And she is back ... Maybe?

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Back to School Blues ...

Julia's first dance class!

My bike/transition area for the Farmington Women's Triathlon!

In our wetsuits -- 60 degree day!

Is this the last time we will see Emma on a soccer field?

Emma's first day of school (love that Julia is still in her PJ's yet so so cute!)

The summer is officially over, and fall is creeping right in. Though I do really love fall and the crisp air, yummy apples, and pumpkin spiced ... everything, I do have to admit I have a case of the "back to school" blues.

It is not easy to put into words, other than ... I really really liked our summer rhythm. I don't like the hustle and bustle of out the front door by 7:30 a.m. - no leisurely breakfasts with the girls, no snuggling on the couch till 10 a.m., no mid morning craft projects, no nap time for Mommy to clean up, make a healthy lunch and catch up on my phone gabbing, laundry, GH, or just enjoy the peace and quiet for 2 hours. Instead we are faced with condensing all of those things into 2 days over the weekend. YUCK. Plus you have to put faith in a brand new school/teacher to take good care of your little girl. By the way, I think I am the only one with this case of back to school blues because from what I see and hear around our house the girls are loving being back at Renee's with the kids, Emma doesn't stop talking about her days at school, and poor Rob doesn't know what a fun summer vacation is anyway so me going back to work probably makes him giggle! But for now I have been struggling with the new schedule.

Since I went back to work the girls fall activities also begun. Julia is now doing her first dance class and loving every second. It is a ballet and tumbling class. She is absolutely adorable and we are quite impressed with her ability to fit right in (she is the youngest in the class) and she's doing great at following the teacher instructions.

Emma started soccer, even though she had a bumpy first season last fall. She said she wanted to play again and even convinced her friend Julianna to join the team. Well after 3 appearances this season, she's decided she is not a soccer player. She wants to do dance and in her words "when Julia starts to play soccer I still don't want to play I just want to watch everyone play". So for now she is not the budding athlete I had been hoping for, though I do love seeing her smile and enjoy dance and I am not giving up hope that in time she will find some passion for sports!

And now for the big stuff ... Emma started school 2 weeks ago at Village Green Preschool. It is a small private school and they are really attentive and structured. We had our first parent teacher conference last week and Emma was given a wonderful report. Her teacher, Ms. W showed her curriculum model and benchmarks and assured us that Emma is exactly where they hope preschoolers will be, which made us feel proud. They have a number of interactive field trips planned and we are excited to be apart of that with them. Rob will be a chaperone at the first one next week at the apple orchard. Along with Emma learning so many new and wonderful preschool requirements, she's also cruising along on the "social" aspects. She is making new friends and has officially informed us that she "likes" a boy named Calvin. Seriously ... she has not stopped talking about him and tonight while reading a story with Rob she told him she hopes "cupid strikes her and Calvin with an arrow on Valentine's Day". YUP, this little girl is a true romantic. Not sure where she gets it from ... wink wink. But she did learn about the cupid and arrow from Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine's Day, so I don't think I'll be recommending that one out to any preschool Mommy's :)

Old fashioned gas pump

Talk about old school, this is Rob pumping gas near Bangor, Maine.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre