First day of school! First day of school!

So we are back in school! We started last week, August 20. And so far, we are all making straight As.... I hope that continues!

One thing I realized is that last Wednesday began the first day of TWELVE (yes, count them, 12) years as a High School mom. Geez, someone drew the short straw, didn't they??? Well, I suppose that by the time it is done I can write a book on how to get through 4 years of it successfully, and make the big bucks. After all, if I can do 12 years non-stop, anyone can do a measly four years, right?

Spencer started classes on his Senior year this week, and is back on campus getting into the swing of things after a good summer off. After he finished his summer class in June, he came here for a couple weeks, then went to Pensacola with his mom, then spent a week fishing in Stuart, FL with Sarah, then did a conference in Nashville and Memphis. He will do an internship beginning in January (and most likely in Memphis) in preparation for graduation. We plan to visit with him sometime soon! He will be coming to WV for Thanksgiving again, and we are very excited for that!

Also last week, Madelyn celebrated birthday #10. Yes, double digits. We had her friends Alexis, Sydney and Anna over and took them to the World's Championship Saddlebred Horse Show at the state fair last Friday (August 22, which is her actual birthday). They had a ball! We had make-your-own-pizzas and cupcakes before we left, but of course they had to have a funnel cake. And do you know that my sweet hubby had never before tasted this most awesome fair delicacy? I know, I couldn't believe it either! But it is true. He wishes he'd never had a bite, because as we all know, those funnel cakes are DE-lish, and once you start eating, it is hard to stop.

Most of my photos came out a bit blurry (OK, a lot blurry) but I hate using a flash at nite, and some of the lights and colors out there are so good! So I sacrifice for that.... I will get better over time I hope. For this shot, I told the girls to smile, and DON'T MOVE! Check out the Farris Wheel! Love it!

So after the big shindig, the little girls went to dad's for the night, while Ben and I had Kaelyn, and we all went to her BFF's parents' 25th anniversary party. We had a nice time, but didn't know too many folks, so Ben and I left about 9:30. We should have stayed, as it turned into quite the event! Molly (the better half of the couple celebrating) broke her foot! Gah! Can you imagine!? Must have been a WHOLE LOTTA fun! :)

We are now into week two of school, and auction meetings are in full swing, and Shelley and I are planning Girl Scouts again. Hard to believe we are in our 5th year of leading these girls. We expect to have about 10 back again, as one moved to TX this summer. We may pick up a few, but it's hard to say. Middle School is when girls move on to other things and drop GS, so we will just have to see. We have big plans too, possibly earning the Bronze Award (highest honor at this level you can earn). But we are not totally sure that is what we will take on at this point, but still in the discussion stages. It should be a very fun year, regardless of what awards/badges we decide to earn!

September is shaping up to be a big busy month for us. But Ben and I do have one very fun and exciting weekend planned. We begin on September 18 with tickets to see Rascal Flatts! When we first started dating, we made a list of things we'd like to do together, and a Rascal Flatts concert was one of those things we put down. So we are really looking forward to that, even this 2 years later! Then Saturday, September 20, we go up to Indy for a fun night, and Sunday we will take in the Colts game! We are so excited about this, as Ben is a huge Colts fan, and I love watching them as well. I hope that Manning will be playing (I believe he is supposed to).... What a fun time!

Otherwise, we will be at many cross country meets (Madelyn is running for the MS this year), intramurals (Kaelyn), dance classes (Peyton and Madelyn) and various other school related functions like Open Houses and Trivia Night.

So it is back to busy-as-ever and trying-to-catch-our-breath. I am sad summer is coming to an end, and that soon the pool will be close, it will be dark at 5:30pm, and the cold will be here. I will do all I can to enjoy these waning days of SUMMER!

PS.... can you spot a pseudo-celebrity in any of the above photos??? It is Carson Kressly from QEFSG handing out the ribbon to the horse winner. He has on a light blue jacket... You can barely make him out. But he comes every year for the show - he's big into the Saddlebreds.