The girls headed back to school yesterday and celebrated the end of the holidays with an all-school assembly. On the agenda was dancing, singing and flag-waving – and it was the perfect way for them to return.

-M

My parents and sister have been here for the past few days (photos coming soon) and all headed home today. As we drove Sandy to the airport I asked the girls if they would visit their sister when they’re older, too, and Zoe surprised me with her answer of “no.” When I asked why not, she answered, “Because we’re going to live together!” “Really? When you’re adults – you’re still going to be living together?” I clarified. From the rear view mirror I saw Zoe and Avery look at each other, give big smiles and nod their heads. “Yep!” came their (sweet) answer.

-M

…And a few photos from the pumpkin patch we visited. (Bonus of going on a regular Monday: You have the whole place to yourself!)

-M

Zoe and Avery had a few days off last week, and on Monday we went exploring in Half Moon Bay – first visiting a few pumpkin patches and then hanging out at this amazing used bookstore we stumbled upon. After browsing and picking out books for more than an hour (!), the girls settled in for a competitive game of checkers.

-M

It’s the start of our favorite month – and time to bust out our Halloween decorations and count-down calendar.

-M

The girls were all smiles when out with Q one recent afternoon…

-M

The girls were running around while I was relaxing on the couch one day. When I looked up and saw sassy Avery crossing her arms and sporting her patented “I own this place” look, I had to capture the moment.

-M

As mentioned here before, this is the absolute craziest time of year in my office. There are long days, intense meetings and what feels like never-ending to-do lists, and I often come home in the afternoons totally worn out. (I’ve historically been open with the girls about work things: I love my job, I tell them, but sometimes it’s hard – similar to a tough day at school.) The other night I was feeling particularly tired and, worse, overwhelmed, and Zoe had an idea to cheer me up. “Let’s do a haiku!” she said and ran to get some paper. She proceeded to ask me for and jot down my “emotion words” and within a few minutes had prepared a poem for me. I won’t embarrass myself by sharing the poem (and my emotion words here), but I will share that I was touched that she had thought to do this. And, yeah, it made me feel better.

-M

The girls had two skating parties last week: a rollerskating one for Avery on Saturday and an ice skating one for both girls on Sunday. Avery wasn’t as excited about being on the ice – but Zoe and Q were!

-M

Here’s Avery this morning, hamming it up and sharing some exciting news.

-M

Avery’s first soccer game was yesterday – and what a treat! She and her teammates worked really hard, running up and down the field and trying to get the ball, and they wound up winning 4-3. (It’s a non-competitive league at this age, but it was still fun to see them come out on top.) Even more exciting: Avery scored one of those goals herself, and seemed to have a blast doing it.

-M

It’s been several days since I’ve last posted, and the main reason is that we’ve been keeping quite busy. The school year is in full swing, which means nightly homework for Zoe and various activities for both girls: Zoe is doing piano, chorus and swimming while Avery is taking Spanish and doing soccer and swimming. The girls seem very happy with their new teachers and classes; there’s no complaining other than about being very tired at the end of the school day. And speaking of tired: September and early October are always my busiest at work, which can take a toll (and make it tricky to manage all the days off school this time of year.). But we’re making it work!

-M

Rosh Hashanah started last night, and Avery presented us with a card she made at school. What she wrote (note that “owes” = “always”) brought tears of happiness to my eyes.

-M

I often tell my friends with younger children how much easier things get once kids hit a certain age and start playing with their siblings. Indeed, for several years now our girls have taken advantage of their built-in playmate and entertained one another. Most mornings these days the girls get up and start playing with each other (often after getting dressed on their own) without even checking in with us. Here’s what I woke up to one day last weekend.

-M

We signed Avery up for soccer again this year, and her first practice was Thursday afternoon. When I arrived  just before practice was over, my jaw practically hit the ground – Avery, who was somewhat tentative when out on the field last year and who was somewhat lukewarm about playing again this year, was running up and down the field kicking the ball, laughing and having the time of her life. I was shocked – and thrilled – at how good she looked and how much fun she was having! (“I made a goal!” she ran up to me and said excitedly.) I think it’s going to be a good year…

-M