The late Summer Sun...

Well with Labor Day comes the feeling that summer really is over. Around here it includes the falling leaves (yes, that really did start in August) and the late summer sun. There are late summer sounds and September brings two more birthdays at our house. E8 will soon be nine and my husband has a birthday five days later. As we arrived home early this evening from yet another summer's vacation, it really felt like fall as the kids practiced soccer drills in our backyard.

Public school children are all back at school this week, the fall sports schedules are underway, and life after summer is beginning to resume. Remember back in school each year the teacher would ask what you did all summer? A simple beginning of school activity is actually not a bad one to adopt for us all. The beginning of a new season is a good time to reflect on what has passed.

So, what did we do this summer? Here is our list!

May- Trip to Shenandoah National Park and Big Meadows for a week long camping trip with my mom and dad. We also visited some of my husband's old friends. We saw Luray Caverns and got lost in a maze.

June- We visited a former Six Flags amusement park on homeschool discount tickets. Going before public school lets out proved to be a wonderful strategy again as the kids enjoyed countless rides with no line! They'll have a rude awakening at some point.

July- Four day camping trip to Lake Ontario with friends. Another spectacular trip to our favorite campground on the lake. Plenty of sunshine for the beach and cool nights for the campfire.

August- Camping trip to a local state park with friends from Maryland. Another camping trip to yet another state park on Lake Ontario for two nights, and finally a trip to Annapolis to visit grandparents. During this last trip we took a day trip to Baltimore to see the National Aquarium and Port Discovery-a kid's play place. We also took an overnight to Rehoboth Beach, DE and managed to ride go karts, play at funland, swim in the surf and play on the sand. We took in an outdoor concert put on by the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and spent tons of time playing with cousins just our children's ages.

In addition to all the trips, we celebrated four birthdays and hosted grandparents at our house. We sure did make some memories this summer. Now it's back to reality and getting ourselves together for the next season. It is one of my absolute favorites and I just can't wait to prepare our hearts and home for autumn!