visit to the boise zoo-still playing summer catch-up

while we were in boise, of course we visited the zoo.  we took our traditional picture in the nest.  notice the handsome boy standing next to thing 3.  he's her cousin, it was love at first sight for her.  she told me she loves him and is going to marry him.  she thinks he is handsome and she likes his clothes (she likes clothes).  she flirted with him too.  i had never seen this side of her but she was looking for his attention!

she also fell in love with this badger. 

badgers are usually very aggressive but this one loves people. 

 in fact, the zoo staff say that when they have put her in enclosures with other badgers, the other badgers have all turned up missing...

but she loves to go for walks and be with people. 

funny little girl!

cute huh?!

first day of school

Thing 1 was off to middle school

my handsome boy

all grown up,  off to the bus stop alone this year, leaving me behind.  it felt so strange to stand on the steps and watch him go, to not be going with him, to not watch him get on the bus.  I kept hoping he made it, that he got on the bus okay.  I kept feeling like i missed out this year, i feel like i missed a big step in my son's life.  but i guess that step happened when he walked off the porch and headed up the street alone.  He, of course loved it.  he loved that he was going to the bus stop without me, not because he doesn't want me there, he's been a really good kid about that.  he's not too embarassed of me yet,.  but he liked it because it meant he's growing up.  He liked it because he feels like he's taking care of himself and making his own decisions.

and then there's my girl, off to kindergarten.

as cute as ever and much more ready than I am.  I can't believe she is that old but i'm happy for her. she'll love school.  she'll make lots of friends and she'll get to draw and write, and learn to read.  i'm very excited for her.  every time i've gone to an open house for one of my kids when they were in kindergarten i cry.  not because i'm sad but because i'm so happy for them.  they have had great teachers and it's such a happy place.  i'm so happy that my child gets to spend their day in a place like that.

And our little stud, ready for 4th grade, ready to be in the big kids wing of the school. he gets to do all those things he's seen his older brother do and has been dying to participate in himself.  he gets to join band this year.  he chose the alto sax and he can't wait to learn to play that thing.  he gets to participate in before school intramurals-he can not wait!

he's going to miss her.  she is his best friend.

after the last two of his three favorite people climbed on the bus and left him behind he kept crying, "me too, me too"

she climbed on that bus like she'd been doing it for years and then she waved from the window, that's the hard part for me, wathching them wave to me from the school bus window, that's when i lose it, any time of the year.

bye-bye my girl!

I didn't get a picture, but one of my favorite parts of that day and everyday since is when she gets off the bus.  the first day she climbed off the bus and darted across the street (which she got beeped at for doingand then she ran crying to her room and wouldn't talk to anyone for 30 minutes because she felt so bad) yelling "mommy".  she was so happy to be home and to show me what she had done and i was so excited to see her.  she's done this everyday since-minus getting beeped at for crossing before the bus driver tells her it's okay.

last night, as I was out running errands with the kids we saw that our favorite summer ice cream shop was having its last day! 

We had to stop. 

 last night wasn't only their last day -for the season, but it was our last day- forever. 

We won't be here next summer.

So we stopped and as we pulled in we saw friends pull in behind us and as we climbed out of our car we saw other friends run across the parking lot to greet us. 

I guess we weren't the only ones who needed to say goodbye to the summer.

As we waited in line for our cones, thing 2's friend chatted with us while enjoying his cone.  I looked at him and he had a big circle of icecream around his lips, I had to laugh, it was so cute.  This boy is as big as my husband but he's 9.  seeing him with icecream all over his face reminded me that he was a kid.  That my son was still a kid.  Sometimes I get so busy with school and chores and everything that needs to be done and I forget to enjoy my children's youth.  I forget that they are little, and cute-even though they think they are 9 and all grown up.  I love moments like this so I can slow down and enjoy them.