Catching up a little.

 Sweet Jules, sleeping. Julia goes to school 4 afternoons a week from 12:30-3. Thursday afternoons are the one day she does not go. This has left she and I with one afternoon together a week where we are alone together once Luke gets on the bus and Jake get in bed at one. We have established a great new tradition. We gather up whatever book we are reading and go up to my room. She pulls the blinds, and we snuggle down into my bed with our books. We read for about 1/2 hour, then fall asleep. She literally puts her book down, sighs this lovely little sigh, curls her arms up under her face just so, and closes her eyes. If I hadn't witnessed this beautiful ritual myself the past three weeks I would not have believed it. She sleeps just like this. It is riveting. I can't take my eyes off of her. When she wakes, stretching and sweet smelling, we go downstairs and cook something. One week it was sausage and peppers and mint iced tea. One week it was muffins and chili. Yesterday it was a cinnamon apple cake. Thursday has become my favorite day of the week, and I look forward to seeing what book she picks, and what food she picks, all week long. I love seeing who this little girl is becoming.

 One Friday night when Nate had school my parents invited us over for pizza and smores over the chimera. It was so much fun roasting marsh mellows! The kids had a blast and I loved having company. When I look back on school I think that the thing I will remember as being the hardest was my lonely Friday nights. My friends are with their families, and my parents usually have plans or are away, so this was a wonderful treat. It is nearly October...and Nate is done in MAY. We are really, truly, getting there. Anyone can do anything for 8 months. I know it :)

 I love this faux sad face. I told him to look like a prisoner. He did a pretty good impression.

 The twins. These two are looking more and more alike. We caught a fantastic Sunday morning at Highland last Sunday with 4 other families from Nova and their kids. After a late night out at Verdad with friends Saturday and knowing that we were hosting my Dads birthday party that night it was tough rallying, but well worth it as we came home with fresh picked raspberries, apples, pumpkins, and mums. The house is decidedly fall festive, I've somehow tied myself into hosting a Stella and Dot party Nov 6th (anyone reading this is invited. Please come. I don't know how I get into doing things that stress me out, but I do, so please, please come).

 The bigs and I. 

Pop Pop and his 6 eager helpers enjoys his 62nd birthday dinner at our house. We had a great meal of pork stuffed with spinach, roasted peppers and mozzarella, spinach with cannelloni beans, roasted sweet potato spears, bread, a Greek salad and a beautiful cheese plate.....followed by a delicious carrot cake made by Becca. It was a nice, relaxed night with just family. Its so much fun watching our family grow, though we are all contractually bound not to get pregnant before January or something like that, as we are ALL going on a Disney cruise together in June to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary and they don't allow anyone who is more than 26 weeks pregnant on board~!  Looking at this picture with these 6 grandchildren 5 and under you can see why my parents are concerned!

Life is fantastic. The kids have settled right into a great routing with school. I am LOVING this afternoon kindy/preschool thing (I am such an ass for complaining about it!). We have relaxed mornings, go to the gym, come home for lunch which we usually eat on the deck, I drive Jules to school, leaving at 12:20 and returning at 12:40. Luke gets on the bus at 12:55, Jake goes down at 1. I take a nap (or blog in bed, like right now), or clean or cook or some other sort of task, then I get Jules at 3. Luke gets off the bus at 4. We play outside, eat dinner around 6, the kids go to bed around 7:30, me around 8:30, and start the next day around 7 am. Its a great little life. On the weekends the kids all nap, Nate studies every night until late in the evening, his work is going very well, I'm going to start pottery again after Christmas, Julia is loving Gymnastics, Luke's flag football got cancelled at the last minute due to low enrollment (which is the suck, and we are looking for a new activity for him), everyone has yet to get sick at all, and life is just pleasantly rolling along. We have play dates, birthday parties, new friends from school, and whatnot, and everything feels relatively balanced. I'm a homeroom mom, and joined the PTO at school, but I'm one of four and took on very minimal PTO obligations. I have a sitter every Wed am for 3 hours and my Mom has been sitting every wed afternoon, so I feel productive, I"ve been able to conquer some tasks that really needed attention and organizing around the house. We are in the planning/getting bids phase of finishing our basement, which is exciting and terrifying at the same time. Things feel pretty balanced, as far as the family goes, all things considered. I can't imagine what it's going to be like once Nate is done school and we have him around so much more. I'm enjoying fall, the change in our food, the earlier darkness, the jeans and sweaters and pumpkins. The kids all want to be ninjas. True confession. I am a liar, and I like it. I have my children utterly convinced that before I had children I was a ninja. They actually firmly and fully believe that I used to be a ninja. They start questions "Mom, when you used to be a ninja......". I enjoy it to the MAX. I know its awful. I know its a lie. But its my lie and I own it. I feel really cool when they say it. I love seeing heads turn around us when they say it. I wonder what other people think.

Anyway. Ninjas for halloween this year. Stay tuned. Hope you all are well. xoxo from the front.

Weekend recap.

