All in August

So, naturally, August has been taken up with back-to-schoolness.  Public school, homeschool, co-ops, youth, church. The new bedtimes, the new wake up times, the new routines, the adjustment.  Its gone pretty ok, not counting the mega stress still bearing down on Josh at work.  Covid interruptions and virtual school and hybrid school and online classrooms and parents and teachers and students and admins and alll of it! have just done a number on the tech guy who works 10-12 hour days and still comes home thinking about and doing extra work.  Hard.  

I already posted Lasa's first day feature.  The big kids did half days their first week, which, interestingly enough made the week feel longer.  Go figure?  Maybe because we dropped our weekday video game hours.  Probably that.

First day breakfast out tradition. This year we hit up a new spot - Main St. Bistro - and then stopped by the library on the way home, our first time there since FEBRUARY. SO crazy.

Anna is now in the youth group and is loving that life.  The middle school girl leaders had a tie-dye night for the girls.  Another night their youth pastor had all youth come for a game of kickball though I got no pics of that.

Our children's ministry leader had this year's crop of Kinder moms meet up one Saturday for a BooHoo/WooHoo Breakfast.  It was the sweetest morning complete with gab, brunch, gifts, prayer, and encouragement.

Lasa thoroughly enjoyed the church's Back-To-School picnic on a gorgeous Sunday evening, complete with the Pelican's Snowball truck there on site.  It was so good to see so many people in person again!

 

Our Summer Bucket List at summer's end ... only missed one item.

New super simple silicon band I am wearing these days.

Other new thing ... how Josh and I get up before the sun to walk in the mornings.  Along the way, we are listening to Scripture together, a quick marriage podcast (Small Things Often), and read and chat about a devo on the Bible app.  It hurts the Kimmie to get up so early, but I am adjusting ... and going to bed earlier.

Anna had her best buds over for only last summer hoorah.  They are the sweetest.  Only missing Kate who was already back in school that day.

A Saturday picnic on a random property Josh spotted.

Josh cracking up at me freaking out about him off-roading on the property. I was just so sure we were gonna get stuck. Or break his truck. Or something.

Red Beans and Rice recipe I finally wrangled from my sister that was so stinking delicious. New favorite! Will have to post recipe later!

Lasa's first ever cavity and filling. Stinky way to spend $240.

Bunny.

After school milkshake ... which was the bribery I used on day 4 of drop off to ensure the child would get out of the car without tears and fear.  Milkshake reward for choosing confidence and self-control worked like a charm!

An Anna original craft.  She worked all these branches together to make a toy for the bunnies.  Color me impressed!

Another Saturday picnic, this time at the greenway for some creek play to boot.

 

 

You know me and leaves and skies.

Howard PTO cheerful welcome on the first full week of school for Lasa.

I fall in love with her lunches every day.

Now we have TWO bunnies who use the doggie door and come on the porch at all times of the day.  This day, in particular, they hopped up in a chair together. Delightful.

On a cool, sorta rainy night, we soldiered on with a fire out back and it was delightful.  Josh and the kids spent the night in the hot tub watching it burn.  Combined with cool breeze and the steady light patter of rain, it was so relaxing!

More skies.  The clouds this month have been so fantastic.  Sunsets and sunrises, too!

 I swiped this from our local National Weather Service station's lead forecaster took one morning. Amazing!

 

We finally got a super-sized curtain up in the track by the Anna's bed from our summer bucket list. And let me tell ya, that girl is ga-ga for the final effect.  She calls it her retreat/cave/escape. She has since strung up fairy lights and signs and a llama mood lamp and she skips to bed when it's time because she is so pleased to pull that curtain up and be able to read without waking Lasa with her light at night.

Eventually, Lasa will have one, too.

Anna and her faves at Naomi's birthday party.

 

The Great Lego Sort of 2020 finally wrapped up this month.  Noah has done hours upon hours upon hours working through a big tote of legos that needed to be organized back to their places since the move from Noah's room back in April.  Josh and Anna sometimes get in there to help out.

And lastly, somehow, this month has ended on a poorer, lower note than I saw coming and my heart is broken again.  This hard thing I/we have wrestled with for the last year (almost two years honestly) has only yielded more new and surprising hard just now than I think I can endure.  I am not sure I will have any more blogging left in me after this last post, which is another sad fact.  I am trying really hard to keep my head above water... begging the Lord for relief. Pray for his irresistible movement in this with me if you will.