{the friday five}: September 2010

24 September 2010

1. Last weekend was complete craziness. After closing on Friday, E went with my mom and dad to the lake to help move. I stayed with the kids, went to church on Friday night, T's football game on Saturday morning, drove out to the lake to pick E up, drove to Hutch for my niece Addie's birthday party, to Hector for E's 15 year reunion, then back up to Spicer to spend the night and Sunday at the lake. We had to fill the car with gas twice last weekend. Whew!

2. Eric DID in fact put the boat in the lake. I am sure that is not a surprise. It was nice to see the lake from in the boat. We are all extremely happy that they chose this cabin. We also had our first experience pulling out a dock and {attempting} the boat lift....interesting and quite funny...just wish it hadn't been so cold!

3. I love this pic I snapped last weekend of the kids. They are ALL frog lovers.

4. Kasey was also at the lake last weekend. She had extensions in her hair when we got there. Avery thought it was so fun to make herself have long hair. Beckett couldn't stop calling her Hannah Montana and singing "You get the best of both worlds..."

5. Tate got his school pics back this week. I never have high expectations for these pictures, but both last year and again this year I have been pleasantly surprised and really loved the genuine smile he gives. I love that you can see his jack-o-lantern smile in full swing.

17 September 2010

1. Sunday was my parents' 35th anniversary. My mom told me this week she remembers when my grandparents celebrated theirs and it seemed like 35 years was SO LONG...but now it seems like she blinked! Ave celebrated their anniversary by wearing her "wedding dress" {aka my slip} and Mom's veil that she gave Ave for dress up a few years ago. Still looks good for 35 years, eh?

2. Monday Avery started dance. She has been patiently waiting for what seems like forever to be old enough to start. She is taking a tap/ballet combination class. Here is her trying on her "veotard" for Rach with a few of Rach's props a few weeks ago...

After class I asked her if she hated it, liked it, or loved it and she shouted "LOVED IT!" right in the lobby of the dance studio. She said she loved tap the best, which is no surprise after she has seen her aunties tap since she was born.

3. Beckett has been having some trouble falling asleep for quite some time now. He has reached that lovely magic age where the older two also stopped going to bed at night well. After putting him back upstairs several times the other night, we headed up to bed around 11:30 and found this on our stair landing...

We just had to laugh at a) what a blast from the past this is because Tate used to fall asleep on the landing all the time, and b) that our princess dog was using Becks as a pillow.

4. Tate is required to bring a snack for each afternoon at school. It has to be nut free and pretty much non-perishable, which we decided leaves us with goldfish and pretzels as his favorite snacks. I bought both in bulk this week and when I brought the containers home, I started to divide it into snack bags so Tate can just grab what he wants in the morning on his own. I only had to do it for a few minutes and then the boys took over. I've never seen them have so much fun doing a chore!

Tate opened and held the bags while Beckett used a measuring cup to measure the fish and pretzels and dump them in the bag. Too bad we packed enough to last us until Christmas, because this kept them happily busy for about 40 minutes! Maybe they'll learn to pair socks soon...

5. Today is an exciting day...my parents close on their cabin!

This has been a lifelong dream for all of us, and we are so excited that the day has finally come. We can only imagine all the memories we will make there. It may also not come as a surprise that my husband already has the boat parked in the garage there, even though they don't even have the keys yet. =) He asked the owner if he could drive it out there when he came for the final walk through last night. That's E for you. Even though it is going to be cold this weekend I am guessing that boat will end up in the lake...but I will let you know next week!

10 September 2010

1. After 10 days of feeling awful but swearing I would not go to the doctor to pay $20 for them to tell me I had a virus, on the 11th day I gave in. So yesterday I went to the doctor and he told me what probably started as a virus {haHA! I knew that is what they would have told me!} has turned into bronchitis and almost pneumonia. So this time my $20 got me a Z-pac and an inhaler...woop woop! Needless to say, I have been parenting from the couch whenever I'm home {there is no staying home sick for a teacher the first week of school} and I got very few pictures taken. You'll have to deal.

2. Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending Eric's cousin Blake and his new wife Katie's wedding in Montevideo. When we were about half way there I realized that I had forgotten my dress at home...I was planning on changing in the car when we were almost there so my dress wouldn't wrinkle. After a two minute melt down because I could not wear the Nike running shorts, gray tshirt, and hot pink flip flops I had on to the wedding, Eric drove me back in the other direction and went to Target, where in 10 minutes I came out with a new dress, spanx, heels, and earrings. We walked in about 30 seconds before the bride, but it was a good story. I wish I had taken a picture, but again...cough, cough, sleep, sleep...I didn't get one taken.

3. Tate officially started getting homework this week. I am much more used to being the homework assigner than the homework helper, but Tate loves doing it so it has been a pleasure! I hope he continues to love school as much as he does now.

4. Beckett and I had our first morning alone in, well, EVER. I started my new schedule at school and am able to be home in the mornings to get Tate on the bus and drive Avery and her friend Olivia to preschool. Then Beckett and I get to hang for a bit before I take him to Patti's.

It only took that first morning for me to understand why the baby of every family is spoiled. M&M's in the Target checkout aisle? Sure, why not! And I NEVER let my kids get candy in the checkout aisle...like EVER. It is the way I keep my mean mom status.

5. Beckett has also been cracking us up lately because of his obsession with his "texting phone". Kara gave him the phone last Christmas {it was left at her house during a college party and she couldn't identify the owner...she knew Beckett would love it!}. It has given us a few other really funny stories already, but this week he won't even go to the bathroom without it. Yesterday after I went to the doctor we had to even go search for it in Rach's sand box after he freaked at bedtime the night before because he had forgotten it there.

I caught him twice yesterday "texting"...once while he was peeing {I caught him off guard and he wasn't very happy, can you tell?} and once at bedtime when he was supposed to be sleeping. I don't really text, so I don't know where he gets this from, but it sure makes us giggle.

{{SIDE NOTE...Avery is alive and well, too...she has some big things coming up next week so she we'll get her in next week's five. Sorry Miss Aves...thanks for being Mom's cuddle buddy on the couch this week!}}

3 September 2010

1. We spent the weekend with the Pankakes at the Luthens' family cabin. It was a fun weekend of swimming, jet skiing, paddle boating, fishing, tubing, eating, and playing cards. Perfect way to end summer!

2. On Monday Tate started first grade.

He has been very excited about going to school all day, but on Monday he said he was really nervous. I got to stay home for an extra hour to put him on the bus that day...I can't believe I missed him getting on the bus last year. I was so busy then adjusting to going back to work that I didn't even know what I was missing. It was emotional watching him climb on with all his neighbor friends and smile excitedly through the window!

He had a great first week. Before school I asked him what he was most worried about and he said "Lunch. I don't know how to pay for it." I told him not to worry, that I had already paid. On Monday when he got home I asked him what the best part of the day was...and yes, you guessed it...."LUNCH!!!" Ha.

3. I went back to work on Monday as well. I can't say I was really ready to go back, but the week has gone well. As most of you know I will be job sharing this year, which means that another teacher teaches all morning and I will teach all afternoon. This will help me get Tate on the bus, Ave to preschool, get a little laundry done, spend a little time with Beckett one on one three mornings a week, and hopefully provide a little sanity for us all. I had to be at work full time this week, but am looking forward to starting my new schedule on Tuesday.

4. On Wednesday, it was Avery's turn for the first day of school.

She is returning to Mount Olive where she went last year {and Tate went the two years previous to that}. She loves her teachers and that her BF Olivia is with her. I had workshops so E took her to school that morning. He did a good job snapping a few pics as I requested. Avery wasn't thrilled he was making her take pics at school when she wanted to just get down to business, but that lovely little lady smiled once he said that they were for Mom. =)

When I asked her what she liked best the first day she said "Everything." Sometimes kids say that to avoid answering the question, but with Ave, she's just telling the truth! She is excited to be going three mornings a week instead of two.

5. That leaves us with Beckett. He doesn't start ECFE classes for a couple weeks, and is REALLY mad we never went to an open house for him, that he didn't get to meet a teacher, and that he doesn't get to ride the bus. I mean really...check him out at the bus stop on Tate's first day of school. Do you see who is first in line?? Waaaay over on the right hand side at the front of the pack??

I had to explain that he couldn't get on the bus, which he reluctantly accepted only when I told him he got to go to Patti's to hang out with his besties. Now that Tate and Garrett are at school all day they are down to Patti Plus 5!