September 30, 2008

This morning poor Caleb couldn't head off with Carson and Jamie on the daddy bus since it is Tuesday. He was sad but snapped out of it pretty fast. We hung out at home most of the morning. He played outside, helped with laundry and, as always, we went out and watched the garbage collectors when the truck came by. After that excitement we went to Publix and then came home for lunch and nap. Oh, and yes I did get my cheap Diet Dr. Peppers - woohoo!

We picked up Carson and Jamie and arrived home just as it was beginning to rain. We had a bit of a thunderstorm, which always freaks out the two little ones. Carson did his homework without complaining, so that was weird but I'll take it. We ordered pizza for dinner, so they were all happy with that.

Now they are all sleeping and I have got so much stuff to do still. I am trying to get ready for the cleaning ladies tomorrow and to go out of town on Thursday. So, time to go watch TV and fold lots of clothes!

September 29, 2008

This morning I dropped off Carson, Jamie and two kids who live across the street at school then headed over to drop Caleb off at preschool. It was pretty wild having 5 kids in the van at once, but after that I had three hours of quiet, quiet, and more quiet. I cut out coupons and then headed to the grocery store. This week I saved $41! I didn't buy as much because we are leaving town for the weekend on Thursday. Today I got a $5 gift card in the mail from Publix for some promotion I did a while back. So, tomorrow I have a plan to use that and a coupon to get three 12-packs of Diet Dr. Pepper for $2.40 total. I might be getting a little crazy about this.

I picked up Caleb at noon and he wasn't nearly as tired as he usually is after preschool. Maybe he is adjusting. He did still take a nap, though, and I had to wake him up to go get Carson and Jamie. So once again he was very grumpy at parent pick up.

Carson had fun at gymnastics tonight and Vic picked him up on the way home from work. We ate dinner (spicy soup!) and then Carson and Jamie rode their bikes with Vic and Caleb rode his golf cart. I love this great weather!

The pictures of Carson are from Saturday and the ones of Jamie are from yesterday.

September 28, 2008

We took the kids to Sunday School this morning and then on the way home we stopped at Subway and stopped again to get a newspaper so I could cut out coupons.

We ate lunch and then the kids spent all day running around with their friends. So, they all had a great day, and they were all very ready for bed tonight. :) I didn't get much done today because it's really hard to accomplish anything when trying to keep up with a two year old who wants to hang with the big kids and having various kids in and out of the house and all over outside all day long. I'm glad the kids have friends to play with who live so close, though. I'll just have to take the weekends off from doing laundry. :)

I have some pictures I will try to post tomorrow. I am off to watch Desperate Housewives now.

September 27, 2008

Carson had a great time at his first campout. He got to stay up late and do lots of running around with the other kids. He was a little disappointed that there was no BB gun shooting or archery there as had been advertised. The whole group seems disorganized to me. So, on their way home Vic decided he would just stop and buy Carson a BB gun. :-0 Luckily, Vic got a spring-loaded and fairly low-powered one. Still, the thought of Carson using any type of gun is a little unnerving. He's not exactly good at focusing on what he's doing. He and Vic had fun shooting an energy drink can in the back yard. We didn't tell Carson where we're storing it, and it is locked. Maybe he'll forget about it until he's about ten. I doubt it.

Other than the BB gun action, it was a typical Saturday around here. The kids all played with their friends all day. The weather was a little warmer today but still beautiful.

Tonight we all went to eat at Beef O'Brady's. The kids love this place because it has an arcade. I like it because we can get a table by the arcade and let the kids play while we wait for the food. It is well worth a few quarters for peaceful conversation at the restaurant!

September 26, 2008

I had yet another very quiet day today since all three kids headed off to school this morning. It is hard to get used to the house being so quiet. Caleb came home from preschool, ate lunch, and then slept until time to pick up Carson and Jamie. And I had to wake him up then. Preschool really wears him out.

We picked up Carson and Jamie from school and then dropped Jamie off to spend a few hours at Grammy & Grampy's house. When we got home I discovered I had accidentally picked up my spare car key chain instead of my usual set of keys. I'm not sure how I managed that, since I wasn't even in a hurry when I left. Since the spare key chain has no house key on it, we were locked out. So the boys played outside with some other kids for about an hour, and then I finally got the door open using a flat-head screwdriver. We needed to get in to get Carson ready for his first-ever cub scout camp out.

