our transition to fall.

September is here and it is suddenly all about the fall season! First days of school, first soccer games, first smells of all things pumpkin and turkey and spices. While summer is always my favorite time of year there is something so refreshing about fall. It's a new season full of excitement and transition and change. So...here we go!

We ended the summer with one last trip up to the beach house. It was a beautiful weekend spent outside playing at the beach, long walks around the neighborhood and fresh crab for dinner. 

 The last day of summer I decided to just take it easy. We played outside, rode bikes, met up with friends at the school playground and chose our first day of school outfits. We had a ridiculously fun summer, it was hard to see it end!

 And then...first day of school! Seriously kids, stop growing.

 Drop off was quick and easy. Carter barely said goodbye to me as he ran off to find his friends by the basketball court and Lucy squealed with delight seeing her old kindergarten teacher and friends lined up by the classroom. Then it was Simon's turn for some one-on-one time! And of course, he chose baseball. I was smart enough to bring the bat and ball with me when we walked to school so we didn't have to play pretend baseball (another big favorite of his!).

 After taking turns playing pitcher, catcher, batter and umpire, running the bases, playing in the dirt and finally chasing a few crows we left the park after a few hours for a fun Target run. While he misses Carter and Lucy all day I think he'll be just fine if he gets to play baseball with me every day while they go to school.

 That night was another soccer practice for Lucy. So glad we still had a few days of sunshine before the rain began this week.

 And Matt clearly had a little shadow during practice. Simon did this all on his own...like father, like son!

 Later in the week after another soccer practice we celebrated with a team pizza party. I headed to Costco to get pizza for everyone and then we let the kids play and run around after practice. This is the 3rd year of these girls playing together (and actually 5th year for Lucy and 2 of her friends) so it's so fun to already know all the parents.

 Lucy had her first game of the season last weekend and did great!

 Big and little siblings played on empty fields making it even easier for me to watch the game. A big win for Team Reign!

 Matt and I were able to sneak away for the night too for an outdoor concert. Our schedule is getting busy with so many school and sports activities so it was the perfect opportunity for some alone time together, even for a few hours.

 And then Sunday began the official start of the NFL season. During the week we have a general rule of no TV time for the kids (and let's be honest...I'm so tired at the end of the day it's very rare for us to turn it on too!). But Sundays...it's all football, all day long. To celebrate we decided to cook up a huge 20 lb. turkey that's been sitting in our freezer for months. I randomly bought it one day during a good sale so we figured this was the perfect opportunity to have a mini thanksgiving dinner in September! And now...leftovers for days!!!

 This marks the first official full week of school so we are still finding our groove. But sports, puzzles, dress up, dance parties and reading are filling our days.

Happy Fall everyone!

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the final week.

 Why must summer go so fast?!? Every year it just flies right on by. And now we transition to a new season, a new schedule and a new routine. It's so bittersweet. I can't believe today is September 1st. Fall is upon us, the weather is changing and we are preparing for school to begin in just 5 short days. My heart is feeling all the emotions right now too. We had so many fun adventures and I loved spending family time together yet I'm so excited for the kids to get back to school and keep learning and growing. And then I'm in shock that they are already so old to be in school! Ha! The life of a mom.
We spent this final week doing a little bit of everything. First up...organize all the school supplies! A list was posted on the PTA website over the summer so we went shopping mid July. And then, 2 hours before the official teacher meet and greet a bunch of us moms realized the teacher list didn't match the PTA list. Eek! A little bit of stress from all of us but we figured some supplies were better than none. I donated extra glue sticks and markers so I guess it all balances out in the end.

 Monday morning we spent at the dentist. All 3 kids, 8 am appointments and no cavities. Success!
Carter came home and studied up for his first official fantasy football draft. He and a bunch of friends from school (plus all the dads) are doing a league together this year and he took it so seriously. Lots of reading, studying, planning and then he was ready to go. He's pretty excited for his team so it'll be a fun season to watch and see how he does.

 Tuesday was another early morning appointment. This time in Seattle for me! Another visit to the corneal specialist and my favorite contact specialist before he takes the fall/winter season off for a bit. Usually I make the kids bring books and toys to occupy their time but this week I let them each have an iPad and play games while we waited. Then, off for a fun adventure in the city!

 First stop...donuts. Always. The kids have learned if they get dragged to a cornea appointment it always ends with a stop at Top Pot across the street. We made our way over to Seattle Center and spent the rest of the day playing and seeing the city.

 Luckily the playground wasn't too crowded so the kids happily ran around for a while before we found a grassy area near the fountain to eat a picnic lunch.

 Then our lunch turned into a spray park kind of day! I didn't come prepared but luckily it was hot outside so the kids dried off pretty quickly.

 We ran around a bit more, played pretend baseball with Simon and then headed over to the monorail for a ride to Westlake.

 The day ended with a visit to the bookstore and then a ride back before heading home. While an early morning appointment is never fun we definitely made the best of it and had such a fun day.

 The next day we went back to Seattle for a zoo day with friends! We just love this family and have known them since Lucy was 3 years old. We are so excited for this school year since all the siblings have class or sports together.

 There was lots of running, climbing, exploring and wandering. Very little animal viewing but we all had fun anyways!

 And then, finally, the long awaited teacher meet and greet day. Both kids are so excited to be in class with the teachers they were hoping for. They both have great friends in their class too. While we were at the school I just couldn't believe we were already preparing for a new year. Seeing old friends, watching younger siblings run around together and seeing old teachers. We just love this community.

 Lucy had an extra special day after meet and greet. A date night with Matt at the Seahawks game! Matt met her at school and they drove straight to the stadium for a night with the Hawks. They didn't get home until almost 11pm that night and she loved every second of it.

One last final summer adventure at the beach house this weekend and we'll be officially ready for fall to begin. Summer 2018 was one of the best!

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