Back to School...for the first time!

Alas, Summer was over and it was time to start school. A week or so before Charlie started Kindergarten we got to go in and meet the Kindergarten teachers and do some assessments. I was so excited! Charlie was too. We dropped of our school supplies and Charlie met with a teacher. Then we walked around the school and ended up playing on the playground.

  
While Charlie was prepping for Kindergarten, Miles was preparing to start Joy School with a group of church friends. He was super excited, so here are his back-to-school photos.

 Sharing his wisdom.

 And Charlie's back to school photos.

As part of Back to School prep. We forged a jungle trail that would allow us to safely walk to and from school. So here is Charlie showing off the trail he worked on.  It's been awesome walking to and from school. At first, I walked with Charlie in the morning but now Max is already at work that time of day so we usually drive in the morning (since I can't get 3 kids ready and out the door by 7:30) but we walk in the afternoon whenever we are able. I'm super impressed that Miles' little legs have been able to do so well with this and it has been a fun thing to do with my boys. (it's about 1.5 hilly miles round trip.)

This is just really exciting to me since we don't live in a very walk-friendly neighborhood.

And then the day came when it was the first day of school for both my boys. Miles started Joy school and Charlie was supposed to start Kindergarten but it was postponed due to extreme heat and the 100+ year old school building not having air conditioning. (I would love a heat warning right about now, as I am writing this mid-December)

There was also some craziness with the Kindergarten at Charlie's school. They were supposed to be able to hire a third teacher but the district said they couldn't since they were one student short of meeting the quota (They had 59 students split between 2 teachers. ) By the end of the first day, they finally met the quota and his school was able to hire the new teacher, who was waiting patiently on call. Charlie got switched to the new teacher the second week of school which has been amazing after some initial nervousness. We love his teacher! Both boys are loving their schools. There are six kids in Miles Joy school so I teach every six weeks and it has been so fun with a great group of kids!

Farewell Summer Beach Trip

A couple days after the eclipse, Elizabeth was in town and planned on a cousin beach trip.  Thank goodness for her, without her, we would never do anything fun. I was hesitant to go since Max was working and I would be taking all 3 kids on my own. The cousins eased my worries and we ventured out.
The drive was MISERABLE! Edwin refused to nap and was grumpy/exhausted the whole time. And for some reason my big boys were just being mean and rough with the baby (probably why he didn't sleep) I wanted to turn around a bunch but knew they would be better once we got to the beach....plus once we passed the halfway point, it wouldn't make sense to go back and spend extra time in the car. Once we arrived, and found our spot near the river at Neskowin beach, they were much more happy and content, and they could still play in the river area.

 I was not expecting it to be as hot and sunny as it was. I remembered the sunscreen but no hat for the baby. When I texted Max about this, he immediately told me to do this....He's an expert at protecting bald heads in the sun!

 More fun play together...

Cousins

 Enjoying some warm sand in his toes for the last time in awhile. 

 Big boys planning their creation..

After the kids turned into grumps we decided to pack up, but the fun didn't end there. We made our way to Brittany's house who lives in Tillamook and had a pizza party and playtime. When it was time to go, my boys were throwing some fits.. (well, one boy in particular) He calmed down on the drive home and we made it back safely. I think it was worth it though...Because that was the last time we saw the ocean before it got freezing.