End of Summer, Beginning of School

Monday was Labor Day. On a whim we decided to cross one of the items off our New York Adventure List (check it out here). We threw some food in a grocery sack for an impromptu picnic, hopped in the car and took an hour-long scenic drive to Sodus Point where we visited the two lighthouses there--the currently functioning lighthouse. . .

and the historic limestone lighthouse on the bluff.

It started raining when we were on the pier, but we didn't want to leave without seeing everything after our long drive, so we decided to splurge on a guided tour of Big Sodus Light, built in 1870.

My history loving kids did great during the long-winded (but jovial) tour guide's ramblings and by the end of the tour the thunder storm had abated and we were allowed to climb the cast iron stairs of the lighthouse tower to see the view from the top.

We enjoyed driving through the charming little town of Sodus Point and taking in the miles of apple orchards, farmland and quaint villages and hamlets on the drives up and back. We feel fortunate to live in such a beautiful area.

My kids started back to school on Wednesday after the longest summer ever. We are looking forward to a great school year. Things have been a little bit rough here at the beginning as we've tried to figure out bus routes and schedules and staying after school for cross country, band and other activities. We are still a single car family right now so getting everyone where they need to be when they need to be there has been a challenge. Then there was the lady who yelled at us from her window as we waited for the elementary school bus this morning to "get out of here and don't come back." Sorry lady. My kids are riding the bus and this is their stop whether you like it or not.

On an up note, my kids seem pretty happy to be back in school--mostly--and we are getting back into a routine. I am finding that even after just the last couple of days the peace during the day is affording me some time to decompress and be able to deal a little better with all the stress in my life. My kids are already showing some signs of maturity that make me happy, like when I missed the afternoon bus yesterday but my fourth grader made sure he and his first grader brother got off the bus, crossed the road safely and started walking home (and met me about halfway home huffing and puffing from running to try to get to their stop on time). This was pretty big for us. Another proud mom moment: My 12 year old son ironed his own shirt for the first day of school. He picked it out and ironed it without asking me to do it--without asking me for any help at all actually. He's growing up!

And while I'm bragging on my kids let me mention that my 14 year old surprised me by making my bed for me the other morning. Maybe it is not exactly how I would have done it, but still amazing! Okay, I'm finished. Thanks for indulging my braggadocio.

Of course there will be some adjustments to make. My first grader didn't want to do any more homework after completing one worksheet last night (see post here), but I'm sure things will become routine soon enough. Tonight is the first home football game of the year; we are looking forward to watching our 10th grader perform with the marching band. We've heard great things about the band. We have also heard pretty promising news on the house buying front as well, so things are looking up.

Oh, and I found roughly 200 photos like these on our iPad.

You're welcome.

So, how are you adjusting to the end of summer? Any tips for dealing with the mean bus-stop lady? I'd love to hear from you in the comments section.

P.S. You can see some other snippets of our lives HERE.