SAM'S FIRST 2 HOURS

Day 3.

It is unclear when Sam's actual official first day of school is. Was it the apple juice and muffins in the gymnasium on Tuesday? or the afternoon stint on Wednesday? or the 2 hours this morning? Regardless, some more rushed pics on our front doorstep from the morning, this time with Sam and his new backpack.

Will really wanted a backpack too...

So I quickly found one in the closet for him...

Which he wore for the rest of the day.

FIRST HOUR OF SCHOOL

Well, the morning went surprisingly well. Clara was up and dressed (all on her own) by 7:24am. Despite the good start, we still were running down the hill to make the bell at 8:35am. Consequently I only got a few quick pics.

The token doorstep pic:

Running down the hill. Will brought a suitcase:

Sam and Will and their buddies (while waiting for Clara to finish her hour of school):

Tomorrow, is a full day for my girl, and Sam has a brief afternoon shift at Kindergarten. Soon it will be just me and Will...

THE END

We are home. The summer has ended. Tomorrow, school starts for 2 of my 3.

Supplies have been labeled, outfits have been chosen and laid out on the floor, kids have been bathed and nails clipped, tags from the new backpacks have been removed, lunch kits have been decorated with stickers...

The house is completely engulfed in dirty laundry and duffel bag contents.

Bedtime didn't go very smoothly. There was not enough room in the bunk bed for all of us to read the book side by side. Clara fell out and Will hit Sam in the head with a car. No one wanted to go to bed and Clara finally fell asleep at 10:03pm.

Today was rainy and cold, which I thought was a good way to end the summer. We even lit a fire at the cabin and played cards and roasted marshmallows. It was a good transition for me from cabin life to real life.

Anyway, off to bed I go...we have a busy today tomorrow.

2

It has come to my attention, after just recently photographing a 4 day old, that Will is not, in fact a baby.

He is actually pretty big. And I am utterly smitten with him right now.

When you ask him how old he is, he tells you 2. And when you ask him what his name is he tells you 2 (not to be confused with Sue).

Jake was just commenting on how much he has changed over the summer. He is taller, poops in the toilet, talks more, plays with his siblings, counts to 5, makes motor noises with his boat, jumps on the trampoline, runs fast, rides his trike even faster...

But he is also still soft and squishy and cuddly, and still my baby.

He got some dirt in his eye here.

This is actually a baby (my friend's new little guy). I'm kind of smitten with this size too.

SOME THINGS WE DO

I was just asked again, what the kids and I do on an island all summer. Well, here are a couple more "Pasley activities" besides all the ones I have mentioned in previous posts:

Build forts with ALL the blankets and towels and pillows we own. Then decorate interior of fort with toys, books, clothes, food, tools and flashlights.

Will was banned from this particular fort.

And here is Will pulling his wagon and ball up the hill, sitting in the wagon and then going down the hill. This activity equals up to 57 minutes of independent play.

HARMLESS FIB?

The kids totally busted me a few weeks ago at the ferry terminal when I was paying for our boarding fare. I told the lady "it's me a 7, 4 and 2 year old." Sam and Clara immediately yelled out that Sam was actually 5, not 4 like I said. They wanted to know why I told the lady otherwise. I eventually confessed...I lied because I didn't want to pay $12 for a 5 year old when a 4 year old was free. The told me that was wrong and Sam pulled out a dime from his pocket and told me next time we should pay with this (he thinks he is in the chips).

Needless to say, I decided not to lie about that again.

However, I'd like to think that there is such a thing as a harmless fib. Things we tell our kids to get through an afternoon or an evening in peace. Particularly to kids (like Sam) who can be stubborn and exhaustingly relentless and can ask you the same thing over and over and over, and even over, again.

Some of Sam's latest obsessions which I feel require a harmless fib:

1. Asking if he can "see if Mathew is home" (the boy across the street). First thing he asks when he wakes up and last thing he asks before going to bed (never mind the 21 times in between). Since we have been up on the island for the summer it has become less of an issue, although just yesterday when we were home, I finally told him "Mathew was away on vacation". Lie or harmless fib?
2. Asking me what time is it at bedtime? Sometime this summer, he has decided that a 7:30pm bedtime is lame and his new bedtime is 10:00pm. He asks me every 3 minutes what time is it now? And obviously exhausted, will force himself awake until I tell him it is 10:00pm. Tonight, at 8:12pm when he asked me what time is it, I told him 10:00pm. Lie or harmless fib?

Speaking of bedtime, I am going to try to be in bed by 11:00pm starting on Monday. Actually I need to do a lot of things now that the summer is coming to an end. Like, drink water and eat less guacamole. Maybe take a little champagne break too.

And a few very random pictures:

ROWBOAT ADVENTURE

The kids and I have had many "rowboat adventures" this summer.

It often begins with us putting out the crab trap, it always involves some singing and maybe some eye spy, and we often end up checking on the seals on Snake Island or digging for clams at Clam Beach if the tide is low enough.

Lately, our "rowboat adventures" has taken us to neighbour's beaches, where we stop for a swim or a jump off the dock, have good visits and say yes to a cold beer (me).

Don't all parents let their kids play with real sabres?

The sabre sharing didn't go so well, so it was confiscated before we even left the beach.

Sam discouvered the hiding place of the sabre.

Checking out the seals (can't really see them in this picture, but there are a lot of them).

The end of that particular adventure...