Already?

I can't believe I'm saying this - school starts in two days! Where did the summer go? Hannah and Rachel are unbelievably excited and ask daily, "How many sleeps until school starts?" I realize that life will be a bit less complicated once they are back in school - this family just seems to run better when we have a routine and schedule. But I am going to miss having them around so much! We did a lot of fun things this summer (see this post), but there are still quite a few things we didn't get to. Now we're limited to Friday evenings and weekends. But I'm so glad they enjoy school so much - they just about cried whenever we had a snow day last winter. They're excited to see their friends, meet their teachers, and learn some really great stuff.

Abbie will, however, still be with me this year. We decided not to enroll her in preschool. While we love Hand in Hand Preschool, Abbie didn't have quite the same feelings. She enjoyed herself, learned a lot, had fun and made friends. But her heart wasn't really in it, and she would much rather be home with me. So when she "announced" that she would not be returning to preschool in the fall, but would be homeschooled instead, Al and I seriously considered the possibility. In addition to her not wanting to go, there's the incentive of saving money on the tuition. Not to mention the 20 mile round trip three times a week at $4.00 per gallon. And I really look forward to "doing school" with Abbie! We're going to cover one letter of the alphabet per week, using books, cooking and field trips to learn about things that begin with that letter. I've collected lots of preschool learning games and toys over the years, as well as tons of books, so we'll have many different subjects to explore. And then, Abbie tells us, she'll be ready to go to Kindergarten at school with her sisters. Alrighty, then!

I have bought all the big girls' school supplies, and a few items of clothing, though they'll be in capris and short-sleeve shirts for the next few weeks, as temps reach the 80s until into September. They have last year's back packs all ready to go (LL Bean - this is Hannah's fourth year with hers, they last that long!). I bought them new lunch sacks at The Children's Place - $6.50 each, and they look great even after a year of daily use. New sneakers (Rachel's feet are now nearly two sizes bigger than in the spring!), new school shoes, and they're ready to go! I'll get them more stuff as fall approaches - I do enjoy the shopping aspect of back-to-school!

This afternoon is supply drop-off and Meet the Teacher day for Hannah and Rachel. They're so excited, and Al and I are looking forward to meeting their teachers and seeing the classrooms they'll be enjoying for the next nine months. Hannah will take the bus on the first day, but Rachel has asked me to drive her in on that day. She'll ride the bus home with Hannah. Rachel had half-day Kindergarten last year, so she'll now be attending school all day. I'm expecting her to be pretty tired for a couple of weeks while she gets used to the long days.

I'll be sure to take lots of pictures - and lots of tissues!