Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Commercials Are Right, it Really IS the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I couldn't be more overjoyed about school starting this week!  By the time the end of the summer holidays rolled around, I felt like all I was doing was preparing and cleaning up after a million snacks a day (my kitchen is a constant mess since my oldest never. stops. eating. I'm not joking.  All the clothes I bought her from Joe Fresh this last week were size 10-12, and she's 6.), and breaking up endless fights between the girls.

I've decided to call this, "The Summer of the 6 Year Old", as basically everything we did was geared around keeping her occupied and having fun.  It seems to me that when I was a child growing up on the farm, I would leave once in the summer for a week of Bible camp in the Cypress Hills, and other than that I had to entertain myself, mostly by playing with farm cats and sticks.

Buckets at the awesome new Strathcona water park. 
It's a shame that it opened at the end of the summer.
This summer the 6 yr old went to a week of art camp, two weeks of swimming lessons, a week of VBS (Vacation Bible School - crafts, songs, games and Bible lessons), a weekend in Castor, her cousin came here for a weekend, several sleepovers at the farm and our failed camping trip.  She also attended the Stampede numerous times; with us, and also with her horse-loving Grandma, who took her to the rodeo and horse shows.  Not to mention the innumerable trips to city water parks and the amazing new rubber park at Strathcona.  I've realized that I'm really just a glorified chauffeur as well as snack and towel provider.
I love the new bouncy rubber park at Strathcona,
no more worrying about the 3 yr old wiping out on
her butt at the bottom of the slide.

Although I feel a little sad that my oldest has headed off to Grade 1 this fall, I think the glorious 6.5 hours a day sans fighting will make up for it!

Update - I couldn't sleep last night because I was so anxious for her first day. She informed me yesterday that she hates school and didn't want to go.  But, she woke up excited (I woke up bleary-eyed after laying awake until 2 am) and didn't want me hanging around when I dropped her off.  When I asked her what she thought of school she said, "I love it, except when I come home from school I'm tired."  We'll both sleep well tonight!

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