The school year has started and we are getting into the routine once again.  Now that the mad rush of that first week is over, I have some time to share a few photos of our first day of school.

Here they are, all bright eyed and bushy tailed on the morning of their first day.  Look at those happy faces!  Are they really this happy to go back to school? Or…is this a posed photo?

Or maybe THIS is the posed photo??

Were they happy or sad to be going back to school? Only I know the answer to that, and I’m not telling!

Here are my two high schoolers!

Notice they are wearing the same shirt?  That’s because they are wearing their ASB shirts to school.  Yes, both Alex (11th grade) and Avery (10th) are in the ASB this year.  This makes me happy because they will do many things together with the ASB class. Plus, they get to dress alike again! I haven’t dressed these two alike since they were….well, actually I never did dress these two alike.

Not only are these six kids of mine “Back to School” but so is Afton, who went back to college after her summer stay with us. Here she is at her last day of her summer job.

It’s always so sad to see her pack up her things and move about again. This is her third summer “back” and her third time “leaving again” — I think my heart is almost getting used to it.

And this daughter of mine went “Back to School”, too….

but this time not as a student. Instead, Audriana is now employed at the same elementary school she went to, which is the same school her younger siblings attend right now. She is working as a student supervisor, and she is having such a fun time with it! She works Monday through Friday at the school and even walks her younger siblings home at the end of the school day.

The mornings are busy around here, trying to get everyone off to school on time. But once they are all dropped off and the dust settles, it’s just me and this little guy.

Aiden really enjoys having his mommy all to himself for the next six hours, but once 3:00 comes around he gets SO excited to greet his siblings at the door as they all trickle in from their school day. He runs to each one, gives them each a big hug and asks, “Will you play with me now?” I might be fun, but I am no comparison to his siblings.

The summer heat is still upon us, and I am looking forward to the crisp, cool air that fall will bring.  One nice thing about it still being in the high 80’s and low 90’s is that the kids can come home from school and jump right into the pool. Have I mentioned before how much I appreciate having our own backyard swimming pool? It’s SO convenient!!

It’s the perfect way to cool off after a hot day at school.

Once it’s starts getting cooler around these parts, I will miss these after school swims. It keeps them all occupied while I get dinner going. Plus, it tires them out, and that’s always nice. There’s nothing quite like a house full of sleepy children once 8:00pm rolls around!