I cannot believe today is the last day of summer vacation and we have to start the school routine all over again tomorrow. Waaahhh!!! Della is so totally excited to get back to school and start 1st grade, but I am so not ready for summer to end. It is my absolute favorite time of the year, and this one has been especially good. Why must all good things end so soon??
We kicked off the summer in high gear, as I explained just over 2 months ago in this post. Then came week after week of playing with friends; runs and bike rides; trips to the library and fountain; visiting the beach to make sand castles, look for sea glass, and picnic; and just generally enjoying the hot, sunny days to the fullest. No lessons, no schedules, no commitments, just fun.
The 4th of July is always a fun celebration in Whitefish Bay, and this year was no different. All the kids love to go up to watch the parade and collect as much candy as their little arms can possibly carry. Ryan and I saw a couple concerts at Summerfest, which were great since I hadn’t been in a couple years, and Morrison went to his first Brewers game, a milestone occasion.
The kids and I had a wonderful vacation in Canada, which was extra nice this year since we missed getting up there last summer after Morrison was born and we went out to Colorado for my sister’s wedding. We drove up with my mom and stayed on the island for almost 2 weeks with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew. The kids absolutely adored being up there, and all 3 turned into the best little water bugs by the end of the trip. I actually got to enjoy some peace, quiet, and sunshine during nap times, and I read more in those 2 weeks than I have in at least 2 years. I was almost as sad to see that vacation end as I am to see this summer end. (i could fill an entire post with pictures from that trip, but this selection will do for now)
Then this last part of the summer during August has just been a whole lot of relaxing and playing around here, with a trip back to the Wisconsin State Fair thrown in for good measure. Today we went for one last run together as a crew of 4, then down to the beach to look for more sea glass. Unfortunately, the waves were bigger than I’ve ever seen them down there and it was way too dangerous for the kids to go near the water. Not to mention there was no beach on which to search today since the waves came up so high. So the girls were bummed, but I promised them we can go back down this weekend to check again. I so cherish my days home with all 3 kids, and I’m going to miss having Della around with us all day when she goes back to school tomorrow.
We met her teacher last night at meet and greet and she does seem awesome, though, so I think Della is going to have a very fun year. They have a travel theme in their classroom, and Mrs. Tauscher (d’s teacher this year) said they’re going to travel all around the world, learning tons of new things as they go. They even have little construction paper passports with their pictures in them that they get to stamp all year, so that got Della very excited. And I was put at ease yet again to know that she’ll be in such good hands all day when she’s out of mine.
So cheers, Summer of 2016! You were an amazing couple of months, and I will miss you dearly. Hopefully this transition back into the school routine and the coming cooler months won’t be too hard for me, because I truly yearn for your sunshine and warmth all during our long, dreary days of winter around here. I will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of your cousin, Summer of 2017, in roughly 280 days!
