Summer has FLOWN by! And the chill in the air is a reminder that autumn days are right around the corner. I've even noticed the tippy top of some oak trees in our neighborhood that have a hint of red and orange in their leaves. I'm not sure I'm ready to say good-bye to summer just yet.
We've had a fantastic summer. The girls would say the highlight for them was going to camp with Alicia and Rachel and then spending a week on Frye Island. Allison and I stayed busy while Becky and Katie did their camp thing and it was nice to have some time with just her. I think she was missing having her mom all to herself so it was a good thing. My highlight would have to be Frye Island, hands down. Frye Island, Maine is a 2 1/2 mile by 1 1/2 mile island off the coast of Raymond Neck in Sebago Lake. We rented a 'rustic' cottage there. Rustic means old in this case. We had all the amenities we needed - indoor plumbing, a full kitchen, 3 bedrooms. The very best part of the cottage was the incredible private beach we had. It was so cool to get up in the morning and see the stillness of the undisturbed lake with the sun sparkling on it. Then as the day progressed we see speed boats, fishing boats, kayaks and canoes and even a 'tow' boat as they zoomed passed. Sometimes there were tubers or water skiers trailing behind boats. As the day wound down so did the traffic and the stillness returned. I could write for a long time about the wonderful vacation we had. Suffice it to say that it was an amazing week spent with great friends.
We've been doing some school shopping - a little at a time. My parents were down last weekend and my mom, me and the girls went to the Holyoke Mall. For a woman who had a heart attack two months ago she sure can shop! We were there for six hours!! We had a good day and all of us found some good deals. I haven't been shopping like that in forever - it's a little tricky with a preschooler - but Allison was great. I may be the proud mother of shop aholics yet!
I've finally gotten back into my scrapbooking. I hadn't done a thing since well before we moved here. I'm working on school albums for each of the girls. I think that's a project I can keep up with and it's a pretty easy one too. I've found that Michael's has a great supply of stickers and maybe paper but for my albums and accessories I need to order from Creative Memories.
I get e-mail updates and prayer requests from our old church and over the last couple of weeks I've been reading about a young soldier injured in Iraq. His mother has been so faithful in keeping everyone updated and it's quite something to read the account of this young man's ordeal from his mother's point of view. I can not imagine seeing one of my children wounded so badly. He's been through so much already and faces more surgeries to repair his broken body. Thankfully he will recover although he'll wear the scars for the rest of his life. It reminds me about how much these young men and women need our prayers. This man's name is Ben - pray for Ben.
I officially have my own soccer team to coach. I'll have 10 - count them 10!- little preschoolers/kindergarteners on my team! I'm excited but a little nervous. I worry about the expectations of the parents. I want to do a good job and I especially want the kids to have fun! If they learn something about soccer GREAT! I'm sure I'll be learning a thing or two!
Speaking of learning - I'm learning all about crows. I've decided to write a non fiction article about crows. In case you are wondering there are TONS of books and articles on crows. My challenge is to present something about these gangster birds that will be interesting to children. I'm especially facinated by the theory that crows have a funeral of sorts for a fallen bird friend or family member. And did you know that a 'flock' of crows is actually called a 'murder'? Hmmm...
Gotta go.
