebrate my mom’s 60th birthday in New York City. Holy cow. What a blast. It was all my mom wanted to do to mark the milestone...to get a big group of her women friends and family together in NYC. When the whole crowd of us was there, there were 11 of us. It was cool. Mom’s friends and an odd mix of their daughters, daughters-in-law, friends, and my sister-in-law too. I thought it was going to be really hard to leave the knee-biters here at home, but the time away was good for everyone. I missed them and was glad to get home, but I didn’t sit around pining for them while I was away. I did, however, spend a fair amount of my trip thinking about how much fun it would be to do that city with D!!

I returned home, was here for about 2 days, did laundry, packed everyone up, and we were off on our family vacation to Michigan. Holy fabulous. We had awesome weather and found what could be our vacation spot for the coming years. We also got to spend some time with a good friend who used to practice medicine here in our town and is now up north. (She actually delivered A, and went to our church. Lots of good connections there.) Anyway, we saw some great sights, ate some good food, and spent our days making ourselves exhausted watching kids and playing in the water. Good times.

J managed to turn 2 while we were up north. I’m still not sure how that happened. It’s odd that the events of her last trimester, birth, and neonatal period become painfully fresh all over again on her birthday. No one else seems to understand quite what it feels like, so I spend the day quietly swallowing back my tears and mumbling quiet prayers of thanksgiving for the wonderful little spirit that she is. I think her twos and threes are going to be interesting. As she blew out the candles on her cake, I buckled my seat belt and began to hold on for the ride.



Some photos of our trip before I crawl into bed...