First Day Photos

As promised, here are some photos of each kiddo on the first day of school. This working full time thing is still taking some getting used to. I was so busy that first morning that I really rushed taking pics so I got some out-of-focus shots. Oh well, what can you do, right?

Marleigh on her first day of 7th grade...






Elliot on his last first day of elementary school, 5th grade...






Selah on her first day of 1st grade...






And little Tess, my Kindergartener...

More tooth fairy woes

Some of you may remember Elliot having some tooth fairy issues a year or so ago. Looks like the tooth fairy is still having some issues.

Last night Selah pulled a tooth. She worked on that thing forever. I'm not sure why she was so intent on getting it out but she finally got it. Then she made Tess scale the pantry shelves to get a ziploc bag for her so it wouldn't get lost while laying under her pillow.

So this morning Hubby is doing his business on the potty when Selah walks in, ziploc bag in hand and a big huge pout on her face.

Selah: "Daddy, look!"
Hubby: Looking up from his magazine he stares blankly at the baggie for a second before he realizes what it means. "Uh oh! The tooth fairy didn't come last night?"
Selah: "No!"
Hubby: "Oh you know what? It was raining all night. The tooth fairy probably couldn't come because her wings would get wet. She wouldn't be able to fly with wet wings. We'll try again tonight."

Wow. I'm really impressed with the way Hubby is able to come up with that sort of thing on the fly. I mean, it totally makes sense, right? Teeny tiny little tooth fairy. How would she be able to fly if her wings got wet?

Hopefully the tooth fairy will make it tonight and we won't have a repeat of Elliot's poor tooth fairy fiasco.

First day of school

Oh, how I'd love to share pictures of my kiddos on the first day of school. Alas, my slow-as-molassas computer forbids me from doing so. I am in the processes of editing the pictures but because of said slow computer it'll probably be a couple of days before I can actually share photos. So in the meantime, I'll just bore you with the details.

Tess: First day of Kindergarten today. She did great and met some new friends that she played with this morning while I was observing in the classroom. Being the first day the parents had to stick around to do some things and help the kiddos feel a bit more at ease. The little girl Tess was playing with kept telling her mom that she could go home now. Tess was content just having me watch. Until it was time for me to go when she broke down in big sobs and said she didn't want me to leave. Poor thing, she stayed in the line to go to recess just holding a friends hand and tears were streaming down her face. Ugh. Very hard to be the Mommy and have to stay strong when you really just want to scoop her up and take her home and snuggle. She went out to recess where she continued to cry even harder when she saw her teacher from last year. I think the familiarity of her just set her off. Then she even saw Elliott and Selah and was STILL sobbing. Poor thing. At some point she finally did settle down and enjoyed the rest of the day enough to announce this afternoon that today was, "The best day EVER!"

Selah: She had a lot of fun today. She loves her new teacher and I'm a lot happier with her teacher assignment this year than I was last year. I've heard several parents say that this teacher isn't very good but I'm pleased with her disposition and am just crossing my fingers that she'll be a good fit with Selah this year. I'm so happy that Selah is also branching out of her shell a bit and isn't as shy as she has been in the past. She's open to making new friends and came home this afternoon telling me about the new friends she made today.

Elliott: He's pleased as pie with his class full of rowdy boys. Apparently his teacher is one that can reign them in and more power to her. When I saw the list of names for his class I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I'm not sure what the ratio of boys to girls is but every single boy in there is a handfull I think! Elliott is a terrific student but loves to entertain so friends encouraging that behavior isn't always good. From what I hear though this teacher is able to be strict and discipline the children but they also all really like her. When Elliott came home after school I asked him about his day and he said, "My teacher is really strict". I asked if he liked her even though she was strict and he was pretty hesitant before saying yes. I imagine that she's starting the year off letting them know who's boss and before long he'll be telling me how much he likes her.

Marleigh: Bless her heart. She had a bit of a rough first day of 7th grade. First she set her alarm wrong and woke up late. I would have gotten her up but I was out on my run and so was Hubby. By the time we got home she only had about 30 minutes to get ready. Apparently not enough for a 12-going-on-18 year old. Then I got a call from Hubby at 10:15 informing me that Marleigh started her period. Poor thing! It's been so inconsistent and she just doesn't really know when to expect it. Of course she didn't have anything with her and she bled all through her brand new shorts she bought last night for the first day of school. She was miserable and embarassed thinking that other people saw the back of her pants and then was terrified that I'd be made that she'd messed up her new shorts. Poor thing. I brought her home to change and get cleaned up and before too long she was much better. I'm sure this will be one of those things she looks back and laughs about in 10 years but today it was far from funny!

