...to get my game face on!

...phew.

First Day of Pre-School.  School.  Work.  Homework.  Soccer.  FRG Meeting.  Soccer.  Dinner.  Bath.  Stories.  Bed.

Is it Friday yet?

Because I am tired.  Tired like I ran a marathon.  (Not that I would actually ever run a marathon...but tired nonetheless.)

Today was Abbey's first day of Pre-School.  No tears.  Barely a wave goodbye.  This kid was excited! Daddy was even able to take her to school for her first day (on his way to the airport).

Mark left for Louisiana for a few days.  While he isn't traveling to the vacation capitol of the south I think he certainly picked the right week to miss!  The first full week of school, work, and activities.

While the day wasn't catastrophic I can say the execution of all of the tasks above, wasn't exactly smooth.  There is a lot of room for improvement when this day goes on repeat for Wednesday.

Random thoughts about the day:

I need to have the kids set out their soccer clothes in the morning.  Yelling at child number 2, to find appropriate soccer clothes for child number 3, while I am trying to finish up with patient number 10 of my day didn't exactly scream S-U-C-C-E-S-S.

I need to write it down.  I think kids perform better from a list than from the nag-in-the-next-room shouting said directions to them.

Fall soccer was a 'great idea' when I signed the three children up in July.  And...when I thought Mark was going to be home to take the kids to the cold practices.  I did not sign up for blankets and gloves in September!  Are you kidding me?

And why yes.  Yes, I did turn on the heat this evening after spending two hours freezing my tush.  It is now a balmy 70 degrees in my house.

See!  Blankets and gloves!

Lastly my thoughts turn to my baby.  My Sweet Audrey...Oxymoron?

Sweet as pie in the morning...

Here is proof...

The scene:  We are all freezing.  We have been at outside for two hours (my car read 49 degrees).  (By the way, despite several attempts, Audrey completely refused all requests to put on a jacket.)  My hands are full of snacks, snotty used tissues, blankets, and my camera.  And Audrey has decided now is the time to have a temper tantrum.

This child is not sweet.  Not. Sweet.  And Abbey...Abbey was so sad.  She seemed to think I was really going to leave Audrey.  You can sense the distress in her voice.

It was Abbey who finally convinced Audrey to get in the van.

********************************************

Audrey finally calmed down about five minutes from home.  When I asked her what she had been crying about...she said, "I wanted to eat beef for dinner."

Why of course Lil' One.  Of course that is what you wanted.

Sigh.

Wednesday I will serve beef.

...to go to the drive-in

...Again!

As a reward for...

the first week back into a routine...

a return to family dinners and less fast-food stops...

consuming less high-fructose corn syrup and

consuming more real fruit and vegetables!

We decided to go to the Drive-In movie theatre again.  This week Brave, Madagascar 3, and the Avengers was playing for a triple feature!  Mark and I have decided this has got to be one of the most affordable, family friendly activities in our area.  And our kids LOVE it!

Five families joined together in the fun and for most of the first movie the kids scrambled between the vehicles.  By the end of the first movie they were all pretty much back in the their own vehicles cuddled with their personal blankies, loveys, pillows, and mommies.

My girls.

I might have been able to capture a few more Kodak-moments except Abbey, Audrey and Mommy didn't quite make it past the first hour of the second movie; instead we were quite cozy sleeping out in the open-air.  It was such a beautiful evening!

The little girls fell right back to sleep in the truck on the drive home (Will was none too pleased about the flash of the camera!).

The drive-in will remain open until sometime in mid-October.  If we are lucky we'll get to catch at least one more double feature before the end of the season.

...to send my children

...back to school.

Have they changed?  Grown?  Take a look and see for yourself.

They aren't the new kids any more.

They have the right uniforms.  And they even have crisp new shirts and spiffy new shoes!

The bus ride is familiar.

Their back packs were stuffed and ready with all of the right school supplies.

