Routine

I. Love. Routine. I will go ahead and fess up to the fact that I like a plan and some realistic expectations. I have been known to make a trip folder with directions, confirmation numbers, packing lists, etc. So, as much as I love summer and I am learning to relax (and yes, I realize how pitiful that sounds), I get a little giddy for some routine.

I also kind of love the smells of fall and the feel of a cool, crisp autumn morning. I yearn for that first Saturday of the season that it actually feels like football weather.

Well, lucky me, because post-Labor Day around here means routine. (And hopefully, before too long, it will also mean cooler weather. I am almost insulted to see 100 degree temperatures in the month of September!) We are starting with regular dance classes, new karate schedule, school is feeling normal and not jolting . . . we are moving towards my fashion happy place--sweatshirts, scarfs, sweaters, jeans and boots. Hooray for Fall!!

And, yay, Caroline was able to be at school all week! That cough was awful. Honestly, it was one of the sickest times I have seen her and she told me she had moments where she thought she would never feel better again. There were times during her week off that (minus the fact that she was sick), I enjoyed her being home . . . I love my Care Bear and it was nice to cuddle with her sometimes and watch a Baby Story on TLC. But, it has been great to get her back in school and (for the first week of the new year) start to figure out our new normal. Like today, I went on a walk with my sister after all the peeps were dropped off (stroller in tow, of course) and then Sassy and I hit up Target and the car wash and then came home to do some house work and cuddle in the big chair in Mommy's room to watch Max and Ruby. The bunnies used to drive me crazy, but I have to say, as my family has grown, I believe that Ruby is actually quite a gem. We have also done some dancing, some house playing and now she is playing Doodle Fit while I blog. This life is one I can definitely enjoy.

I have a few things on my blogging mind to do over the next few days, weeks, and months. I have some posts brewing inside of me and I am trying to figure out if they are for public consumption. I am doing some soul searching, some personal reflecting and planning and a little 9 month challenge out of a book I am reading. Basically, if I can carve out some time each day, the blog material above and beyond what my rugrats provide, will be flowing.

Until then, though, I leave you with these 2 flashbacks for me. Caroline is cheering for my alma mater. It is ca-razy to see her in a PA uniform. Fun and weird and (honestly) not something I really imagined as a kid because I hadn't thought about living in Little Rock as a grown up. But, I am thrilled watching her make her own happy memories somewhere that I loved so much.

And, Josh has introduced Caroline (and by default Sascha) to Saved by the Bell. Netflix is so fun. Caroline has traded Ant Farm and other recent Disney tween shows for the kids at Bayside and sometimes I "force" myself to sit through an episode with her--nostalgia is awesome!