Vic and Carson headed out for the campout tonight with a car packed full of stuff. From the looks of it, you'd never know they'll be back in less than 24 hours. They may be back even sooner since Carson was not too sure about spending the night. I hope they have fun! The boys will be shooting BB guns and bows and arrows. Carson was very excited about that.

Now the little ones are sleeping and I am going to go enjoy a quiet evening after a very quiet day. I know there will be nothing quiet about tomorrow, though! Saturdays are never quiet around here.

September 25, 2008

I took Caleb over to spend a fun day with Grammy & Grampy this morning and then I headed home to spend a quiet day doing laundry. I didn't go to bible study this morning because I am still congested and I have a sore throat. The quiet day was nice since I feel so yucky.

I picked up Carson and Jamie and then dropped Carson off to spend the night with Grammy & Grampy and brought Caleb and Jamie back home. We didn't stay at home long, though. Just long enough to get Jamie changed into her leotard for gymnastics and then we headed out again. After gymnastics, I picked up McDonald's for the kids and we headed home.

Jamie was happy about school again today. They did an experiment with vinegar and baking soda, and she loved that. I hope maybe she is warming up to school now. Tomorrow is a dress down day, so she will at least be happy that she won't have to wear a uniform!

September 24, 2008

Caleb has slept until around 7:00 for the past two mornings, which has been very nice. My alarm clock actually woke me up this morning before Caleb could! I hope he keeps this up. :)

We got all three kids out the door for school without a single complaint from Jamie about going to school! Yay! I was going to go to MOPs after they left, but I woke up congested and with a cough, so I decided to stay home. I made a quick trip to Kroger and then headed to parent pickup at Caleb's school. The director brought him out to the car today, which was momentarily scary, but she told me how well he was doing. Phew. I guess he hasn't whacked anybody over the head yet.

Caleb fell asleep right after lunch and slept all afternoon until time to pick up Carson and Jamie. After we got home from picking up the big kids, we all played outside with the neighborhood kids until time to make dinner.

Jamie had no complaints after school today. She said she had a good day. They walked to the public library for story time, and she enjoyed that. I hope tomorrow goes this well!

September 23, 2008

This morning started off with Jamie crying and begging me not to send her to school. She has been doing this a fair amount lately, and I hate it. I so regret putting her in the full-day program. Hopefully she will adjust soon.

After that Caleb and I had a peaceful morning and afternoon together. We played outside, he rode his little golf cart, and we did a lot of laundry. He likes to help put it away.

We picked up Carson and Jamie, who came home with their fall fundraiser catalogs. So, if anyone needs wrapping paper, we've got it! Well, we have order forms for it.

We ordered pizza for dinner and then when Vic got home from work, I left for my first-ever PTA meeting. I've never been to one before because in the past they have always been on the same night as Vic's real estate investors meeting. They introduced the new officers and quickly went over the budget. It wasn't nearly as long or boring as I thought it would be. There were also tables set up where we could sign a petition to have the school board superintendent come in to speak to us about converting the school into a K-8. I am all for this as long as the very little kids are kept away from the kids in the upper grades. This would save us a whole lot of money since, as it stands now, our kids will be in private school after 5th grade.

After the meeting I headed to the kids classrooms to chat with the teachers and check out what they have been doing. In Carson's class, all the kids had drawn themselves on paper and then cut it out and taped it to their chair so it looked as if they were sitting in the chair. It was really cute. Carson's had a very tiny head. I wish I'd had my camera.

Jamie's teachers said that she was doing well, although they did mention that she got teary sometimes during class. I wish I hadn't heard that as I had been telling myself she was fine once she got to school. The classroom looks like fun, though. There were lots of pictures around, and she definitely didn't look sad in any of them.

I arrived home to discover Vic had made no progress at all towards getting them in the bed. So, I had to move fast. Jamie is in her bed but still awake. She'll be a bear in the morning!

I need to go finish up that laundry now and get some rest.

Link repaired

The link to the video of Carson and Caleb has been repaired in yesterday's post. Or, you can click here.

September 22, 2008

I loaded all three kids into the "Daddy bus" this morning and sent them on their way to school. So, I had a very quiet morning.

