Good Riddance to Summer/Hello First Day of School!

Summer is over, school has begun, and fall is in full swing.  I'm not going to lie, I was glad to see summer go.  Our third summer here was hot and dry and pretty miserable.  The grass literally turned crispy brown.  The constant noise pollution from the construction site behind our house didn't help either.  And it seemed like the entire city of Stuttgart was under road construction.  

Supposedly this was one of the worst summers if not THE worst on record in Germany. We're no strangers to hot days every now and then… but these scorchers in the upper nineties and even into the one hundreds went on day after day after day.  Just when it would mercifully cool down for a few we'd be assaulted by another heat wave.  

This was how I pretty much felt:    

So, no, I'm not sad to see the summer go.  But, there were some definite highlights including Pat and Nancy's three week visit, which allowed Ben and I to go on our amazing trip.  

These pictures are adorable:

And although we don't have central air, we do have this trusty air conditioner that really saved our sweaty necks this summer.  It blew cold air day after day and never faltered. 

Normally I think it's a noisy eye-sore that takes up too much space, but I was very grateful for it reliable service this summer. 

Ugly noisy construction site + dead grass = pining for fall

But I got to say we did try and make the best of it.  We went to the public swimming pools, A LOT.  The freibads here are quite nice. We'd either meet friends there or take a friend along… and the girls were happy as clams swimming it up.  And, bonus: my legs got a little bit tan, which is truly a rare phenomenon. 

One swim outing resulted in a visit to the German ER with a split chin… nothing a little super glue couldn't patch up.  They were so kind and gentle with Caroline.   

And here are some other highlights:

Sunday afternoon building a castle… this was a gift from Josh and Kristen who visited this summer.  

Trip to the zoo with friends from the ward… on a nice cool day :)

Saturday outing to a biergarten with friends and a lively soccer match.  

I got to go on a 48 hour girl's trip to Prague with my dear friends Shannon and Christa… where it was 100 degrees… the hottest on record.

Outing to Traumland with the Beckers and Sotos:

Taking selfless during James' first roller coaster ride was a blast.  

Caroline learned to ride her bike… wahoo!  It was quite the ordeal and as you can see here she is up to her usual negotiating.  Thankfully the neighbor kids cheered her on and that helped her gain the confidence she needed. 

Our last lazy morning before school started.  This girl LOVES to cook!

Open house before the first day of school.

Emily's first day of 2nd Grade!!  Ready to take on the world!

And Caroline's first day of kindergarten!!! (Which was on a different day than Em's first day.  I know, why do they have to make it complicated?)

I'd like to say I got all teary as I waved good-bye to her, but no, I did not.  I think  Caroline and I have BOTH been very ready for her to start.  It's time.  And so far she has just loved it!