Our big girl Lily, so grown-up, ready to make her debut as a middle-schooler. I am so proud to be her mother. Sixth grade will be fantastic.
Benjamin,or "Big Ben Roethlisberger Sombar" as he likes to be called these days, with his little brother Sethy.

Liam (yes he had a nose-bleed), Georgina Dinardo, Eva Gbur, Pudge Gbur, and Benjamin, posing before heading back to school.

The Walk To School, lookin' cool (i'm a poet).

Liam, a third-grader, horsing around before the bell rang, with his good buddies Clark and Quinn Mitchell.

Benjamin with Nick Estabrook, and other friends. Look out First Grade!!

Ben arrives at his desk to find his friend Shana Rose, whom he's known since kindergarten. I'm sure there will be new seat assignments any day now- let's just say they like to talk.

Liam with his new violin, at our favorite coffee shop, after-school. (no, his nose isn't still bleeding. it now has a scab, which, incidentally, i tried to coverup with some computer techniques, but it then looked as if he had a big blue booger coming out of his nostril so I've left it alone. something for the memory books).

Seth at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum, where I took him once we'd gotten the big kids off to class. That shirt didn't stay white for long and we had a BLAST!

Before I retire, I must relay to you a story of my six year-old, Benjamin, just in case you are having a bad hair day and need some "misery loves company" kind of consolation. Last night, while we all gathered around the livingroom for storytime (Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire), I noticed Ben leaving, quietly, and going down to the basement. His attention span generally poops out after about the first fifteen minutes, so I gave it no further thought, and kept reading to Lily and Liam. About twenty minutes later, Ben sauntered back into the room, and when I casually inquired as to his whereabouts, he confessed that he'd snuck out of the house, in his pajamas and barefeet, and walked to his friend Pudge's to play. Now, folks, I am a rather laid-back sort of gal but this show of naughtiness sent me spiraling to depths I'd rather not visit again. Six years old- venturing out into the dark, to visit his five year old buddy, and we didn't even know he'd left the house. Call Social Services- I need a break.

Fret not, dear readers, my silence here is only due to my willingness to more mindfully parent my children in these last few weeks of summer vacation though I just joined a writing group and find it terribly ironic that it coincided with me choosing not to write for a month). School has returned with a fervor and, frankly, I'm just plumb wor' out, folks. As I relayed to a friend last week, who was concerned about my silence, I blog everyday, most every hour, in my mind- a running diatribe of thoughts spewing any which way but on this page. Seems that when I finally take some down-time for myself, I just want to crash and read a good book. And I've been reading some fine literary works: Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, Name All The Animals by Alison Smith, and The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (which I'm currently enjoying while avoiding my tendancy to straddle many books at a time- because I've got the glorious Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson tempting me like the serpent to Eve in the garden "Pick me up, Judy- you can read us both and still have brain cells left for all your other duties...come on Juuuuuuuudy). I've also read some works that I've not enjoyed so much (just my opinion, of course), like: The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller, and A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick.

I am going to mosey to bed now, for some much needed slumber. I promise that a "catch-you-up" post will be forthcoming any hour now, along with some fabulous photos of my crazy bunch of kids.