Yesterday I signed up for a website that publishes a list of grocery store deals every week and tells you which coupons to use with the deals to get the best price. So this morning I went to Publix and saved $51!! I was so proud of myself. :)

After that I headed over to Caleb's preschool, where I was so hungry in the carpool line that I got my Publix sub out of the back of the van and wolfed it down right there in line. I also grabbed a warm Diet Dr. Pepper from the grocery bags. Sure, the other mini van moms looked at me strangely, but I think they were just jealous of my mad efficiency and multi-tasking skills. After I gave Caleb lunch at home, he took a long nap, so I really didn't get much time with him today.

I had to wake him up when it was time to go get Carson and Jamie, which didn't make him happy at all. We came home, quickly worked on Carson's homework and then headed back out to Carson's gymnastics class.

When we came back from dropping off Carson, about every kid on the street was running around outside. So, Caleb and Jamie joined in, and I chatted with the other parents until Vic came home with Carson. It was another beautiful day today! It is so nice to be able to go outside and not be instantly sweating.

Speaking of nice weather, happy first day of Fall to everyone! I am so happy that fall has arrived!

I uploaded a new video at dropshots.com of Carson giving me good news and bad news while swinging with Caleb.

September 21, 2008

We made it to church this morning, and on time, too. I was so proud. Our new Sunday School class is studying the Screwtape Letters. I am excited about this, since I like that book a lot and it has been a few years since I have read it. The kids enjoyed their classes, too. Caleb is so proud that he gets to go to the "big class" now, and Jamie, who has complained the past couple of weeks that her SS class was too short, couldn't think of a single complaint about her class today.

We all went by the ice slushy store on the way home and then we stopped by Subway for sandwiches. The kids spent the rest of the afternoon playing at home. The temperature was very pleasant today, so they got to play outside lots.

Later in the afternoon, Jamie and I left the boys playing outside with Vic and headed off to Kroger to pick up a few things. We also stopped by the church and clipped a few roses from the rose garden. Jamie has been wanting to do this for a while. She put them in a vase on our dining room table, even though she told me it wasn't really fancy enough in there for roses. She told me I need to get a shiny table cloth for the dining table if I'm going to put roses on it.

Now I'm off to get everything ready for all three kids to go to school tomorrow morning. This weekend went by fast!

September 20, 2008

Today was a typical Saturday around here. That means kids running everywhere. Not just ours, but extras too.

Our day started when Caleb woke up at the crack of dawn, eager to get his day started. Vic and I think we could make good money renting him out as a wake up service. He stands right next to me and yells, "Wake up, Mommy! Wake up!" repeatedly until I am standing up. He is relentless, too. That's so nice at 6AM. He will also grab my arm and pull, just to make sure I am getting the message. He does the same thing with Vic when it's time for him to get up.

Carson and Jamie woke up shortly after that, and Jamie started asking to go across the street to her friend's house at 7:30. I held her off until 10:30, when Carson also headed out to his friend's house. They played with the other kids on our street all day until dinner time. I am so glad that our street is a double cul-de-sac with lots of kids. The only problem is keeping up with everyone, especially Caleb who really wants to hang with the big kids. They were all exhausted tonight and ready for bed.

I have dishes to do and then I am ready for bed too. I have to be ready for my early morning wake up call.

September 19, 2008

All three kids went off to school this morning. Caleb was excited, Carson was neutral, Jamie was complaining all the way to the car. I think they all had a good day, though. I had a very quiet morning and just stayed here and worked on laundry.

Caleb was worn out as usual after I picked him up but didn't take much of a nap today, so there was very little peace after I picked him up. He is a lot of fun, though.

Later we picked up Carson and Jamie and headed home just as it began to sprinkle rain. Carson was happy because his class got to watch Charlie Brown today. They also got to pretend they were boxcar children from the book they have been reading, but he said he didn't like that. He also got a piece of gum from his teacher, which made him very happy.

Jamie said her day was okay but complained that she didn't enjoy small group time. She comes up with a complaint every day, I think just so I don't start thinking she likes school. Sounds like they were making shapes out of pretzels and marshmallows, which sounds fun to me. She told me you got to eat the treats after you made a shape so she just didn't make a shape since she didn't want to eat them. I hope she is enjoying school more than she seems to be. It's hard to tell with her since she likes to inject drama into everything that she can. :)

The kids spent the afternoon playing with a couple of boys who live on our street, then we grilled out steaks for dinner. We let the kids stay up a little late tonight, so I am hoping they will sleep in a little tomorrow morning! Caleb will probably still be up with the sun, though. He doesn't like to miss a minute of daylight.

