Summer is Here!

See how sweet they are!

It's my first official day of summer break! Which is great... except that we are running around like crazy getting ready for our adults-only vacation, and stressing about leaving the kids.
I had some really sweet, smart, great kids this year (plus a few stinkers, as always) - and we had a fun, special last day together, but I was not sad in the least to put them on their busses and wave goodbye. It was just a hard year. Bold, italics, underscore. There were many, many days where I did not know how I was going to get myself through another day of work, and there were tears over it - it wasn't the kiddos... just other stuff. I've never been ready to leave school on the last day when they release us at 1:30.... until this year. My stuff was packed and I was waiting by the door, literally. I will of course be hopeful that next year will be different, and by fall I will have a better outlook on everything - but I just want to get all thoughts of work out of my head and I think this vacation will be a nice way to just totally separate myself from the past 10 months, and put me in happy-summer-mode.

ouch!

It felt good to be done, and we had a nice weekend, but it doesn't quite feel like summer break yet, simply because we were so busy and starting to feel anxious. It's going to be rough tomorrow when we drive off, but I am looking forward to spending a few days in Las Vegas with the Michaelsons, shopping, swimming, eating, reading, and soaking up some (HOT) sun without little people around to take care of. We've only ever left Liam the last time we went to Las Vegas (3 years ago), and have never left Carolina, even for her to have a sleep over with grandparents. They are going to be happy campers with Grandma and Papa - and their cousins, aunt, and uncle (Liam is beyond excited!), and with nothing but nice, hot weather in the forecast they'll be having a blast in the pool too. And yet, it'll be hard to leave them, even though we'll be back before the weekend. Look at their sweet (and messy) faces!

I'm ready to put the past behind me and move on to the 3 reasons I became a teacher (June, July, and August!) 

:)