Catching Up to Fall

We’ve gotten into the swing of our back to school routine pretty well by now.  The girls are enjoying school and their teachers, and while it’s busy during the weekdays, we’ve gotten into a rhythm of getting homework done and to practices in the evenings.  

Lyla has adopted a little tradition of riding her scooter up to the middle school bus stop every afternoon.  She greets Nina at the bus stop and rides her backpack home for her.  Since the first day of school, she’s gone up every afternoon.  Since that is “her thing” Cayenne and I wait for them on the front porch.

On this occassion, I had taken the pictures of Lyla hanging out on the porch waiting for the time to ride up and get Nina, then Nina came home and joined her hanging out on the porch.  I do love these sweet sister moments.  They love each other and get along well for the most part, but there are definitely days of sister irritation as well.  

 

 

One afternoon while waiting for Nina, my other porch companion was this pretty little mantis.  She didn’t seem to mind getting her picture taken either.  :)

  

On the weekends, we continue to have soccer games for Lyla (and Mark has games he coaches).  Lyla has been enjoying herself and her team this season, and so far we’ve had some sunny and warm game days.

  

  

Nina is adjusting well to middle school.  She has had to adjust to 90 minute blocks of classes, A and B days, going electronic for much of the classroom assignments, and budgeting time for homework.  Since a parent coming to lunch in middle school isn’t as welcome as it was in the elementary school, we’ve started a little tradition of going for a little breakfast treat/mocha or hot chocolate at the coffee shop in our neighborhood two Friday mornings a month.  She also earned herself $10 from a boy in her PE class who bet her that she couldn’t beat him in the physical fitness challenges.  She did, but she was shocked that he actually paid up!  :)   

  

Cayenne still manages to put one paw in front of the other every day.  I’m not sure how she manages with such a rough life.  She does miss having the girls home during the day I think, but she’s back to her routine of going in to wake them up in the morning, and walk Lyla to and from her bus stop, and wait for Nina to come home home on the front porch.  She is a sweet pup!