Julia woke up from her nap at 3:55, right in time for us to go wait for Luke in the driveway. As Jake was still snoring away, we grabbed some water and headed out. It was 4:00. Luke's bus is due to arrive at 4:05. We got the mail, and sat there sweating and picking through an Athleta catalogue, where I was quite interested in Julia's impressions of women's athletic fashions. When my sweat started to literally drip onto the page, I checked my phone, to find that it was 4:09. My heart started to pound a little. Did I miss his bus?   But even as I worried I knew it was crazy worry, not real worry, as Jules and I were out there early. Sure enough, at 4:19........that bus rolled on up. The only bad part of this was that I was by then crazy about Jake, who was asleep inside. I was convinced he was awake, felt abandoned, and was probably trying to hang himself from his crib.

So we RAN inside. And Jake was snoring away.

We woke him. We went out for ice cream, which is super unorthodox. but after Dad's been gone all week, Mama needs some props. We picked up a pizza, Brooke showed up, and I had a short but lovely evening out with friends.

After some dress up on Saturday morning, we hit the road to pick up Tessas birthday cake and deliver it to the party site. It was beautiful :). The kids were so excited to celebrate their sweet cousins first birthday. We went to the gym, then home for lunch, showers, cuddles, manicures, and naps. Straightaway from naps, we left for the party. We met Nate there, straight from a long week of travel and school.

Sweet Tess thoroughly enjoyed both her party and her smash cake and was a lovely little party host :) It was a great day, despite the terrible weather.

We awoke to a GLORIOUS day today, procured some bagel sandwiches while daddy got to sleep in a little bit, met with our first contractor who presented his plan for our basement (which was terrifying) and swiftly headed out to hike on this amazing late summer but a hint of fall day.
A downded tree from yesterdays storms kept us from tyler so we went to Ridley ~ it was awesome ~

And we carted three wet little adventurers home for lunch and looooong naps while Nate and I succumbed to the glory of our couches and the breeze and the new living room and the goodness of our new upstairs.

Anyway. Its been lovely.

Next? A feast of Salmon and crabcakes, picking out Julia's first day outfit.......and back to school she goes!

Traditions.

My kids don't have any electronics. They won't for some time. They don't get big Christmas gifts, in fact the stupid pez and toothbrushes in their stockings are their usual favorite annual gifts. We aren't big on toys and lavish gifts. We are big on traditions and making memories. You know, the free stuff.

The night before kindy started with a kindergarden sleepover with Mom. Only because sleepovers are fun and I'm selfish :)

Luke woke up to his "Big Day Plate" and a card from Mom and Dad......he had chosen blueberry waffles as his special day breakfast.

His sister made him a card too. Apparently this is Luke, at his first day of school, amidst the trees and birds and butterflies. And, perhaps wearing a Sari? Very multi-cultural.

After we went to the gym, Aunt Becca and Tessa came by, with a plate full of Smart Cookies for her Smart Cookie Luke. He chose to eat Spelling first.

Then Mom Mom arrived, with a special ornament for Luke's Christmas tree this year :)

After a delicious lunch, we headed outside. 

Where lots of pictures were taken. Luke was all smiles and confidence getting on the bus. As he rode away, my Mom, sister, and I all had tears in our eyes, even as we laughed at one another. They left, I got Jake and Jules right down to bed, and we all slept. I was a watched the clock like a nervous nellie from about 3:30 on, and at 3:55 I got Jules, woke Jake, and we sat at the end of the driveway waiting for our boy. The bus pulled up 5 minutes late, and he came bounding out, all smiles. We sat on the back deck enjoying Aunt Beccas cookies and milk and hearing all about his day. I'm so proud of my guy. It was as hard as I expected, but more fun than I expected, at the same time. I love that we will be repeating these rituals over the next years, marking time this way, and giving our kids things to look forward to each year. I was and am so proud of sweet Luke today and can't wait to do it all over again tomorrow. Tomorrow, no tears, I promise! :)

Hold the bus....

 When I went to download kindy bus photos, I realized that I had a bunch of life inbetween here and there. This was my Jules sitting with me on the train at Dutch Wonderland over Labor Day weekend. Isn't she lovely? She was so happy, and has gone from a cautious little toddler to a ride loving thrill loving fool. She LOVED the big rides, and throws her arms up in the air wanting to ride everything she comes across. 

 Luke and Nate head off to hit balls together at Tee it Up for a fundraiser for Fern Hill. 

 Next, Nate accompanied him to his Sneak a Peak day at his classroom, where he got to meet his teacher (Mrs. Difernandino) and his fellow classmates, and briefly check out his classroom. 

Jake takes his ice cream very, very, seriously. It was a great family day, and a really nice end to our broken hipped, limited sort of summer. I was so happy to walk around, outside, all day, with my family.

Silly Luke outside playing with his sister. 

Our family in Cape May. 

 Luke's first day of Preschool. 

 with FATBABYJAKE. 

My handsome big boy this summer. 

It's 7:15 so I'm rushing, they will be up any minute. Luke slept with me in my bed last night. A kindergarden sleepover. We read this again, like we did one night last week. His "Big Day" plate is laid out along with a card for him. We picked his outfit last night. He picked blueberry waffles for breakfast. And we are going to keep it normal by going to the gym this morning. 

We are going to have lunch with Mom Mom, Aunt Becca and Tessa here at the house....and then at 12:50 we will walk the long walk to the end of the driveway.....where the big yellow bus will come swallow up my big guy and take him off to his first day. 

And I know he's going to do great. It's me I'm worried about :)