The summer of our content

I'm embarrassed to admit that forcing myself out of bed at 6 this morning to make sure we got to our first day of school on time felt a lot like getting up to go to work. For any and all of you who aren't such lazy slackers as to be able to stay at home and suck your thumb while sitting at your laptop and call it work, I fully understand why you might be laughing right now.  But after this leisure-time bender of a summer, which crescendoed with ten straight days at the beach, I think I might be in shock.

But I also think, I've come a long way as a mom who once went into an absolute panic at the thought of spending even one full  day alone with my kids with no "higher purpose" to at least pretend I needed to attend to.

If this is surrender, I think I like it.

And as much as I appreciate the seasons and the beauty that is fall and winter, I always get nostalgic right about this time every year.

Summer is so fast and furious. It feels kind of like being part of an explosion. Now, with the shorter days and the cooler nights, I'm overly aware of the little bits of shrapnel everywhere that need to be picked up.

But Esther and Isla were so anxious to get to school, their first day, this morning, Isla even let Esther do her hair, I can't help but see the upsides in all this back to school stuff as well. Even kids, it seems, need to go back to work.

So, at the risk of rambling on and on with no real destination or point, I will leave you with a few final images of our criminally-contented summer.