Off to college!

I was looking forward to this day (and slightly dreading it) all summer, and no matter how much I thought about it and prayed about it, I don't think a parent can ever really be fully prepared for what it feels like to send their baby off to college.  Fortunately, it was a very busy day, so there wasn't time to let the emotions take over until it came time to say goodbye.  But the other children had to say goodbye the night before....we had them all stay overnight with friends and just hubby and I took our girl to school the next morning.

Loaded up and ready to go!

When we got there we discovered that her room-mate's family had already spent a considerable amount of time figuring out the best configuration for the furniture.  Daughter G approved, and so unpacking and decorating could commence immediately!  Dad tested the bed to make sure it was good enough for his girl. :)

They have a lot of closet space!

Room-mates.

With a fridge, couch, and TV, they may end up being the party room. ;)

After unpacking, it was time for the prayer of dedication and farewell ceremony on the college square.  All the freshmen are placed in small groups that they eat with during orientation, do activities with, and even have one class together fall semester.  Here daughter G was finding her group for the first time (she has since begun making solid friendships with several girls in her group!  Yay!).

The freshmen stood in a big circle with their parents behind them, and participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony.  Each freshman got a piece of this ribbon.  When they graduate they will do the same thing with a long string of ivy, and each graduate will get a piece of the ivy.  A really nice "book end" tradition.

Then it was time to say goodbye.  :(

Such an odd assortment of emotions for us as parents....excitement for our girl... gratitude that she is at the college God has chosen for her, and that God is making a way for us to afford it...sorrow at not being able to see her every day...regret that the years of hands on parenting are over (did we do enough?  did we teach her everything she needs to know?)...acknowledgement of the fact that we are moving into a new phase of parenting where we have much less control...joy that she has owned her faith and can move confidently into this next stage of her life.....

Personally, I cried as much for the release of these emotions as I did just for saying goodbye.  It was a bit overwhelming!

After being there two days she called.  We talked for a long time. :)  She is doing GREAT and had so much to share about her experiences during freshman orientation so far.  I am a happy mama!

Family Time at the Cottage

Our last two days before taking daughter G to college were spent having family time at our cottage. It was PERFECT.   Note to self:  do this again when the next child is preparing to leave for college.

Light hearted fun.  Laughter.  No computers or ipods or cell phones.  None of the chores and responsibilities of daily life.

Just having fun and making memories as a family.  PERFECT!

The boys played chicken at the end of the dock all weekend.

Little Man held his own fairly well against his bigger, more muscular brothers!  Here he had just pushed in brother G.

We had contests to see who could jump out the farthest.

And of course there was much laying in the sun.

We played Uno and then introduced our children to the game of Pit.  Hilarious (and loud) fun!

 Three of our four handsome boys.

The new college student....contemplating life.

Daughter H, jumping in backwards!

It was a fantastic weekend and a great "exclamation point" on the end of summer.  So thankful!

Farewell Bonfire to Daughter G

Well, the end of summer inevitably came, and it was time to take daughter G to college.  The weekend before, a bunch of her friends came over for a game night and a farewell bonfire.  I love her friends!

They got the Jenga tower about 34 levels tall, if I am remembering correctly.  Apparently the record is 37.

They roasted marshmallows and made s'mores.

And played games and talked and laughed, and talked and laughed!

So thankful for the friends God has given to our girl.

My Weekend of Summer

See my toes?  Ignore the old nail polish and just notice where they are.....see the sand?  Glorious, warm sand.

Yes, we went to the beach for a weekend and it was exactly what summer is supposed to feel like.

No cares.  No responsibilities.  No worries.

The water was warm and felt soooo good!  I didn't want to get out!

Many thanks to our dear friends for giving us such a relaxing weekend away.

Life is good at the beach!