A Hodgepodge

Things are moving along here. We are up to 30 weeks that Brendan has been gone and only 3 more months until we see him for R&R!! The weather is getting cooler here - finally - and showing signs that fall may actually be on its way. I am so ready for it!! I managed to keep one tomato plant alive through the horrible heat that we had this summer and it is VERY happy these days. It is practically falling over from all the tomatoes all over it. I hope that these ripen before our first frost - although that won't be for a while. We got a curious visitor the other day. He just stood there and watched the kids play for about 10 minutes. So cute with his little antlers!!Here is Aidan riding home by himself from school on Friday! I know - I'm sure you're thinking that he's only in 1st grade and I'm a terrible mother BUT we live less than 1/4 mile from school and we've been walking/riding the route together for a year. He's already been in school for 5 weeks and he and I both thought it would be OK to try it and see how it went. He made it home just fine and when I asked how he liked it he said that he felt very grown up but he didn't want to do it alone everyday. That's just fine with me and we agreed that he would get himself home on Tuesdays (which is an hour shorter and dismissal is RIGHT in the middle of the girls' naps) and that the girls and I would pick him up the other days. This will make everything easier!! Our pretty neighborhood. I love that everyone flies flags!