i've always been a fan of this time of year...a new school year, new paper and freshly sharpened pencils....a new wardrobe all neatly laid out for the first day of school (what? you didn't lay out your first-day-of-school outfit the night before?).

we've been busy the past month nesting. i love to nest in august because it makes me feel as though i'm getting ready to go back to school again (bound and determined to get a straight-A report card!).

last saturday morning, we woke up and kenny decided to clean out the garage. that didn't sound fun to me at all, so i suggested painting our back porch. that didn't sound fun at all to him, so we went our separate ways...the three boys bouncing back and forth between his work, my project, and my parents' house. he was done by dinnertime, and i finished three days later.

in addition to painting and sorting out the garage, i've been organizing all our school supplies, learning areas, and planning lessons for each child. it's a bigger task this year as i've moved from a complete curriculum to different curriculums for different subjects. and i have two different "levels" as adam will be with us each day. this is his decision, not mine. :)

i've entered the "no more nap" era of parenting. i fondly remember naptime when both rowan and sawyer would fall asleep after lunch for two hours each (it took rowan two year to learn to love naps...he never took a nap in his crib until he was two years old). when they would slowly grow out of their nap, adam still took one or two a day. i would still have a few hours of free-time to spend with the two older boys while the baby slept.

and now, from 7:30 until 9:30, there are three boys underfoot...wild and crazy, active and ENERGETIC! there are days i don't know how i will make it until dinnertime. somedays i can't quite figure out if i'll make it until lunch! but through all of the craziness, there are several times a day i look at those three joined-at-the-hip brothers and can't quite believe there isn't a baby among them anymore. three full-on kids who talk, run, fight, laugh as brothers are meant to do. and in the blink of an eye, we'll be feeding three elementary-aged boys...and then three teenagers...and i don't want to believe it, but i have to: eventually all three will be out on their own. and i can only pray that i've done the job of a good and faithful servant-mother.

so...it's a new year: older boys, a busier homeschool, and dozens more memories to make over the next several months.

what does your new year look like?