Back to School - The Best Ever

That seems to be the consensus around the WinBin house.  It does seem to be off to a happy start, but I don't know the details.  

I don't think I've spoken a word in person to Gray this week, just a few texts here and there.  She's pretty busy!  I know she had to get to school early to participate in the welcoming of the 6th graders, and I don't know how that went.  She was excited but a little bit anxious about it.  I don't even know if Kate was in her group.  I did see a picture on FB of her standing by the Welcome Eagles sign with her friend Sawyer, both of them looking happy.  

Since they had to leave at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, there were no posed front porch pictures this year.  I have had some old ones pop up in my memories, so I'll try to remember to add some of those.  

Emily picked Kate up after school, and she was bubbling with excitement, although this picture doesn't show it.  She said "everyone needs to go easy on me.  I'm new at this."  I assume, new at middle school!

Gray started cross-country practice Thursday but didn't have it Friday because of early release.  It's going to be hard to get soccer practice in on those days.  I did get the schedule and hope Elise and I can get to some of the meets.  There aren't many and only one of them too far away for me to drive.  I'll for sure try to make the home meets and the finals, which are local too.  She and Kate both are dedicated to their practicing right now!

Graysen had plans Saturday night for a sleepover, so I asked if Kate wanted to come over here for a visit or a sleepover.  It took a good bit of maneuvering of schedules (theirs, not mine!) before we could get Carly over here and both girls settled.  Emily picked up pizza on the way to Gray's sleepover with Sawyer and Eva, and Gray delivered it to our door!  That's all they wanted with lots to drink.  We taught Carly to play Rummikub, and she caught on quickly, like I knew she would, but it got a little wild for me at the end of a busy day, so we played just one game.  They settled in with a movie on my computer with lots of laughing and talking.  I think I stayed up to hear them get quiet, but I'm not sure.

I finally had to insist they get up the next morning before lunch!  I got all my laundry done and some cleaning and worked on a breakfast for them and finally got them to the table.

Not a lot of nutrition there, but there are some vegan sausages which they liked as well as bagels and cream cheese.  No one asked for anything else.  They're pretty easy to please.  The blueberries especially were so good.

They've grown so much since the first time they met.  I looked for the first picture of them I have, and it was August 4, 2021.  Such babies.  I really miss those days.

As I was looking for that picture, I found these in my camera.  I knew they were having fun, but I didn't discover what was making them laugh so hard until I saw these.  I'm sure this huge alligator has a name, but I've forgotten it.  I think I see now why she chose it instead of one of her smaller stuffies - she was expecting a loud and active night.

They spent a lot of time on shadow pictures the night before and the next morning, but this is the only picture they took.

I'm not sure what they did all afternoon, but no one accepted any parent's invitation to go home.  They ran over the park and played briefly, but it was cool and a little rainy, so they came back home.  Finally, about 5:00 I took them, along with that alligator, home.  I'm so thankful we had that time together, even if I didn't participate much.  It was enough just hearing them giggle and scream and have such a good time.  Both of them thanked me sweetly for having them.  Such sweeties.  

When I got back home, played some solo Mah Jongg and texted a little with Emily.  

Before the Charleston with not a great hand.

I brought out the pink tiles and tried to replicate the Charleston and the drawing and discarding for 4 people.  It's about as accurate as I can figure out to do with one player.  

I finally settled on a hand and came within one tile of MJ before it ended.  Not that bad!  This picture is after the first Charleston.  I did settle on the BAM hand.  I got 3 of the 4 BAM dragons before it ended but couldn't get a joker!

Those early pictures I mentioned before.  These had been posted on FB at the time.

Gray with her fall looks.

This was during a visit before we moved here.  She wasn't sure of Mimi and PopPop on first meeting, but she soon remembered us from Facetime.  

 They got to go 3 years to the same school, not counting the time they were homebound because of COVID.

And this one.  I just get so lost in memories when I look for a particular picture.  I guess there are worse ways to spend a morning.

My days are all mine now since the girls are in school.  I didn't see that much of them this summer, but there was always the possibility they would come over.  Now I have these wonderful last days of summer to enjoy.  Today I'm just drinking coffee and working on this blog and getting my September calendar up to date and seeing if I spent all my budgeted money. 

Tomorrow is Mah Jongg, but I'm still open to whether or not I'll go.  If we have a reasonable number of people, I will.  It will be fun to start getting our old groups back after the summer.  Thursday is a certainty with most of the regulars.  There is Rummikub on Mondays at the senior center, but I haven't considered that yet.  Some people play at the winery next to the library on Thursdays, and I might join them this week if there's nothing else going on.  

I always get the urge to sew in the fall, but we're trying to get all my sewing stuff changed around, so things are in three different places.  My MJ friend Sharon has started a Quilt of Valor, and it looks so pretty.  It's really tempting. 

 I need to get Elise to pick out the binding and backing for her quilt and work on that as soon as possible.  I don't think she's ever going to find just the right color and pattern of blue/green/teal, but there's always hope.  I have my 3 mini quilts for the holidays that I CAN finish if I just will!

And now that Noreen is doing so well with her knee replacement rehab, I hope we can get out and take some of those fall walks we used to enjoy.  September is beautiful here, and I want to be out there in it in the last month of my 70s!  I hope I not jinxing my good health and lack of falling in 6 years!  I have a doctor's appoint Wednesday and don't want to hear anything bad there either.