September happenings

Somehow I missed putting up the first day of school photo. So here it is. This year the bus comes 40 minutes later than last year because there is a new French school in our town. Yeah. I think it will make the morning much easier for Gaëlle altho for the most part she handled the early mornings with a good attitude.

September brings the first day of school and also Gaëlle's birthday. Such anticipation. Such excitement. Such joy. This year we were missing a few family members. In fact, there were only 3 of us here on the actual birthday. Not much of a family birthday. So there were big smiles when Carol drove up to join in the celebration. I even got Carol to help decorate the cheesecake.

When Emily left, she gifted Gaëlle with all of her American Girl doll things. So thoughtful of her.

When Kaylin left for school she also left behind a gift. All along, this was the gift to be opened first. And it was. A very delicate necklace. So sweet.

Big smiles as the birthday girl is surrounded by her bags of loot.

Carol also brought a family gift; a big bag of jelly bellies. That makes Peter smile.

By the time we had our cake, the cool whip had dripped a little. Oops. Lesson learned. But the birthday girl didn't care. 9 candles for the Birthday Girl. 

Missing our girls

This week, we took another daughter back to school. Kaylin decided she wanted to take Snickers back with her. After all, Snickers is her dog.

Snickers is always up for a car ride.

Peter and Gaëlle had to come with us but they were good sports even though they were crammed in.

I was slightly nervous about the mattress on top of the van and even pulled over in a panic at one point because I thought it was slipping. But it was just my imagination. 

We made it and got all of her stuff unloaded. It was raining a bit while we hauled bags into the house, but it soon stopped and the sun came out. 

Last stop before we left was a trip to the grocery store. Kaylin is sharing a house with 2 other girls. It's a really nice set up and the girls shared an apartment last year so they know how to get along and work together. 

Meanwhile, we not only miss Kaylin, but also the joy of Snickers when we come home. There's nothing quite like the enthusiasm of a little dog greeting you.