and just like that, back to school

how is it the end of summer???? we had such a good summer. a really, really good summer. i am always incredibly thankful that one of the perks of matt's job is that he gets four weeks of vacation, and that he can take them in the summer. since i am self-employed i can shape my schedule as needed. while neither of our jobs rake in the big bucks, we are gifted with flexibility and time, which means in the summer months we get quality time together as a family. (the only challenge is finding ways to take inexpensive vacations!) this year it felt like the summer raced by, and suddenly last monday it was time to go back to school!

back to school = bittersweet

i love having time with my girls, and the older they get the faster the time seems to whoosh! i also love working in my studio and working on freelance projects, and even with camps and activities for the kids in the summer it is nearly impossible for me to get much done with them home on vacation. 

back to school = the morning hustle to get the girls out of bed, dressed, fed, lunches made and in backpacks, shoes on, jackets on, in the car, through the traffic, parked, and up the hill by the time the bell rings. not my favorite time of day, and i need to lean into being a more patient, loving parent in the process of getting my kids out of the house. somehow i expect my small humans to be perfect little morning robots and.....they are not. somehow they hope that i will not yell at them to get out of the house (because for the love we do this 5 days a week all year long!) but.....i do.

anyway, lucky for all of us there was no yelling the first day of school, and i even got my crap together enough to take pictures of my little babies before they headed off to new classes!

ruby, my big first grader

monrovia, somehow now a third grader

 how can they drive me crazy and simultaneously reduce me to tears thanks to their first day of school cuteness? i don't even know. this year both girls are with seasoned, structured, warm teachers, and have at least one friend in class. i always get so ridiculously stressed out about what classroom they are going to be in, and each year they do just fine. people, what is wrong with me!? 

up the hill!

(every. single. morning. drama walking up this hill. you guys - it's not that steep! it's not that long! and yet every day the whining and the complaining! you'd think it was everest.)

back to school = back to seeing favorite friends every day! i can't believe ruby is in first grade. my baby is not-so-much-a-baby anymore. 

back to school = worktime for mama! hooray! so back to my studio, friends!

update: we are knee deep into new school year transition over here. god bless every single teacher because i only have two kids at my house and by the end of the week they were a hot mess! i can't imagine a classroom full of these tired kiddos. 

we've had tears, friend drama, recess drama, half-eaten lunches, mama talking in a loud-frustrated voice (ok, yelling) to get out the door, kids crawling into our bed in the middle of the night because who knows why but something about school, happy friend reunions, so many big feelings, new schedules and lots of morning coffee. 

and inevitably if i just ask what they did today at school, "eh, i don't know. nothing."

here's to the bittersweet! to the exhaustion of parenting! to the roller coaster of raising children, and sending them out into the heartbreaking and beautiful world of friendship and learning! here's to going back to school all over again through your children's eyes! here's to getting to school on time!