September 18, 2008

I dropped Caleb off to spend the day having fun with Grammy & Grampy this morning and I headed off to bible study. After that, I was wanting chicken fajitas, so I stopped by the gumball restaurant for takeout. The good news is the gumball machine has been refilled! The other good news is that the fajitas were scrumptious and they gave me a whole order of chips and salsa with my food. The bad news is I used a whole lot of WW points on lunch! Oh well, it was good and I enjoyed eating it in total peace, too.

Vic came home from work early today to take a nap and arrived just as I was heading out to pick up the kids. I forgot to mention yesterday that Vic had two MRIs done yesterday, on his knee and shoulder. The shoulder one involved having a lot of fluid injected into his shoulder, so he was tired and sore today. I went to parent pickup and then let the kids loose on the playground for a few minutes before picking up Caleb and heading home, so he at least got a little bit of a rest.

Jamie completed her first homework assignment tonight. She had to decorate an "All about me" apple for the class apple tree. I printed out photos for her and cut them out. Then I gave her glue, markers, scissors stickers and the photos and she did her homework all by herself. She did a good job, too!

I took Jamie to gymnastics tonight while the boys stayed home with Vic. She was happy because they took turns jumping into the foam pit and racing to the other side, and she won all her races. Who knew she was such a talented foam swimmer. :)

September 17, 2008

All three of the kids went to school this morning, so I headed out for a fun morning at Target. They have a Starbuck's inside the store, and I discovered today that the pumpkin spice latte is back! :-D So, I got the Venti and was well caffeinated all afternoon.

I picked up Caleb from preschool, and found out we had accidentally dropped him off this morning without a diaper on. Whoops! He likes to take off his diaper when we're not looking. I'm sure we had one on him at some point this morning. At least his teacher discovered it before he made a mess in the classroom and she thought it was funny.

Grammy brought home the big kids again today. She let them stay and play for a while at the school playground and then took them by McDonald's for an ice cream, where they talked her into getting happy meals too. Carson went home to her house to spend the night.

Jamie is finishing up watching Barbie Island Princess right now and Caleb is pushing a fire truck around on the floor and doing a very good impression of a fire truck siren. It has been overcast and thundering this afternoon, so they have been mostly inside. I am about to start moving them towards bed and then I will spend tonight trying to catch up on my Beth Moore homework. I like her studies, but there is a lot of work involved!

September 16, 2008

Poor Caleb was very upset this morning when he didn't get to go to preschool. He doesn't get the Monday, Wednesday, Friday concept. It's funny that I felt a little guilty signing him up for 3 days a week, but he wishes he could go every day. :) He'll be happy in the morning.

We spent the morning cleaning up around here and doing laundry. We also went through a whole lot of Caleb's old clothes and bagged up 3 garbage bags worth for Goodwill. Yeah, it had been a while since I went through his stuff! He liked helping and putting the clothes into the bag for me. After that we headed to Walmart for a few things and so I could get my Veggie Delite fix. Caleb got a mini Turkey sub. He's the only one of our kids who has enjoyed subs at two years old. Sandwiches are one of his favorite foods.

We also went by Sonic for a drink since I have a hard time driving by Sonic and not getting a drink. I can't wait for cooler weather because I love their mocha lattes. This may be bad news for my WW progress.

Grammy picked up the big kids today and dropped off Carson. Jamie went over to her house to play this afternoon. We ordered pizza for dinner and then Carson and Vic went to his Cub Scout den meeting. We thought it was last night, but another look at the calendar reminded me that it was tonight. Carson was unimpressed. Apparently they learned the proper way to fold the American flag. Important stuff, but no fire, explosions or other dangerous stuff was involved, so Carson found it boring. Maybe next week.

September 15, 2008

Caleb had a great day at his second full day of preschool. He made it through lunch before falling asleep this time, but was still very worn out and slept a couple of hours. That meant a very, very quiet morning and afternoon for me. It is going to take a while for me to get used to having them all in school at the same time three mornings a week.

