Are we there yet?

The summer is winding down. Slooooowly. Last year, school started the second week of August. But stronger legislation pushed the official start date to the end of the month. This year, back to school means Anna starts kindergarten -- Hooray! -- but what really gets me is this idea of "Kate" as a fourth grader.

I remember Katie in kindergarten-- journaling our weekend with the class tiger, Ms. Ledford/Johnson letting Katie bring baby Anna on her special show and tell day (S is for sister), and the trip to the pumpkin patch. In first grade there was a Valentine's day party, our Polar Express field trip to the theater in pjs, and Ms. Mewhinney reporting Katie's great progress the first half of the year. But second and third grades (Ms. Kollasch and Ms. Harvey) are a blur. Two years gone in a flash. Weird.

Time is tricky, though. School doesn't start until the 27th and the next two-plus weeks of summer loom large.

Our hundred-degree Texas heat has finally kicked in, and even a trip to the pool is unappealing. The house leaves much to be desired: the vacuum is in the shop for repair, laundry duty calls, and the projects I want to do are big and messy and easier to contemplate with girls in school. Having the girls here and John working from home somehow makes it harder to do my thing. The day is punctuated with the girls' squeals and arguments. I have contemplated squeezing in another road trip just to get away and fill the days but talked myself out of it again.

I really need to get ALL the laundry done, inventory the girls' shoes and clothes for school, then shop for the tennies/backpacks/ clothing they will need this year. Shopping is not their favorite thing -- I only like it in small doses, myself -- but they really dislike trying on clothes (new or old) to check the fit.

This might take two and a half weeks.