Fall Insanity

Really, I should expect this, particularly after our Summer of Insanity. And yet, silly me, I actually was deluded enough to think that I would have a bit of a break once school started. You'd think I'd learn.

So, summer....let's review, shall we?
June--Church camp for Tristan. He's home for 5 days, and we ran off to Mesa Verde for about a week. AWESOME trip.

July--We returned from MV on the 3rd. The next weekend, 7/10, we were back at church camp for our annual Family Camp weekend up there.
Home on Sunday, and the boys left the following Saturday for Scout Camp. Girls and I left Sunday for church camp.
Home on Friday (girls) and Saturday (boys), and then off the following Thursday for a quick visit with my parents. We were there for just 3 days, and really, it was a PERFECT amount of time. Mom, of course, complained that it was "too short," and all of that, but the 4th day of any visit with her is usually a doozy. We may make this our new tradition.
Home on Monday night. Tristan and Shannon leave on Sunday for Diabetes camp. At this point, Tristan hasn't slept in his own bed more than 5 consecutive nights since early June and it's mid-August.
Home on Friday. Vacation Bible School starts on Monday. I didn't volunteer this year, except on Friday when the craft helper couldn't be there.
VBS goes through Friday, with a performance of the cute little songs and reader's theatre in church on Sunday and at the family BBQ Sunday afternoon. Alana, however, had to miss both because she threw up Sunday morning before church.
School started last Monday, and soccer started last week, so here we are.

We had an awesome summer, with fantastic new experiences with the kids. It was just so back-to-back busy that I was never sure if we were coming or going.

Now, our lives look like this:
Monday--Piano Lessons for Alana; Swimming for Shannon; Scouts for Tristan (and Bruce).
Tuesday--Back-to-back soccer practices for Alana and Tristan; Yoga for me
Wednesday--Swimming for Shannon; CM Meetings for me (every other Wed usually, but we've had a lot of meetings lately).
Thursday--Back-to-back or simultaneous soccer games for Alana and Tristan; Yoga for me, if life doesn't interfere too much.
Friday--Swimming for Shannon; Sax lesson for Tristan
Saturday morning--Back-to-back or simultaneous soccer games for Alana and Tristan. Yoga is offered at 8:30, but I can't make it due to the whole soccer thing.
Sunday--Church, of course, plus choir practice for the girls, youth group for Tristan, and once a month, Tween Flicks for Shannon. Also scrapbooking once a month.

This week, we add in the Scout family BBQ tonight, plus Back to School night on Thursday. Alana's soccer game is at 6:45, and BTS starts at 7:00. If Alana's game starts on time, we should be able to make it to BTS about the time they stop yapping at everyone in the gym and move on to the classrooms. I've chatted at length with Shannon's teacher, but I don't know Alana's well at all, so I really want to go meet her.

Tristan is trying out for Jazz band, which would mean before-school practices on Wednesday and Friday. Shannon will take orchestra again, which means schlepping her to the jr high Tuesday and Thursday mornings, then picking her up and bringing her to school.

And, of course, there are all sorts of fun things coming down the pike for us too.
Next weekend--Camping at Great Basin Nat'l Park, with a tour of Lehman Caves.
September 12 weekend--Yard Sale, Company Open House, CM card class
September 19 weekend--Boy Scout campout, CM crop, Annual consignment sale where I sell and buy gently used kids' clothes, books, toys, etc.
September 26 weekend--Dream Dinners session on Saturday, but so far (knock wood) that's it.
October 3 weekend--Camping at Buckhorn Wash, Middle-of-nowhere central Utah (as in, make your own freeway exit, middle-of-nowhere!).
October 10 weekend--Croptoberfest, Tristan's liturgist at church, and he's playing in the youth praise band. I'm forgetting something else that weekend, but it's a ways off, so that's okay, right?
October 17 weekend--Something's up, but I'm not sure what. That date is just really familiar to me right now.

So, there you have it. My "relaxed" life where I can get a "break" now that school has started.

You can stop laughing now.

Really, I'm not complaining. I'm a bit frustrated with myself for not being more on top of things over the last week or so, but I'll catch up and get it back together. I'm still on "summer" in some ways, so I spend my time flitting from thing to thing until I realize that it's 5:00 and we need dinner NOW because someone has to be somewhere and Bruce is still at work (he's buried right now).

Honestly, I'm glad we can offer our kids these opportunities for church, sports, and music. They love it. And if you look at it, it's not that many activities for each child. It's just that there are 3 of them! LOL! Really, I could be busy doing things that are a lot less interesting, a lot less fun, so I'm truly not complaining. I love our crazy lives! I love that the kids have these opportunities to do these things. I love watching them try new things, enjoy them, and learn along the way to discovering who they are. It's a fabulous blessing.