First day again…

Yes, it is the first day of school today. Here are the photos taken before school.

Aubrie 8th grade

Keeley 5th grade

Henry 3rd grade

Jesse 1st grade

Andee said she needed a picture taken today as well.

And this was taken by Jesse a few days ago.

This morning I also had the pleasure of taking my friend, Mindy’s kids to school as well. She had emergency back surgery on Friday and is unable to drive. So I took 8 kids to 8 classrooms, in two different schools, 17 lb. backpacks of school supplies, and 2 small girls -one in a stroller with jammies still on.

Andee is having a fun morning with playdoh, hide and seek, bubbles, and several other things we don’t do during the summer.

I decided to make bus cake ‘brownies today’ so we’ll see how that turns out.

School Days are here again…

The summer has flown by once again and school has started.  It is always bitter sweet sending the kids off to school.  On the one hand I don’t have to endure endless teasing and fighting, but I want my kids with me.  I don’t like thinking that they are away from me for such long periods of time.

Here is what they looked like on the first day of school.

Aubrie is off to middle school.

She didn’t want me to follow her into her classroom – go figure- so this is my last glimpse of her as she get out of the van.

Keeley had safety patrol the first day, so she had a photo taken in the car on the way to school at 7:25 a.m.  And again by her classroom door at 8:15.

Henry is a second grader now and was so satisfied to come home the first day having played soccer with his friends at recess again.

Today is Jesse’s first day of kindergarten.  He was excited and nervous.  There are so many new people in his class he was very quiet when we left the classroom.  He also has a black eye…

He and Tracker bumped heads last night after dinner.  Matt told him that he would just have to go to school with a black eye for his first day of school to which Jesse replied, “It’s not black it’s purple!”  So true. 

So off goes another child to spend most of the day without me.  They survive fine but I miss them terribly.

I was so busy on Wednesday that we did not have our traditional bus cake.  But here is this year’s version.

 

LIFE IS SO GOOD!

Sweet moment…

Today I had a sweet moment  in the garden with Henry.  I had let my strawberries grow in the aisles so my friend could get some transplants from me.  So today she came to get them and while Henry and I were pulling out the extras and the hiding weeds he began to sing primary songs.  We sang and talked together about many things and I will never forget this little moment of joy in my journey.

Thanks bud!

What am I supposed to do?

I have already had enough of the free for all days of summer.  That’s pretty bad seeing that today is only the third day of summer…

 

Here is my solution… another list to follow….

What do I do…	Aubrie	Keeley	Henry	Jesse	Andee
7 am - 10	breakfast bedroom get dressed job	breakfast bedroom get dressed job	breakfast bedroom get dressed job	breakfast bedroom get dressed job	breakfast bedroom get dressed job
10 am - 1	practice piano math lunch	practice piano math lunch	practice piano math lunch	reading lesson read lunch	read stories play lunch
1 pm - 4	read book craft project play outside	read book craft project play outside	read book craft project play outside	read book craft project play outside	quiet time
4 pm - 7	help with dinner clean up play	help with dinner clean up play	help with dinner clean up play	help with dinner clean up play	help with dinner clean up play
7 pm - 9	Job get ready for bed scriptures/prayer	Job get ready for bed scriptures/prayer	Job get ready for bed scriptures/prayer	Job get ready for bed scriptures/prayer	Job get ready for bed scriptures/prayer
Lights out	9:30 pm	9:30 pm	8:30 pm	8:30 pm	8:30 pm

 

if you’d like a Word copy of the file that you could customize for your family let me know and I’ll email it to you.

 

If my kids get finished with the tasks in the box before the time allotment is over, then they get to have points added to their ‘Friday computer game time’.   My kids will do just about anything for a few minutes on the computer – it is always earned time – never just for the asking.  I know, I know…that’s what helps me keep my position as ‘the meanest mom ever’ in tact.

Here’s to hoping for more organized  ‘crazy days of summer’…

We have been busy…

With…

Henry’s birthday…

making everything clean and having fun while doing it…

Matt’s 40th b-day…

playing in the dirt/expanding the garden…

having baby #6…

isn’t Remi sweet…

taking kitchen cruises…

getting belly buttons…

Tracker, our new puppy, doesn’t everyone need a new baby and a new puppy all at the same time…

baby blessings and family visiting…

significant fishing trips with grandpa, Bailey, Aubrie and Daddy…

baseball season… see Henry above the ‘R’…

better late than never birthday parties…

more birthdays with pierced ears and makeup…

growing babies…

classroom presentations that mommy takes really great photos of…see Henry’s nice haircut…

fun, fun, fun preschool outings…

where we feed the fish…

and get rides on the lawn cart…

more fun with bubble baths…

more birthday fun…

beautiful stormy days…

award assemblies that mom actually makes it to…

and growing babies…

As you can see, this is why I don’t post very often. I’m too busy living life and enjoying my family… I hope your days are filled with happiness, the wonder of life, and you are as grateful for all of the blessings the Lord gives to us as I am! Isn't life wonderful.