to a new year

Not Enough Time in the Day + Tired Mom = ME!

And I lamented the fact that our NOT bummer summer really wasn't that fantastic at all.  If there's no big 'remember when' vacation, it somehow feels like summer never happened.   We checked a lot off our list, yet only managed to complete one row.  So the day before school started, I took them to Chuck E. Cheese.... and the last three months were quickly forgotten.  (End it on a good note, and they'll never know!)




Maymont with friends...the brothers were showing some LOVE.  These two really are daredevils.  Diego is following right in Joaquin's footsteps, climbing rocks and trekking paths.






Interesting expressions.



Not sure what he's doing with his hair as he stares down the eagle.



Carmen amazed by everything, as always.  Babies are so much FUN!!  The world is new again.



The weekend before school started, we went on a family walk downtown at the canal.  Way too hot.  Carmen didn't want any of it.  So we called it a day and left early.



But we did see some amazing graffiti art that we hadn't seen before...



...how do they do that?



The four.  Carmen fits right in with her love of books!  Eating them, reading them...it's all the same.



Oh, yeah.  JP decided to knock down our chimney one weekend.  He demolished my favorite desk as the stones came crashing down, but I had to be thankful he was okay.  This was only days after I read a great book, One Year to an Organized Life, and had determined to declutter and make our house beautiful.  Typical.

It's ready for drywall now, so we'll take some after pictures when it's done.



And then school finally started.  A fifth grader...



...and a fourth grader.



Diego's doing preschool with me.  Nothing too complicated...how about blowing on baby sister's cool hair?  Science experiment, check!



And in the middle of all the new beginnings, we had a very important birthday to celebrate.  And what a busy day it was!  His first travel game of the soccer season and he made three goals!!



Some way cool presents....Joaquin is into trash packs...he's not sure he wants his friends to know it, but I'm encouraging him to be himself and to know it's okay to like what he likes.



I pulled 'other one' bear out of the pile up and he said he still smells like he did when he was a baby.



Diego made an amazing birthday card with Mario and Wigi and bob-omb and some way cool secret door.



Still on his birthday....TaeKwonDo demo practice....Joaquin is on the kicking team and can do some amazing things.  We finished up his big day with just Daddy, Mommy and Carmen to his favorite restaurant and one activity.  Guess what he chose?.....Panera Bread and Putt-Putt.  He even scored a hole in one with some wild hit over a rock and around the bend.  Crazy.  The next day he said it was the worst birthday ever, but I reminded him of all he did and as I always say, how much better could it get?



Our Saturdays this fall will be filled with soccer games.  We have THREE playing and JP is coaching Diego's team!!  This was us before we went our separate ways to get everyone where they needed to be on time.



We're still working on that hair.  Her bow stays now....



...and look at that cute little face.



Did I mention she's crawling?  She inches forward on her face.  I really do need to take a video of it.

So that's it in a nutshell.

Just one little nap...for me.  That's all I ask.