They weren't leaving from 'the house of chaos' this year.  Or even talking to their Dad from thousands of miles away about their day.

They enjoyed a special breakfast of cinnamon rolls.

Li'l Man ate three...I think he is growing.

And both Mark and I were able to take them to school this morning.

They were set up for success.

Than why the tears when I bid them goodbye?

My tears.  Not theirs.

Because...news flash...I am not real big on change.  I like status quo.  I like things to stay the way they are.  I like the familiar.  Change is stressful for me.  

Hopefully, they don't realize this yet about me.  

I can't let them sense this weakness or else they won't be excited about the unknown, about what's new, and what could be!

So like many other good mom's out there I took my photos this morning,

my girls.

(Trying to get them all to cooperate for a photo is a challenge of itself!)

(A little better...But Really?? Bunny Ears (Audrey is making them too!)?  This is supposed to be serious people!)

 (My favorite photo of the day)

Then I said adieu with a smile, and kept my fingers crossed that this would be a great day for my first born

4th grader

and her brother.

***********************************

Despite missing the bus, or being left at school (the story changes depending on who tells it) Isabella reported that her 'grade' for the day was a B+.  She admits she is a bit afraid of her new teacher.

William, not to be outdone, reported that the grade for his behavior was an A+ and that his first day was awesome!

...enjoy the last day of summer

...and it was a LAZY one!

Lots of video game time...

Will baked a cake!

Cute little baker that he is...

And we finished our last day of summer vacation the same way we started...enjoying the time with our friends' the LaGranges (although on the first day we all went out for ice cream).

The seven of them are clearly exhausted...it has been a deliciously long and adventurous summer.

Quite a crew we have!

I know it will be a great Pre-K (Abbey & Luke), 1st grade (John), 3rd grade (William and Katie), 4th grade (Isabella) & year at home with Momma (Audrey) year!

...to have a water balloon fight

...with a Daddy ambush!

I picked the kids up some water balloons at the dollar store last week.  And they have been so excited to try them.

We took the opportunity this afternoon to fill them up while Mark was taking a little nap this afternoon....

They worked really well together while they filled them up!

Abbey is so excited she can hardly stand it!

Then the kids ambushed him when he came outside to see what they were doing!

Now it is a WAR!

Charge!

Uh Oh...he captured the supply

Ouch!  That one had to sting!

Now she'll get him!

Meanwhile, Audrey is happy to hoard her personal supply...

Until she gets caught in the crossfire...

Not so happy

She is quite done with this game.

Outta here!

Oh...summer days....

...to go on a date

...what a beautiful evening




With the perfect guy.

Lucky girl.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Sacket's Harbor, NY

...to solve the mystery of

...Who dun nit?

It seems we have been having some funny things happening around our home.

Things like:

• missing hairbrushes
• a missing tube of toothpaste
• stolen tubes of Chapstick
• even stolen cookies from the cookie jar!

and this heathen certainly likes scissors.  I can never locate mine!

Then, this culprit started leaving things around the house.  My own children's personal items!  This ogre has been trying to frame my children!  Can you even believe it?  It is true.  I have found:

• a shirt in the middle of the living room
• a helmet in the bathroom
• even a DS on the porch!

The straw that broke the camel's back though was when this mystery child started staging events that my own precious gems would NEVER do!  Things like:

• leaving an entire hand towel soaking wet in the sink
• spitting gum out in the driveway
• leaving the front door wide open
• and a personal favorite...pee on the toilet seats!

My children insist they haven't seen this perpetrator but they do know this little gremlin's name...Not Me.

I am not sure whom this little monster thinks s/he is!  Really...trying to get my cherubs in trouble.  Perhaps Not Me will stop his/her shenanigans next week when school starts.  Maybe a sense of structure and routine will help provide this little troll a sense of purpose in lieu of framing my little angels.

Because if these antics continue, I may have to take drastic measures...