Endings and Beginnings

Summer vacation is rapidly coming to an end in these here parts. I have so enjoyed our relaxed pace of summer: watching Marty in the garden in the early morning, all three meals together as a family, spontaneous day trips, the reading of books books books!, and that satisfied feeling of completing projects. I feel blessed for these beautiful weeks we have had with our papa home, but I'm turning my sights to our favorite season of the year and the start of a new academic year. More so than New Year's, I feel a sense of renewal and desire to set new goals as the school year commences.

This year, as we get back into the routine of solo-mama days, piano afternoons, and much-needed family-centered nights, I just want to make a goal to enjoy it all more than ever. So much of my time as a wife and mother has been filled with morning sickness and the newborn crazy days (aka me not really feeling up to the tasks at hand) that I want to just stop and savor every part of life for what it is. As the summer approaches, we sit down as a family and create an ABCs of summer list of things we want to accomplish in that season--at least one thing for each letter of the alphabet. However, I'm feeling like that tradition should span the seasons! So, for the blogging world to see, I'm posting our ABC's of Fall 2012. I figure I'll give myself a few week head start to plan for everything:)

The ABCs of Fall 2012:

A--apple picking, apple cider, applesauce....you get the idea.
B--Back-to-school feast, books as a family
C--corn maze, Cemetery visit, Conference weekend, cranberries
D--decorating/finishing some inside projects
E--earlier bedtimes (for everyone!)
F--Fall Festival for the neighborhood, football
G--garlic planting for the spring
H--homemade Halloween costumes, hiking, hayride
I--Indoor camping trip
J--jump rope (Dot really wants to learn)
K--kites, knitting
L--leaf piles and leaf-peeping, library trips
M--mums, movies (Mona Lisa Smile, Rudy, etc..)
N--New York trip to see Kristi and Fam
O--organize closets
P--pumpkin pie, Plimoth Plantation, picnic
Q--quilting
R--roasted veggies
S--star-gazing, smores, soccer games
T--Trick-or-Treating, tea parties, Temple trip, Thanksgiving Feast
U--undies for Goose (another go at potty training--no pun intended)
V--Volunteer somewhere
W--Walden Pond walk
X--eXercise (a stretch, but I'll take it)
Y--Yard work
Z--Zoo


There. That should keep us busy for a while.