September 3, 2025

It's the first day of school here in London. We've been on summer break since May 22, except for that brief week G went to school in July (again, I'll write a bigger post regarding the school process). I think all of us had lost track of time the past few months, but the shift into the crisp fall air this last week actually made it feel like we should be going to school again.

The morning greeted us in true UK fashion with wind and rain, but we still snuck in our front step pictures, and it was a solid reminder we need to invest in a good umbrella, or any sort of umbrella that covers more than a toddler would be good. (Peep the kid sized duck one in the picture).

I've said this before, but I'm really proud of my kids. They are diving in, nerves and all, and I am standing back being their safe space for hugs and chats when they need it. They even ditched me after school to go to a friend's house to play. It did make me sad, but also relieved that we have found that.

On another note, we bounced right over another US holiday on Monday. Nick went to work as usual here and we weren't in school yet anyway so it was still a day off for the rest of us. The only difference was that my boys could play Minecraft with my dad during the day, and my sister called to chat at 10 AM her time instead of the normal after work hour. Send me a box of tissues when Thanksgiving rolls around though, that one might be harder.