Let's Do Fall!

I am basically now running on creative energy. Even though it's hard to be back, I feel so good thinking about school, beginning to figure out the needs of my students, and beginning planning again. It's a creative joy! 

Oh sure, I will get tired of it eventually but that back to school -ness is real and I love coming up with things, thinking quick on my feet all day long, making adjustments as I teach, and just being back in the classroom. 

I've even had more energy at home. Tonight after dinner I asked Anna and Abigail to help me gather anything with strawberries on it and bring it to be packed away until next July. On a school night! I'll be starting to think about fall decor around here this weekend. I'm using all of my antiques and as much nature as I can use. I guess all of that back to school creative juice is also got me motivated at home. 

I love this time of year. There is so much to look forward to! All of that autumn weather in New England. I can hardly wait! And I'm not going to waste one minute of it! Starting Friday evening... let's do fall! 

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school and 

I

Am

Tired! 

and a bit overwhelmed getting used to the new schedule. It'll take a few weeks. And all will be fine again. But I can't wait for it to be the weekend! 

Oh!

But my fourth graders are the most darling and we had the best day! I'm going to love them!  

This is me about 5 minutes before the start of school bell rang. And this is my team: Amy and Brian. 

Meanwhile... (and Anna's Adoption Day)

Oh goodness. I feel like I haven't blogged 'regular' things in so long! Thank you for sticking with me for all of those 30th Anniversary posts and all of that Hawaii. I always want to get all of our memories on here so that we can go back and look at them. 

But I am also glad that we are 'back to normal'. 

We came home from Hawaii and I jumped right back into my classroom set up. Not full days. I like to work and set it up in little bits. Really little bits. I get an idea and then I go make that idea happen. And them I'm back home. 

So yes, all of that has been going on. 

In all of that we celebrated Anna's adoption day. 

It's a really big deal in our family. It's almost like a childs birthday feeling as a Mama. It's the day we held her for the first time. It's her 'gotya day'. 

Here are some past posts on her Adoption Day: 

Adoption Day Videos 

Dear Chinese Birth Mother 

Chosen

Adoption Day 

10 Years of Forever 

(there are so many more - if you go to the subjects below you can read "The Story of Anna" - just click there) 

I made a suggestion to Anna that we might want to go to a museum. She loved the idea and we had the most lovely afternoon at the Wadsworth Atheneum. We saw painting by artists such as: 

~ Claude Monet

~ Pierre Renoir

~ Georgia O'Keeffe

Years ago I took the girls and they were so adorable! 

2015

2011

It was a rainy cool day, perfect for a museum. 

Monet... oh my! 

Silly girls acting this one out! 

This was by far my favorite this time: 

And then we had an early dinner at a Chinese Restaurant. 

Dear Anna, 

Words can not explain how much you mean to us. We are so very blessed to be your parents and are grateful for the miracle of adoption. You are our. We are yours. Forever and Forever. 

Myths of Maui Luau

 

On Our Bucket Maui List and Almost Didn't Happen!

Oh boy... this was on our must see list from the time we started researching Maui. 

But then this state park closed down for a while. 

You have to reserve tickets for this park and they only let a certain number of people in per day. 

So every single day we clicked on that website to try and get us tickets. 

Finally when we realized it was closed down and would probably be the entire time were in Maui, we just gave up. No luck. Oh well. 

But then,

One evening while we were already IN Maui, Scott clicked and that state park opened up. He resereved that passes and that was it... 

we were IN!

Iao Valley State Monument

Here is what we learned from this state park: 

~ this valley is rich in culture and spiritual values as it is the site of the battle of Kepaniwai where the forces of Kamehameha I conquered the Maui army in 1790. 

~ It is a paved walk that allowed up to see the viewpoint of Kuka'emoku (Iao Needle)

~ The io Needle is an erosional feature which dramatically rises 1200 feet from the valley floor. 

~ The plants brought by the Hawaiians who settled in 'Iao Valley amazing and throughtout the park's ethnobotinical garden 

I already want to go back! 

We arrived early because we read that many time by the afternoon clouds roll in and you the visibility of the needle is more not clear. 

It was spectacular!