The quiet came to an abrupt end as soon as Carson and Jamie hopped in the van at parent pickup. We went home, quickly did Carson's homework and rushed out for Carson's gymnastics class. Vic picked him up on the way home from work. They were supposed to go to Cub Scouts tonight too, but we decided one activity was enough for him tonight. He didn't mind either. I think he wanted some free time.

I am going to go clean up downstairs and then try to get some rest. The kids have been taking turns waking up at night the past couple of nights, making for a couple of sleepless nights for me.

September 14, 2008

Everyone but me went to Sunday school this morning. Caleb has had a bit of a runny nose, so I was going to stay home with him. But when it was time for the others to leave he got pretty upset, so I decided his runny nose wasn't that bad after all and sent all the kids with Vic. And stayed home alone. Ha!!

We spent the afternoon at home. The kids played with friends all afternoon. I did laundry and looked at Wallpaper online. We are getting really tired of our downstairs bath being without wallpaper, so I decided to shop around for some.

Tonight Vic went back to church since he had sound duty and I got all the kids in bed before 8:00. :)

September 13, 2008

This morning we headed out again to the gymnastics open house, only to arrive and find nothing at all going on. Grrrr. I guess they scrapped it altogether. So, then we drove to a house where Vic needed some clients to sign a contract, and the kids fought like crazy in the car. So, overall not the best morning.

The kids spent some time resting in their rooms and then we had a pretty good afternoon. Carson and Jamie both played with friends, so we had kids in and out of the house all day. I didn't accomplish much, but at least they had a fun afternoon.

I am hoping to get them in the bed a little early tonight. I think I let them stay up too late last night and that's why they were so grumpy this morning. I definitely don't want grumpy kids at church tomorrow!

These pictures of Jamie are from yesterday. I was too tired to post them last night.

September 12, 2008

This morning one of Caleb's dreams came true when he got to leave with Carson and Jamie in Vic's car to go to school. No more having to stay home with me while Carson and Jamie headed off for school. Well, not on M, W, or F at least. He had a great time at preschool and was so tired that he came inside and began to fall asleep on the kitchen floor before I even had his lunch ready. So, he took a nice long nap, and I enjoyed a very quiet afternoon.

Tonight Vic and the boys went to a Cub Scout movie night, and Jamie and I had girls night here. We at popcorn and watched Barbie and the Diamond Castle, which is every bit as exciting as the title sounds. It was fun, and now all the kids are finally sleeping. They were all up late, so I hope they sleep in a little in the morning. I know I could stand to catch up on some rest!

September 11, 2008

Today was a fairly busy day. I took Caleb over to Grammy & Grampy's house and then went to bible study. After that I ran some errands and then came home for a little while before picking up Carson & Jamie and heading over to pick up Caleb.

Then we quickly went home and worked on Carson's homework and got Jamie ready for gymnastics. Vic came home early to watch the boys, and I dropped Jamie off at gymnastics and then headed over to the pre-k parents' meeting at the school.

The meeting was pretty quick. It was just about the rules and state regulations, and a chance for the school to give us tons of papers. I swear this school must hate trees. The papers include a whole booklet about how the government apparently wants to get involved in strengthening families. Um, no thanks, government. I've seen how you run the country. I know they're trying to prevent abuse and neglect, but the thought of the government getting involved with my family is kind of scary. There will be a whole other meeting about that. Can't wait.

After that, I went to WW, where I learned that I lost 2.5 pounds in the last two weeks! Wooohooo! I am 9.6 pounds down from my starting point now. :)

Off to get the kids folders and backpacks ready for tomorrow and then get some rest!

September 10, 2008

Caleb is officially a preschooler as of today. I dropped him off this morning and he went right in and started playing. I then went and enjoyed the morning at MOPS and Grammy picked him up for me, since they had a shortened day today. She took him to the golf course to hit some balls after that, which is his favorite place, so he had a great morning. When I picked him up, he was using a grabber to pick up pine cones from Grammy & Grampy's yard.

This afternoon, Caleb and Jamie were both very tired from school and we stayed around the house. Jamie is still complaining lots about rest time and now she is unhappy because they have assigned seating at lunch and music. I can't tell if she really doesn't like school or if she is just being dramatic. I hope she will adjust with a little more time.

Our preschool boy:

September 9, 2008

Caleb and I spent a quiet day together today. We stayed around the house and he took a long afternoon nap, so I had a very quiet day. I got lots of laundry done.

