This time of year is bittersweet for me. I imagine many moms must feel this way as they put their babies on the school bus for the first time after the summer has drawn to a close. For me, it has been a long and busy summer filled with lots of juggling and planning activities for my children who seem to be constantly bored. I think we managed to have a some fun and many laughs together, but trust me, it was 100 times more difficult to get my work done! Today I missed them dearly, but as I walked into the house after putting them on the bus and closed the door, I stood with a smile on my face as I quietly listened to the sound of... nothing (well almost, I still have a 2 year old in the house).

So for my post today... I'm going to add a few not so perfect photos... my snapshots. First a few from our camping trip in the Shenandoah Mountains. As an aside, I must say packing for the beach (and most any other trip) is easy compared to packing for camping. Our car was just as loaded for 2 days of camping as it was for an entire week at the beach. Needless to say, this was not back country camping-- our car was a short hike away from our campsite and there were bathrooms closeby, as well. We were not roughin' it, but it was a great way to break us non-campers in. We all had so much fun!

Here are all the kids trying so hard to be still! Notice my daughter is the one with the huge band-aid on her forehead.

I love this one which was taken during a hike.

And this one shows my friends becoming "one" with nature!

Finally, some really neat wildflowers we happened upon during our hike.

And finally two photos showing the beginning of peace, recovery, and a brand new school year!

Back to business tomorrow!