End of Summer / Back to School

I have a very bad blogger lately! This is a long post with lots of pictures catching up on the end of summer and back to school.

We had a fun back afternoon with some friends on Marblehead neck a few weeks ago. This great little rocky beach is right on Marblehead harbor by the lighthouse.

Anderson and Daddy did some paddle boarding

MFG found some awesome beach glass to add to her collection

Look at those cool colors!

Charlotte is settling right in to our family. She is not supposed to be on the furniture.....But look at that face!

Daddy-puppy bonding

Tommy has been training hard for his qualifying swim for the English Channel. He will be swimming 16 miles in Boston Harbor on October 7th. If you look hard in this picture, you can see he and Andy putting in the miles at Nahant.

The week before school started, I took the day off so that Francie and I could have a Mommy-daughter day and do some back to school shopping. We had lunch at Gaslight and shopped at MarketStreet.

The same week, we did a sunset cruise with folks from my office. Everyone came with the families and we sailed on the Finback out of Salem Harbor.

Sweet sisters on the boat

Ready to sail

The girls chilling on the back of the boat

It was a beautiful sunset

Francie and I also went to get our toes done later that week

Charlotte posing for her close-up on National Dog Day

We went to the annual end-of-summer family beach party at Phillips Beach. We lucked out and had great weather.

The same night, Francie and Tommy camped out in the backyard! They made s'mores on the grill...

and then slept in the tent. I thought for sure that they would only last an hour or so, but they stayed out there all night!

Mary Francis started 1st grade on Wednesday, August 31st. 

She had a great day! She likes her teacher a lot and has some sweet friends in her class.

Over Labor Day weekend, we went to our favorite farm to pick blackberries and raspberries 

It seemed WAY to early for the pumpkin patch, but I couldn't resist the photo op

The girls loved picking the berries

  And eating them too, of course!

Sun ripe raspberries, yum!

We had to get cider donuts on our way out

Tommy and MFG made this amazing blackberry pie from scratch! It was so good.

Puppy snuggles are my favorite

We took a long walk on the rail trail in Marblehead, which ends at Salem Harbor. Charlotte loved splashing in the mud.

And riding home in the car (I was holding her harness, don't worry!)

She adores the girls and is so sweet with them!

And she and Pearl are big buddies too

Tommy has been clearing bushes in the backyard as we get ready for the fence installation (we are fencing in the yard for Charlotte) and Francie has been a big helper, as usual.

Anderson moved up to her new classroom at the Y on Tuesday, September 6. This year, she is in Toddler 3 with Miss Cheri. 

Such a big girl!

I went to Curriculum night at Stanley and got to meet Mrs. Ellis, Francie's teacher, see her classroom, and see some of her work. 

They have been doing a superhero unit and all of the kids had these cute pictures that they had posed for. MFG's super hero power was "being kind." My sweet girl. :)

We ended out first full week of the new school year by picking everyone up early and going to Mission on the Bay.

Great view of the Boston skyline

Cheers!

Charlotte is "back to school" too - we are working with a trainer and doing some puppy classes. MFG came with us this morning and they posed for the cute pic on the way home.

We are sad that summer is over, but we are off to a good start for the school year!