Grammy picked up Carson and Jamie and took Jamie to her house for the afternoon. They made necklaces and had a good time. I took the boys to Kroger for just a few things, and made the mistake of trying to go through the self checkout line with a cranky toddler who likes to mess with the checkout screen. So, after making a scene there with a screaming toddler because I was forcing him to stay in the cart so he didn't cancel my whole order again, I went by McDonald's to pick up dinner.

Jamie came home pretty soon after we got back. Carson was excited to see Grammy and was jumping around like a wild man and knocked her tooth into her lip. Poor Grammy. She was on her way to a meeting at church, too. I hope it heals up fast.

The little wild ones are all sleeping peacefully now and I am going to go relax and watch some T V with Vic. I am glad that the new fall shows are finally starting up!

September 8, 2008

Caleb and I made a trip to the library this morning. He knows how to have fun in a library. He found a shark puppet and used it to "eat" the books off the shelves, so I just checked out whatever the shark ate. The shark made some good choices.

After we picked up Carson and Jamie, we quickly checked out his friend's new Razor Dune Buggy. It is really cool. I think I know what will be on Carson's Christmas list now.

After that, Carson had to quickly do his homework and then rush off to gymnastics. He had fun at gymnastics. They worked on forward rolls and backward rolls and jumped on the trampoline. Vic picked him up on his way home from work and then I left for Caleb's preschool open house as soon as they got home. I think Caleb is going to love preschool. He gets to start on Wednesday! :)

September 7, 2008

This morning was Sunday School promotion day at church. We had nursery duty and then Caleb got to go to Sunday school for the first time ever. He was excited about going to the "big class". When I peaked in on him, he and the other boys were pushing trucks around on the floor. His teacher said he made himself right at home. Jamie got to go to the 4 & 5 year old classroom for the first time today. She liked it, but complained that the class was too short. Carson is in a 1st and 2nd grade room, so he is staying in the same place this year.

We came home and our kids played for a few hours, plus some extra kids came over to play. Tonight we made a family trip to Target and Home Depot, and then came home and got the kids to bed.

A few minutes ago, Vic found this out on the brick wall:

What the heck is that thing? Is that a cicada? It looked like a freakish little alien, so I had to get pictures of it. Whatever it is, it is probably blinded from my flash now.


Update - it's out now:

September 6, 2008

We went to what I thought was going to be the Gymnastics open house this morning. It turned out they had rescheduled it for next Saturday because of Hanna. That's too bad because it turned out to be a warm sunny day. They let us come into the gym anyway and jump on the trampoline. The kids had fun, and we ended up signing Carson up for the boys gymnastics class. He starts Monday.

After that, we went by the new gas station to see if they sell ice slushies. They do, and our slushy-obsessed kids each got one. Then we went home and the kids played with their friends for the rest of the afternoon.

Tonight we went out to dinner with Grammy & Grampy at the gumball restaurant. This time they were not only completely out of gumballs, but all the other candy machines were empty too. Maybe they're going to take them out. The kids were disappointed, but we still had a nice dinner out. Well, as nice as you can have with three kids with you.

I have put a few videos up of Caleb hitting a golf ball inside the house on Friday and a video of the kids jumping in the gymnastics room today. The are at dropshots.

September 5, 2008

Caleb and I got to spend the day together today. We didn't get out much today as the weather was yucky off and on. He played a lot of indoor golf and did his best to beat up the house. I got a short video of him golfing in the foyer. I'll try to post it tomorrow. We did make one quick outing to the gas station and then to Walmart. We picked up subs for lunch at the Subway inside Walmart. I am getting hooked on the Veggie Delite subs.

Later we picked up Carson and Jamie and parent pickup was running much more smoothly today. Jamie told me it was her worst day ever because they had to cut their playground time short due to rain. She said they had to sing songs inside instead. She loves to sing, but not with a group. She is a solo artist only. :) Later she told Vic she had a fun day, so I guess the whole playground rain thing wasn't all that traumatic after all.

Tonight we went out with Christy & Patrick to celebrate Christy's birthday. The kids stayed with Grammy & Grampy. It was fun to get out, even if there is a tropical storm in town. I ate way too much. I am sure I used up all 35 of my WW extra points for the week!

