We’ve been making the most of the last few days of the summer holidays and enjoying time with friends. Last weekend was filled with outdoor parties – a birthday party for one of Sophie’s friends and our friends’ annual garden party. It’s the first time we’ve seen them since their 2019 Christmas party so it was lovely to catch up.
We finished off the summer holidays with a couple of days out with friends before school started again. Sophie was very excited today to head off for her first day at junior school and see all her friends again at the school gate.
I’m thankful for friends this week. This time of year is a hard one. The usual end-of-summer blues plus the sadness of the start of another school year without Jessica and another milestone that we didn’t experience with Jessica. September is also Jessica’s birthday month and next week she would have been turning ten. Ten feels like such a huge milestone birthday and it hurts so much that Jessica isn’t here to experience it. I’m fully expecting the next few days to be tough. We’ll get through them, remembering Jessica with love as we always do.
What I’ve been grateful for this week:
- Day 239 – I am grateful for a lovely day visiting my mum and catching up with some of my family.
- Day 240 – I am grateful that Sophie had a fun afternoon at a friend’s birthday party.
- Day 241 – I am grateful for cake, a long overdue catch-up with friends and watching the children having fun at our friends’ garden party.
- Day 242 – I am grateful for a lovely Sophie-Mummy day out going with a group from Sophie’s dance school to see one of the girls from the dance school performing in Joseph. Great show, the kids were all amazing in it.
- Day 243 – I am grateful for a lovely morning with friends.
- Day 244 – I am grateful for fun making a propeller-driven boat with Sophie (and for my husband pointing out all the things that were wrong with our design and helping make it work properly!)
- Day 245 – I am grateful that Sophie enjoyed her first day at junior school.
Other things that have made me smile this week:
- Taking a photo of ‘three Gretls together’ after seeing Joseph – Sophie plus two girls who played Gretl on the UK tour of The Sound of the Music (one of whom is the girl who goes to her dance school who was in Joseph).
- Finding Paddington at Paddington station.
- Completing my 400,000 steps challenge in aid of The Compassionate Friends.
- Sophie coming home from her first day at school with a sticker for being “the times table queen”.
Spending time with friends is always nice. We fully understand that missing Jessica is going to be prevalent this month with it being her birth month and so on. Sending big hugs your way and I hope Sophie is having as much fun as she should at this time.
Thank you, September is certainly a tough month for us but we’ll get through it and virtual hugs are always appreciated.
I’m glad you’ve had fun with friends to end the holiday. Sophie looks lovely in her school uniform. I know you will be sad with it being Jessica’s birthday month, but I hope you have plenty to smile about too.
Thank you Anne. We do have lots to smile about in amongst the grief and we’ll get through it.
How lovely to see your friends. It must have been lovely to have a catch up. I hope the return to school has gone well for Sophie.
Sending love and hugs. Thinking of you as always.
It looks like you have had a fun week and well done for completing your 400,000 steps! x
Thank you Kim, she’s enjoying being back at school so far.
Some lovely happy photos this week. Glad you were able to meet up with family and friends. My first theatre trip is end of October, one of my postponed shows. I know the OH is going to have a moan about it when it comes round, being indoors with crowds. Sigh. Well done Sophie on her time table brilliance!
Thank you Emma. Hope that you enjoy your theatre trip in October.
Friends and family is really what life is all about. God bless! #MMBC
It certainly is. Thank you.
That propeller-driven boat project must have been fun to do. It seems you’ve had a wonderful week.
Thank you, we had fun making the boat.
Big well done to Sophie for receiving a sticker on her first day at school! Looks like you had a lovely week, meeting with your Mum and friends. The Paddington and Sophie photo is so cute. And the boat must have been a fun project.
Thank you, it was a lovely week and Sophie enjoyed her first day at junior school.
Lovely to have friends and family around you to support you. happy 10th birthday to you for Jessica.
Thank you, the support really helps a lot.
Thats an amazing steps challenge well done you on completing it. We were in Paddington today looking for Paddington! Although we only found the blue one. Sounds like a wonderful week of catching up with people. Well done Sophie xx
Thank you. We only managed to find the blue one on that trip although did see all the others when they were part of the original Paddington trail a few years ago.
Glad Sophie’s first day went well!
Sounds like a good week meeting up with friends.
Thank you, it was a good week.
I hope Sophie is still enjoying junior school. Very jealous of your trip to Joseph! #project365
Thank you, she is loving it.
I bet it was so nice catching up with friends and having a mother and daughter day. I owe Little E one of those. I hope September wasn’t too hard on you. Sending hugs #WotW
Thank you, September was tough but we got through it.