First day of (pre) school!

Last, but certainly not least,

Mackenna started school today...

It wasn't until I took this picture:

that I realized I had packed her old backpack.

So it was a mad scramble to switch backpacks...

that's better.

And then,

after a quick hug from her big sister,

she was off to the first day of her second year of preschool.

This is how we roll...

Mommy's minivan-

My favorite color and scented with a Coconut Bay gel car refresher.

Since last year,
it had been the "new kid on our lot"

'til Daddy went and got the

'o 9
Toyota Tacoma

as seen parked in the cushie front parking spot he has to park in because now his truck is to big to park out back stole from me. No hard feelings, of course. ;)

And the littles?

They roll in booster seat passports...

duly "stamped" (and in some cases, peeled and re-"stamped") with stickers and name tags from every doctor, dentist, camp, class, and event we have visited in the last year.

How do you roll?

.

First day of (high) school!

First day of school!

Sixth! grader

and

first grader!!

The first day of school dawned dark and chilly. It was the perfect day for a cute dress and sweater set, knees socks- the works! Alas, Shaye stuck to her game plan and her Ariel T-shirt it was.

Two down, two to go...

Frustrated.

Faced with a closet full of cute Gymboree school dresses, Shaye has decided she wants to wear an Ariel T-shirt and shorts tomorrow. In honor of The Little Mermaid 3: Ariel's beginning being released. Remind me how the fact that I raised them to be strong, sassy individuals makes this OK. Even though the sappy mom part of me wants a "better" First day of first grade picture .

A Tale of Two Sisters

Give me a "C"...

"C"

C is for cheer camp cuties.

Guess who's making mama feel old?

This freshman

in

high.school.

{gulp}

How Mack-a-doo likes her nails done

No two hands are ever alike.

wordless wednesday: my unpink ladies

{ 08-08-08 }

WWWAT: LEAVING BOSTON BEHIND

This week's theme? A Different View

Here's the view out of our back window as we left our weekend in Boston behind. If you look closely you will see one of my daughters already screaming...it was a lonnggg 45 minutes 'til home!

Waning summer

Buy it HERE.

(The photograph, not summer.)

Maybe it's because I was born and raised in New England, but towards the end of every season I get restless. I get tired of the current season and start to plan all of the things I am going to do and celebrate in the next one. The end of summer is especially tiresome for me because Autumn is my favorite season. Chalk it up to the fact I am an October baby, or that, with four kids, back-to-school is a pretty exciting event, but it truly is my favorite season. I love the colors- they define me. I love chilly weather. I love football. Drinking tea. Maple syrup. I love the excitement of back-to-school. I love turning back the clock. Picking apples. Trick-or-treating. Giving thanks. The leaves changing color. I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the point. So that's where I'm at now. Tired of humidity. Tired of swimming. Sand. Sunblock and bug spray. Ready to move on...

how 'bout you?

This week's forecast

Today: rain/thunderstorms

Tuesday: rain/thunderstorms

Wednesday: rain/thunderstorms oh, wait... sunny!

Thursday: rain/thunderstorms

Friday: rain/thunderstorms

It's going to be a lonnggg week.

On my nightstand(parte due):

Just finished: The Pact by Jodi Picoult



Currently reading: Without A Backward Glance by Kate Veitch



On deck: Belong To Me by Marisa de los Santos

One sweet see-you-soon...

Yesterday, before Gianna and Brielle left to spend a week camping in the woods with their Dad and a whole bunch of their cousins, we had a sweet send-off party at home...

a make your own sundae party!

Do you think they know how much we miss them already?

Back-To-School shopping...a sneak peek:

It all started with Shaye falling in love with this sweater...

then I saw these...

Shaye's favorite food! As earrings!

Tiny, little grilled cheese sandwiches. As earrings!

How could I resist?

I bought them HERE.

Happy Birthday to you

And who is you?

Gianna, my oldest.

She turned 14(!) on the 4th,

but didn't want her own special post.

I can respect that but couldn't resist a shout out.

Happy Birthday Gianna-

we LOVE you!

We're back.

You didn't even notice we were gone, did ya?

You did?!??

How sweet.

Last weekend, Gianna and Brielle spent the weekend beach hopping (New Hampshire on Saturday and Rhode Island on Sunday) with my sister and friends. While they were off sunning and funning, John, the littles, and I spent the weekend in Boston with my in-laws (up from FL with tickets to a Red Sox game!). Since I stayed at the hotel pool with the girlies, I don't have any pics from Fenway, but I do have some other shots of our weekend I would like to share.

First up, the view from our hotel room...

The girls could watch the planes and the boats in the bay.

It was an amazing view.

(And here's a link to the view of our room.)

The girls also enjoyed the hotel's skybridge

as well as the indoor pool.

Now,

out and about Boston...

(Mackenna, Daddy, Shaye, Grandpa John, and Nana Lorie)

~

**If you love Hilton hotels as much as we do,

earn points towards free stays HERE!

Referring member's number (that's me!) is: 207808403