A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this week.




















Intentional Outdoor Hours: 434+ hours (of 1000)
Up fourteen hours this week, I got in a few walks with the dogs, we ran through the wind in the yard right before a big rainstorm hit last weekend (the kids were cracking up as the leaves blew off the trees around them), and we watched the lunar eclipse on Monday. We had only about 79% coverage up here in western PA, but it was still pretty cool and gave off a weird eerie lighting during the peak of it. On Friday night, the youth football players were recognized on the field and then the kids had a blast playing with all their friends in the grass area during the game.  Brandon and I kept saying we were leaving any minute for two hours (!) and then we finally didn't actually end up heading home until the game was totally over and we were some of the last cars left in the parking lot - just too much fun catching up and chatting with friends and family!

Reading not so much on my end.  I got in a few pages of Emma by Jane Austen and we read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn with Gemma after kindergarten orientation.

Visiting with some of favorites: We had breakfast with Uncle Jonny and baby Tessa on Saturday morning and then the Gilmore brought home our busted wrist boy later that morning, along with Audra who got to spend the whole day with us, much to the joy of Gemma and Violet.  The fellas (minus Grey who needed the rest) spent the day hanging treestands and then we all shared dinner that night and enjoyed a fire while the kids laughed and giggled with their cousins for half the night. We had a fun last backyard fire at our Kuma and Uncle Buck's house with all of our cousins on Sunday night with mountain pies and quad rides.

Feeding the animals at Living Treasures zoo with Gigi to celebrate the end of summer and Gemma's half birthday (five and a half!) While the boys spent the day shooting clays at Nemacolin Woodlands to celebrate Butter's birthday - we visited and fed as many animals as we could in the park - including getting to touch a baby sloth (!!) We got ice cream afterwards and it was the perfect finish since we were all so hot from that late August sunshine.

Lining up childcare for the two little ones with a tour and visit with a local daycare/preschool.  Violet was so excited to see their outdoor playgrounds and get a chance to play with all their toys during the visit. When we left, she was crying and pleading, "but I don't want to leave my new school and friends!" Well, that seems like it might be an easy transition! HAH The two little kids will start after Labor Day, so we have a few weeks of adjusting to new routines to get used to - but we're moving in the right direction.

Starting the new school year!  We had to do all our regular annual check ins (create our signs with the kids' future professional hopes and write their name in the grade level spot in their baby books).  Greyson caught the bus on Wednesday for his first day and then left school early to head out to his wrist appointment in Hershey.  Gemmi and I went to Kinder orientation together on Wednesday where we got a tour of her classroom and met her classmates and then had lunch together.  She was so excited and pumped up and at the last minute when we were to separate for awhile, she burst into tears and came running to me.  Luckily, her teacher, Mrs. Roman, scooped her off of me and got her calmed down and feeling better by the the time they got to the hallway. I was pretty nervous about the bus on Thursday (Gem's first ride) and knew if she could just get on the bus that she'd be fine, the danger zone was going to be between me and those bus doors.  So, we had a little chat with Grey about not running ahead and sticking by her side the whole walk over to the bus and then come Thursday - she did it! She got on that bus and despite a few little teary eyed moments this week, she still comes home each afternoon beaming and exclaiming that she loves school! She got to pick a few books from the Scholastic book order form for her first week of school prize too!

Starting my new school year!  The first official day was Friday (in-service) and thanks to some help from my mum, aunt Dar, and Miss Becca who took shifts all day so that all the kids and bus departure was covered (thank you!!).  My room is nearly complete and lesson plans, curriculum maps, and syllabi are in need of finishing touches only. All but a few posters have arrived for my supplies that I requested and I met a lot of helpful and kind teachers that have answered all my random lingering questions,  like where is the teacher's lounge microwave (hah). We have one more in-service/Meet the Teacher event and then students arrive on Tuesday!

Making all the kids' dinner favorites in celebration of the first week of school.  We had burgers on the grill, ordered in Fox's pizza, chicken and gravy over mashed potatoes, 3B porkchops, and spaghetti! Gemma and Audra whipped up some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for our cousin sleepover (almost entirely by themselves!) and Grey helped me make Fruity Pebbles confetti muffins for our last day of summer breakfast tradition.  Violet helped make easy, delicious cake mix chocolate chip cookies  and Cheerio & PB bars for after school snacks this week.