And summer comes to an end...

August is always a busy month for us, but this August we seemed to have more than our fair share of activity.  The first 10 days of the month we enjoyed hosting a special visitor from Japan.  Sarah lived in Tremont as a foreign exchange student during her junior year of high school.  Mikaela and Sarah became the best of friends.  So reconnecting after three years was such a pleasure for all of us.  

Mostly we spent time around the area, but Sarah hadn't been to St. Louis, so we took a day trip.  Mikaela and Sarah chose the activities:  City Garden, City Museum, and Cathedral Basilica. 

We truly enjoyed our time with Sarah and look forward to her next trip.

On August 10, we celebrated Joseph's Sweet Sixteenth birthday.  

Next came my birthday on August 13.  Later that week, we packed up the suburban and the bug to head off to colleges.  Our first stop was in Ohio to drop Jacob off for his freshman year.  We left that evening for a hotel and then on to Indiana the next morning to drop off Mikaela for her third and final year.  

On Monday, August 18, Joseph started his junior year of high school.  Maimie began grade 3 and Saidie began grade 1 in homeschool.