It was an emotional day for me. Sending Tess off to Kindergarten, the first real official year to be in school. Elliott went to his last first day at elementary school. And Marleigh went to her last first day in middle school. Next year I'll have two in elementary school, one in middle school, and one in junior high. Heaven help me! And while You're at it, make these kids slow down and not grow up so fast!

Smartie pants

You know how sometimes your kids your kids have a certain way of pronouncing things when they are small? And you know that they'll grow up and not say things like that anymore and you want to keep them small as long as you can so they'll always say those silly things?

Well, Selah and Tess both pronounce their r's wrong. Selah seems to be growing out of it this summer. But I can count on Tess for at least another year of silly pronounciations. For instance, the sentence "Tomorrow you need to go to the store and get more animal crackers" sounds more like, "Toomawoah you need to go to the stoowah and get moowah animal quackoors" in Tess's world.

So this evening at dinner Selah announces that Tess can now say her r's correctly. Our conversation went something like this.

Selah: Did you know Tess can say her r's now?
Mom: No I didn't know that. Tess is that true?
Tess: Yeah, listen. *concentrating really hard she says* "I are smart!"

Gotta love that girl!

A stadium full

On Saturday I was a chaperone for Marleigh's junior high church group. I always help out with the group on Wednesday nights during the school year but haven't gone on a trip with them for quite a while.

Saturday was a surprise for the kids. They didn't know what our plans were as we loaded the people movers and headed out of the parking lot. It was a jam packed day that started with a drive to Tulsa. Then we went ice skating and afterwards we headed to Incredible Pizza to chow down and play hard. As if our bellies weren't full enough, we then visited a nearby Marble Slab for ice cream all around.

Finally our exhausted group headed to the ballpark to watch the Tulsa Driller's baseball team. As the group headed to the top of the stadium in search of shelter from the hot sun, I chose a seat several rows below them. Leaning back, with my legs draped over the bleacher in front of me I just took it all in. It was definitely hot but the wind was blowing and the sounds and smells of the field were slowly lulling me into a trance. I found myself staring off towards the outfield when I realized what I had found. Patterns! Lots of them, full of colors and shapes. From the blue bleachers and the shiny metal fencing to the rows mowed into the grass. A stadium full of patterns.

See more patterns at the Self Portrait Challenge
Self Portrait Challenge website.

Thirty4

Can I really be that old?

I remember when I met Hubby. His two brothers are 10 and 11 years older than he is and they were just turning 30 back then. I thought they were ancient. I specifically remember thinking that they were so old that it was all pretty much downhill from there.

Now here I am, turning 34 today. I feel like there is so much in my life that I have yet to accomplish. Like there is still so much left for me to do. In some ways I feel like my life is just beginning.

I had two friends sing Happy Birthday to me today. One of them had her 5 year old in the background. Can't beat the voice of a little birthday wish like that. And of course my fam sang to me too. My kids, and Hubby, really do rock.

It was my last day at the "old job" today. That was a little bit bittersweet. I will miss just knowing exactly what to do and not really having to think about it. Although I know that feeling will come with the new job in time. I got to choose where lunch was brought from at the office and had a big brisket salad.

Then Hubby took the kids and me out for Japanese hibachi and sushi. It was yummy but way too much food. I think I'll just roll myself into the bedroom tonight.

My little sister sent me a beautiful new necklace and a friend gifted me with two new magazine suscriptions. I'm such a magazine junkie! Hubby gave me some wonderful smelling perfume and a gift certificate to Payless. My favorite shoe store! As many shoes as I buy it's a good thing I like the cheap ones.

I think my favorite gifts were from my sweet little kiddos. Selah and Elliot both made me cards with poems they wrote. Tess made me a little card and wrapped two of her special worry dolls that she made at Selah's birthday party up in a bandana for me to have. Marleigh used her own money to buy a frame. Then printed a photo of me with all four kiddos just after Tess was born. She printed "Mother Love...is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible" on a sheet of vellum and mounted it over the photo, placing them in the frame. It's beautiful and just reminds me how special all of my children are and how incredibly blessed I am to have them as mine!

Hopefully tomorrow I can share a photo of my birthday goodies. Tonight I'm wiped out and ready to lay down and snuggle with Hubby and think about how wonderful I hope this year as 34 will be.