So Long Summer...

We're back in the swing of school and almost settled into a routine, and I am just sitting down to recap our last glorious month of summer. I have to admit, although the last two summers have been special and fun in their own ways, I really loved this summer most of all. The girls are just a little bit older and we are able to go and do and explore and enjoy each other's company. I was so sad to see summer go!

August started out with our annual Buckmaster Family Vacation with George's whole family. We all met in Granbury on Wednesday and enjoyed a long weekend together. Thursday we played at Grandma and Pawpaw's house and then on Friday we all went to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and drove through the facility seeing so many cool animals -- like zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and antelope, just to name a few. It was so much fun and the girls LOVED it! We ended the busy morning at Cici's (a first for the girls) and everyone enjoyed long naps afterwards. On Saturday, Grandma and Pawpaw graciously agreed to have granddaughter duty and the siblings and spouses all spent the afternoon at the local brewery. It was so much fun to visit and spend time together! We were sad to see our vacation end on Sunday and can't wait for next year.

The next week, the girls and I spent the beginning of the week at Mommy and Me Art Camp at Van Grow Art Studios. We are so lucky to have this little gem so close to home! It was challenging keeping two toddlers on task (and not painting their entire bodies), but they had fun and the instructor was a good sport! We skipped out on art camp a little early and headed to New Mexico for a long weekend with the Sanders. We had the BEST time! We loved it so much that by the end of the trip, we were looking for houses to buy together! We drove up Thursday morning and George and I were not sure how the girls would do on an 8 hour road trip. Although they didn't nap until 30 minutes before we arrived and probably watched way too many cartoons, they did so well! It was a pleasant drive and we made it to cooler weather and the mountains in great time. We spent four days playing, laughing, cooking, eating, bouncing (the bounce house traveled with us, of course), hot-tubbing, and laughing some more. There was a great park super close to the house, so on Friday we got lunch at ate at the park before letting the kiddos burn off some energy. Saturday we went to the horse races, which was such a fun experience. Saturday evening it was chilly (around 50) and preseason football was on and I felt like I was in Heaven! We headed back (begrudgingly) on Sunday ready to prepare for back-to-school. It was such a wonderful vacation and the perfect way to unwind and relax before school started (and escape the crazy August heat in Fort Worth). We constantly feel blessed and so fortunate to have such wonderful friends living across the street.

The next week was busy with school prep, Junior League and a work day and in-service at the end of the week. Grandma helped out and we were so grateful (and of course, the girls loved spending time with her). We had a fun dinner with the Sudbecks, and I was officially back to work the fourth week of August. This year, I don't have a teaching partner (because of a small class) and it was so overwhelming and stressful getting ready for school to begin. We made it to Friday, which meant Meet-the-Teacher time, and the girls were so happy to meet Mrs. Heather. We celebrated the last day of summer with ice-cream and had a low-key weekend at home. Monday meant back to school, back to schedules, and back to crazy but it also meant that college football was just around the corner!

Fall is my favorite season of all --but I was so sad to see summer go! It's hard to believe that next summer we will have 3.5 year olds! I can't wait to see what this school year has in store for our family. <3 p="">