See You in the Mourning....

Here we are about 36 hours before school starts. In just a mere day and a half, my house will be completely quiet. I hear all of these other parents on Facebook and around town overjoyed about the kids going back to school. I sit here and type this almost in tears. I absolutely adore my children. If you would have told me back when I was an overachieving academic that I would throw three degrees in the back seat and devote a large portion of my adult life to raising my two amazing children, I would have told you that you were INSANE. But, once I saw that little boy that graced my life almost thirteen years ago, there was no going back. And here I am now, lamenting another summer gone by and another school year about to start.

There are some things I am looking forward to for this school year. Its my daughter's last year of Elementary school. She will have a locker this year, get to be a safety patrol, go on a fifth grade retreat. My son will be halfway though middle school and he will be a teenager in a few months. I don't like the fact that these nine months carry with it so much "stuff" that I don't get to spend much quality time with them. From the time I pick them up from school, its homework, reading, studying. They have to go to this practice, that practice, this club, that thing.

One thing we have started doing is focusing on travel. Since our son will be thirteen this year, we came to the horrifying realization that we only have five years left before he will be starting out on his own. Five years!! Five years goes by in a blink. I know most of you sewing folks are still playing with toddlers and nursing babies, don't blink - time does fly! I know people used to tell me that when the kids were younger, enjoy that time now or you'll turn around and they will be adults! So this summer we had the privilege of travelling for a month to Europe. We did two transatlantic crossings and spent two weeks in Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Denmark and then spent some time in England (London, Stonehenge, Salisbury, Southampton). It was amazing. I feel like I am the luckiest person in the world to have such a close relationship with my kids. I know the terrible teens are upon us, but I pray that we can continue to have this bond.

Here are some pics from our trip:

So tomorrow we will go set up her locker and get her school supplies dropped off and tomorrow night, my husband and I will go for parent orientation. Tuesday morning, they will get up, get new bookbags and expectations, load up in the car and start the 2013-14 school year. A fresh new morning that will include a small part of my own personal mourning. This is one of the reasons why I am doing the handmade school year, she will always be wearing a little piece of my love and heart while we are apart.

*sniff sniff* until next time,
Christie