Welcome Home, Mommy!

I just LOVE that this is what greeted me when I got home from work yesterday. Samantha's definitely all better after her little stomach bug that plagued her for more than a week, and not a moment too soon since school starts on Tuesday.

I'm sad that the summer's winding down, although I do love the weather at this time of year. I may have said this before, on the first day of school last year, but I remember when I was a kid the weather was always crisp and clear on the first day of school. I could never figure out why the change was so sudden and coincided so perfectly, but I loved that I could start to wear my new back-to-school clothes that my grandmother diligently took me shopping for every year. Many of the school systems in the area started back last Monday, when the weather was at its most surprisingly cool and crisp. I think this Tuesday, when our county returns, it'll be a bit warmer, but still lovely nonetheless.

Open house at Samantha's school was yesterday, so we were able to go and see some familiar faces and meet some new ones. Sammi's little buddy (okay, betrothed--hehehe), Matty, will be in her class this year, which is especially exciting! The teacher said she'll be one of the peer models this year as one of the older kids. Peer model? Really? How cool! And seeing her in the class with some of the other kids, I can see she's come such an amazingly long way (see my post from a month or two ago) since she started this school thing last year. She's no longer the youngest and least-able. She exhibits good behavior in class, and joins in with the activities. This will be an amazing year for her, I am certain. She'll also be taking the bus for the first time. The driver did a dry run last week, and Steve stopped to talk to him for a few minutes. She'll be picked up at approximately 7:22 for a 7:50 school start time. Could be worse. Although if we drive, she would leave at 7:40. We'll see how it works out timing-wise and play it by ear. When she starts Kindergarten she'll be able to walk out the back door and into her school. :-)

Two more picnics (yes, both on the same day, although they're staggered by a few hours and only a 1/2 mile between them) on Monday to cap off the summer and to see what autumn is like in our new house and new neighborhood. Anybody have any ideas for Sammi for Halloween? It can't be expensive and it can't be difficult to pull together. We're last-minute types, so any early planning is a bonus...