I’m a summer girl. Always have been, always will be. I cannot believe that today really marks the last day of summer. School begins tomorrow. Backpacks are already packed. Outfits already ready to be worn. Fridge stocked with items for lunches. The McClelland household is READY.

With the ending of summer 2011… there have been some really great things that have happened.

1. Henry is now fully potty trained. Oh, yes… as bittersweet as it is to write this, I’m kind of still in shock — after 7 straight-years, the McClelland household is a diaper-free zone. (You know what that means… lol!)

2. Alexander passed his deep end test at our pool club this summer — HUGE news. And then decided to want to give me even more anxiety (and panic attacks) when he announced he taught himself how to do a flip… (which he actually did).

3. Taking the month of July off from all travel. Being a digital mom is hard work, I literally will pull in 12-14 hour days without even flinching because I LOVE it so much. But… there is a HUGE perk about being a digital mom… you can create your own schedule. I knew August was going to be a high travel month, so I was able to cancel/postpone all travel in July… which was the best family decision to make.

4. Benjamin has now joined the ranks in the climbing of the walls. I knew it was only a matter of time… 2 of them climbing walls just wasn’t enough. 😉 Henry… please hold off for awhile.

5. The Digital Mom Handbook released on July 26th, 2011! That date had been some “phantom” date for so long… and then it finally arrived and BAM! Our book is OUT in the world. Crazy cool… !

6. Baptizing the boys. It was beyond special for me to see my sons, all of them… get baptized this past June. Our whole family was here to celebrate with us, and it really was such an emotional event for me. I never expected to CRY, and I couldn’t stop the tears.

7. William turning into a little swimmer! Holy, moly… I don’t know where that came from! He dropped 10 seconds off of his time and just – honest to God – impressed me beyond words this summer!

8. Cook-outs at home. There’s nothing more relaxing or incredible to me then a summer cookout. We cooked out a ton this summer and ate right on our back deck. I loved it. There was something so special about being outdoors together and just truly enjoying each other’s company!

9. Work… BlogHer conference, co-hosting The Rhode Show one morning, StyleWeek Providence, Getting Gorgeous planning, The Digital Mom Handbook webinar, TJMaxx/Marshall’s Back-to-School events, etc… I love my work and there’s been some awesome stuff this past summer that I’ve gotten to do!

10. FAMILY. I spent every morning throughout the summer at our pool club from 9-12PM with the boys. I got to watch swim team, swimming lessons and tennis. There’s nothing like seeing the smile on my sons’ faces… it’s contagious and I loved soaking up their summer memories!