Hanna turned out to be a pretty gentle storm. Hardly noticeable around here. Just some wind and a little rain. I hope Ike follows her example!

September 4, 2008

This morning Caleb and I went to bible study. Well, I went to bible study and Caleb played in the nursery. He had a good time playing with his friend, Isaac. The new study we are doing is Stepping Up by Beth Moore. It looks like a really good one. I just hope I can keep up with my homework.

Caleb was very, very tired after bible study and took a nice, long nap. So, I had a very quiet afternoon. Grammy picked up Carson and Jamie today, and Jamie had her turn to go play at Grammy & Grampy's house this afternoon. She had a good time and got to play Toon Town with Grammy.

Carson and I worked on finishing up his homework. He has more homework this year, so it's a bit of an adjustment for him. I can't really blame him for not liking it. He spends 6 hours and 40 minutes a day in school. That's not enough? Maybe he will get used to it soon and learn to get it done faster.

Jamie had fun at school again but really, really does not like rest time. I hear about it every day: "We have to be quiet! And, we have to hold still!" Poor Jamie. Still and quiet really aren't her things!

September 3, 2008

Carson and Jamie had another good day at school. Grammy picked them up this afternoon and then took them by McDonald's. She dropped off Jamie and also dropped off a Happy Meal for Caleb. Then Carson went home with her to spend the night. Jamie gets to go over there tomorrow afternoon.

Jamie doesn't tell me much about her school day, she just says it was fun except she doesn't like rest time. I'm not surprised about that. She is very, very tired when she gets home and therefore she is very grumpy. Today Caleb was extra tired too since we had spent the morning in the nursery while the MOPs steering team met, and he only took a brief nap in the car. So, that meant lots of fighting between the two of them this afternoon. At one point, Jamie was just wailing like something awful had happened. She managed to tell me between melodramatic sobs that Caleb had hit her in the head with a Happy Meal box. I couldn't help but smile a little, then she added, "it had FRIIIIIEEEES in it!!". Poor kid, lol. They both went to bed early tonight. Thank goodness.

Looks like Hanna is going to go to the North of us. I kind of had a feeling it would. North Carolina is like a hurricane magnet. I hope Hanna is kind, wherever she lands. Now we are watching Ike, which looks much more formidable than Hanna.

September 2, 2008

Carson and Jamie both had a great day today at school. We dropped Carson off at his class first. I snapped a couple of pictures, but then I left as I was the only mom in there and he was giving me the look. So, Jamie and I headed on to her classroom where there were tables set up with interlocking block pieces. We hung up her bag and she found a seat across from a girl who was in her dance class last year. I took a few pictures of her, but she was more direct than Carson and told me I had taken enough pictures and she thought it was time for me to go now. lol. Well, at least I didn't have to worry about her being sad when I left.


Parent pick up line was a mess this afternoon, but it always is the first week of school. They came home very tired. We ordered pizza to celebrate the first day of school and then I got them to bed as early as I could tonight. They were all asleep by 8:30.

Still have no idea what Hanna is going to do. I have seen models showing it making landfall anywhere from Florida to North Carolina. It is just meandering right now, so we are all waiting for it to move away from the Bahamas to see which direction it will head. Vic is going to take the boat out of the water tomorrow and I am going to pack up some things, just in case we end up leaving.

Off to straighten up now and get some rest. I am tired out from the first day of school, too!

Back to School!

First day of school pictures are up in our web album!

September 1, 2008

We enjoyed our cookout today with Grammy & Grampy and a couple of people Vic works with. We had our cookout at lunch time this year so that the kids would have time to wind down for bed after it was over.

The kids ended up spending the afternoon with friends over playing. I think it was a pretty good day to end summer vacation. It's hard to believe the first day of school has arrived!

They were all in bed by 8:00, but not all asleep. I think Carson is pretty nervous. Jamie is very excited, and Caleb just wasn't too tired because he had a nap this afternoon.

We are watching Hurricane Hanna and it looks like the kids' first week of school may be cut short. If it continues on the predicted path, we will probably leave town on Thursday morning. I am going to pack up a few things tomorrow, just in case. TS Ike is right behind Hanna, too. It has been a long time since we have had to evacuate, nine years in fact, so I can't complain. This time we will get an earlier start and hopefully the trip to Atlanta won't take 12 hours!

I will try to post first day of school pictures tomorrow morning sometime.