Bubbly In July
I don’t know about your house, but around here shiny new backpacks and eager faces like those can mean only one thing. You guessed it: back to school! Yes, it’s early. We’re on a year-round schedule round about these parts and it actually works out quite well.
In celebration of the big day we had a little shindig Sunday night. We called it our Back-To-School-BBQ-Bash and it was so much fun I think we’ll have to make it a tradition. Thanks to the monsoon, the weather was relatively cool and perfect for hanging out back while Jeff fired up the grill. We turned on the newly purchased bubble machine ($7 bucks on clearance at Target FYI) and let Cass and Jayce go hog wild while Torri, Kennedy, and I sat around our defunct table for some good old fashioned girl talk.
You all know that I think when it comes to family fun Disney World is tough to beat. But times like these, my friends, rival even the best Disney days.
I can’t tell you how good it feels to have each and every one of my children tucked safely into their own beds, all under my roof. Seeing them playing and laughing and genuinely happy to be hanging out is about the best family fun I can ask for.
After dinner they were treated to one of our favorite summer desserts: strawberry pie. Then we made Back to School time capsules. I had previously come up with some beginning of the year relevant questions/statements (right now I am ____ inches tall or my best friend is _____) for the girls to fill out. We brought out the scale and the measuring tape and made a big ta-doo about recording their data. They filled out all the questions, and finished it off with a note to their future selves and their signatures (or scratchy block lettered name in Cassidy’s case). They traced their hands on the blank side of the page and then inserted the papers into empty mason jars. I’m going to print out the pictures I took of them this morning and include those in the capsules as well. And to finish ‘em off both Jeff and I are going to write letters to each of the girls and deposit those inside before sealing the capsules up for good. I think it’ll be a lot of fun to open them up at our End-of-the-year-BBQ bash. Even they’ll be surprised at what a difference a year makes.
And so it begins again. The packing of the lunches. Rushed mornings. The griping over bad hair days. Homework. Gymnastics classes and yoga lessons. Agendas and checklists and paperwork. Fund raisers and field trips and PTA membership drives.
And that’s only the first month.
But for all those frenzied moments we encounter during the school year, there is reward. Long weekends and school holidays. Moments when we can let it all go and just be. Evenings punctuated with bubbles and laughter. Friday game nights and Saturday morning blueberry pancakes.
Yeah. It’s definitely the little things that take up the most space in your heart.
What very special traditions and you have the most gorgeous family!!
Happy Back to School…one month and 3.5 days and counting…yes I am counting!
Love those pictures! We don’t have year round school here…the summer is long and the kids are ready to go back when the day finally arrives. I’m still trying my hardest to make this summer a fun one for them!
I think your back to school bbq bash is a great idea–sounds just like something I would do. Maybe I will! Have a great school year!
Your children are darling- and I can not WAIT for back to school time here!
Steph
The time capsule idea is brilliant — you’re right, so much can change in a year. They are going to love to see how far they’ve come.
What a great picture! Hard to believe school has started again!
GORGEOUS kids. Oh my word. So cute. But I can NOT think about Back To School right now. ACK!
Wow, back to school! Love the time capsule….I just may steal that idea if you don’t mind.
What a neat tradition you’re starting with the time capsules! I love it! That is one good looking group of kids! Hopefully you can grab a blissful moment alone now and again when Jayce is napping and all the girls are in school.
Awww! So sweet. I love that last picture with the bubbles. How fun! I am not ready for school to start back yet. We have a couple more weeks. :o)
Yet again, you have made my day!!! I thought about ya all often yesterday and now I get to see the first day pics, wonderful. How fun an evening you had, YOU ARE SUCH THE MOM!
I love the last picture! ALL YOUR KIDS ARE GORGEOUS!! I work at a year round school in NM. Most kids start back
this Friday. We have a multi track year round school so I get an extra three weeks off. I get my new class on Aug 18th.
Let us know how the first day goes…
Awww — what a great way to celebrate the start of the year! I wish we were on year round, too. I’m definitely stealing the idea and having a “Back to School Feast” for my kids. (They complain about the bbq for some reason, even though they eat the food. *sigh*) But they love a good feast!
Glad you have your girls back!
What a great shot of your children! I loved the picture. It is hard to get such a nice picture of that many people. It is a keeper for sure!
Your idea for making time capsules is a great one, I think I will do this with my kids before they head back to school in September. What a nice memory. The kids do grow and change so much over the course of the year.
I loved this line you wrote, “It’s definitely the little things that take up the most space in your heart.” It is so true! I haven’t heard that before. Thanks for making the end of my workday so great!
Those photos are the best and your description of the back-to-school BBQ bash was just captivating. It made me think about how soon those days will be here for us. I think I’m going to have to “copy” your time capsule idea. That is brilliant!
You warmed my heart again my friend. Love it.
We have year-round school as well, but we don’t start until 8/5. And it breaks my heart just thinking about it! My mom used to spend our whole first day of school crying because she hated to see us go (even when we were teens!), and I know I’ll be the same way. Chris has already arranged to take the day off to comfort me!
Your kids are all beautiful!
We start back to school August 4th, I’m not really looking forward to it. I like having my boys home, and my oldest will start fifth grade, his last year in elementary school. That’s a little much for me!
Darcie - your kids are absolutely gorgeous and so full of life! Those pictures will be such a wonderful memory, along with everything else in their time capsules (I may just steal that idea too) when they are opened back up.
Ugh - you are reminding me that an end will come to these lazy summer days, and I am not really looking forward to the hustle and bustle of another school year beginning. But - my kids are more than ready to have their days structured and busy again, so that will be a good thing, I think.
Did not the summer go so extremely fast? Amazing. I too love the year-round system, but this break was really short for some reason. Looks like your kiddos were happy to go back to school. And what a creative idea to do a bbq bash and time capsule. Makes it a special milestone event each year. Good job, mom.