Carshenna's Corner: Last Day:(

I'm a little weepy today. Carter starts school tomorrow. Summer is always a hectic, busy, stressful time for me. But when it's over, I am always sad to see Carter head back to school. He's such a wonderful son, and a fantastic big brother (especially to Brenna). The dynamics in the house will change again and no longer will I have an all-access pass to his time and his experiences. We have been under the weather this week so we've planned a low key celebration to mark the end of this great summer. He's decided he wants a picnic here at home and right now we are watching "Atlantis: The Lost Empire." I'm holding him a bit closer today and putting some of my regular chores on hold.

I also want to take a minute to reflect on some of the highlights of the summer. It has been one for the record books!

*Bret and I celebrated 9 years of marriage in June
*Carter and my parents had a day trip to the state capitol in June and visited Abraham Lincoln's house. Carter was sworn in as Jr. Park Ranger.
*Carter and Asher road-tripped to Louisville with both grandmas for a weekend with their Aunt Sarah. They swam in her pool and took in "Shrek: The Musical"
*Our family took a trip to Madison, WI in early July to spend a few days with our dear friends, the Besleys. Our kids are all roughly the same age and enjoyed each other. Bret and I had a great time connecting with David and Laura, friends since college. A lot of shared life experiences, to be sure.
*July saw our first attempts in the show ring. We entered our four goats in two local county fairs. Both boys did fantastic and Carter was asked to help another family show their goats. I think he learned a lot about winning and losing, and helping others out.
*We also took a family trip to the St. Louis Zoo with Bret's entire immediate family. Eight adults and four kids - we were our own field trip!
*Bret's dad retired after 30+ years at the local coal mine. We celebrated with a wonderful family dinner and the boys (Bret and Dave) took Dad on a guided fishing trip as his gift.
*Bret judged three county fair chicken shows; he really loves working with kids (and chickens). He truly has a gift.
*We had many day trips to my parents and really enjoyed their swimming hole in the river. It's such a blessing to be close to them and get to have those little everyday experiences with them.

I'm sure there are many more things that I am forgetting at the moment, but what I can say is that this has been a wonderful summer, full of adventures and lots of memories. I'm looking forward to seeing what this next season brings for our family.