First Day of Third Grade, 3rd Edition

At long last, after an extended summer due to construction at CKS, Laura has embarked on the Third Grade! And for the first time, posing solo and the sole Seymour represented! Time flies indeed. 

First Day of Driving Buddies

They have talked about this moment for at least a year. I don’t even know which one of them was more excited: Danny, heading off to his new school in the company of his revered big sister, or Clare, the newly-minted Junior with a “Junior lot” tag to prove it in her car, sharing her school with her beloved little brother. It was a fun sight to witness, and made Tim’s and my morning a little simpler, too!

Joyful selfie taken from the Junior Lot (no doubt the shine will quickly wear off this place, but we’ll enjoy it while we can)!

Sharp-Dressed Dan, or His Marist Career Begins

Anyone who has encountered Danny recently has remarked on how much he has grown. Every day he assesses whether or not he’s taller than me, and every day it seems he’s closer. But he’s grown in so many other ways, too. Case in point: When I went upstairs to wake him up, I found him in the bathroom, dealing with a massive bloody nose. The remarkable thing about this is how matter-of-fact he was about it. Two years ago, if not just one, this would have thrown him into a bewildered tizzy! 

To that end, I know how ready he is to begin his time at Marist. He’s excited, armed with good friends and a big sister so happy to share her school with him. Have a great 7th grade year, Danny Boy!

Back to Cali 2019

We managed to pull off another cousin visit to San Diego, despite navigating multiple teen schedules! It was shorter than we would have liked, but we are appreciative of any time we get together!

My crew and I arrived a couple of days ahead of the Needhams, so we met up with Jen and her girls in La Jolla. It was a gorgeous day, and we even got up close and personal with some sea lions.

The next day we headed down to Seaport Village for lunch, and then checked out the Waterfront Park for some fun in the fountains. The kids started up a round of “Red light, green light” with several other kids, which was really fun to watch.

The Needhams arrived that evening, so the next morning we made what turned out to be our only trip to the beach. Fortunately it was a good one, so my brood got in lots of QT in the ocean.

We kept things cruising with our pilgrimage to Old Town the following day, which included lunch and the annual Cousins Candy photo - before Nicole got sick and they had to make a hasty departure while the rest of us went to UTC for shopping and to watch The Lion King.

Side note: We were excited that Maya joined the Needhams this year - we loved meeting her!

Saturday wound up pretty slow, as not everyone was feeling great in the morning and we decided the beach was a bit ambitious. We ended up doing lunch at Z Cafe, and then I took the kids to an escape room. We failed, the guy running it was weird...but we still had fun! 

The kids also managed to film another movie, “The Jester’s Final Joke,” which was fun and hilarious to watch. We had several wonderful meals on the patio, too, which is always a highlight. As always, I left feeling blessed!

Clare and Abby Go to Washington

Clare has been eyeing D.C. as a potential college destination for a while, so we thought a summer program at Georgetown would be a great opportunity. Fortunately, so did Abby! Tim gamely agreed to fly out with them a couple of days early in order to tour additional schools (with Karen and Brian very graciously hosting).

They were giddy just being at the airport together!

An official tour of GW was the first order of business, and they were ALL very impressed! Clare really loved everything about it.

They had to do a self-guided tour of American, so that may require a second visit.

Despite the heat, they saw a few sights, too. But soon enough it was time to head to Georgetown!

It was a FULL week of classes/lectures, discussions and field trips (centered around the U.S. and its international relations), so we didn’t get too many updates through the week. But we did get some proof of life photos!

They made several new friends from all over (including China and South Korea), learned a lot, and Clare, for one, is still seriously considering D.C. for college. For the time being, though, we were happy for her to return home!