To Think Its Only Monday...

Don't be fooled by the illusion of peace and innocence portrayed below:

This day was bananas.

b-a-n-a-n-a-s!

Tyson worked his first 'alone' shift yesterday- and was 'forced,' meaning they required him to stay and work a double. We got a heads up, so we had plenty of time to make back up arrangements to get Dawson to school and such, but it was a definite reminder of what a luxury it has been to have him back in the picture again!

My Mom was kind enough to step in and take the morning carpool responsibility (thanks again, Mom!).
Of course, last week he developed a toothache, and I had to make him a dentist appointment the second week of school (star parenting moment, for sure).

Since we are still getting into the groove of things (read: its utter and complete confusion) I had NO idea what time lunch was. I was guessing not to pack a lunch since the appointment was 11:10, but I sent a snack. Welp... evidently, the kids don't eat snack at morning recess anymore (?!?!?!?!?). Thankfully my Mom insisted he scarf down a string cheese on the car ride over, but even so he was STARVED when he got home, and couldn't eat for an hour and a half until the anesthetic wore off. It was almost the end of both of us.
Then, after his meltdown last week just to tug at my fraying heartstrings a little bit more... evidently when my Mom went to pick my baby up, the office paged him, and when it was taking longer than expected for him to appear in the office she offered to start walking toward the classroom.

Good thing, too!
My poor sweet boy was wandering around lost, and finally heading back to his classroom. He had no idea where the back door to the office was, or how to get there, or any way of reading a sign that said 'office' even if it had been as bright and flashy as the Vegas strip!

Ahh, growing pains.
Back to school night is Thursday.

I'm looking forward to feeling more informed after that.

So. Now is the part where I have to rant about the actual dentist. First, let me say... we brush. Usually. I mean, lets be honest. We're a busy family of 4. Bedtime is hectic on a good night. Our kids don't stay up til midnight and eat candy corn for dinner, but... we get distracted sometimes. And we definitely haven't been faithful flossers.
However.

I had NO IDEA a massive cavity could form so fast for a five year old! I am shocked. I shouldn't be... he is my kid. And I have mean teeth. Mean like horrible and rotten, not like lean and mean... just to clarify. Anyways- we learned Dawson had 2 cavities when he went to his last appointment at the beginning of summer. I figured we'd put it on the list of things to save for... and then all of a sudden he said it hurt! It felt like 5 minutes went by in between.
So... after today... one cleaning/exam and 2 fillings later... we have already maxed his annual limit of $1k out, and paid $240 (plus $75 out of pocket for the exam!) in addition to what we pay monthly for our insurance.

And they found 2 more cavities today. And quoted me $500. With a discount.

Holy smokes. Who knew being a daycare dentist was so much more lucrative than being a daycare hag?!?! ("Not I," said the hag!).

I would also like to throw in the fact that I had to get a new cell phone recently. Which always puts me in a bad mood. Technology is not my thing. Thats one of the many reasons my husband is so good for me! He does all the homework and gets me a new phone when I need it, sets it up, and shows me how to use it. Its not that I couldn't do it myself. I think he just kind of likes it, and I kind of despise it... so it works out.

But this time... its already broken. It does this thing where the back light stays on, so the battery dies in like, an hour. And... it answers itself without ringing first. So, I never know when someone is on the line. Which is awesome when you have your phone in your pocket while you're "motivating" your kids to get out the door after you overslept. Or scolding your daughter for flashing the entire bank her underwear while you were trying to make a deposit.
So, I decided to be proactive since Tyson worked tonight, and went down to the wireless store to tell them my sad story about my brand new defective phone.... when all of a sudden I entered a mystical land of unicorns and leprechauns, and in that garden of all flawless technology the stinking phone magically started working.

How do these things happen?!?!?

I thanked the man behind the counter for listening to me whine about my imaginary problems with my brand new phone... left the store... and found out ten minutes later it was broken again.

When I got home, it was a mad dash to get the kids in bed early so tomorrow could be a smoother start (ie: Mom not oversleeping, Dad being home, etc.).

Dawson asked if he could help make dinner while Anabelle took a bath. I said sure.

I was so distracted by my son, who thought the broiler was "so interesting!" (his choice of words) that he nearly put his entire head inside of it, that I forgot to tell my darling daughter to shut off the bathwater. I didnt think at 4 I should worry about drowning. But evidently my little disney princess wannabe needs a reality check, because she isn't actually a mermaid in real life, and the bathtub was seconds from overflowing by the time I got there. We have really deep tubs.
My dog almost bit my hand off playing fetch in the back yard.

My kids left their clothes they changed out of everywhere, and didn't put their laundry away despite the fact that I asked them repeatedly and they promised it was done.

It was a craaaaazy Monday.

Good thing there's only one of those every week. And I think maybe God is trying to give me an extra dose of peace about sending my daughter to her first day of her last year of preschool tomorrow... which I am SO looking forward to.
Especially after a day like today.

xo

A Day of Firsts

Yesterday, my first baby boy had his first day of first grade.

The weight of it all didn't hit me until THIS moment:

HOLY Cow.

First grade is MUCH different than kindergarten. Its the real deal! And... it tricks you, because you think you already did the real deal when you kissed him goodbye last year!

Kindergarten was basically fancy (and FREE!) pre-school. At least that was our experience. Dawson still learned a bunch, but because his sweet angel of a teacher had SUCH a gift, and had SO much experience... there were no surprises, unless they involved personal notes and ribbons and maybe a runaway gingerbread man or two.

I was dancing at the thought of having Dawson back in school. Hes been much harder to entertain this long summer, we were all going stir crazy. But then... all of a sudden, there we were, dropping him off. Just like that!, he was sitting in his very own desk, the bell was ringing!, and we had to just say goodbye, and pick him up a whopping SEVEN HOURS later. Thats never happened in Dawson's world! And it hasn't happened in mine for... well, you can do the math. Its first grade level. ;)



The desks were positioned in clusters, and there are a couple kids we know and love that he is with or next to. A good half of the class he knows from last year, and there are four kids from our street alone that are in the same room. That poor teacher, wait til she finds out theres a small herd of kids that can bicker like siblings right under her nose.

This is his friend Sarah... they are buddies. Unless they aren't. :)


Another highlight of the morning was that Tyson was there to enjoy it all. With nowhere to be until 2pm. In fact, at least until January, he will be taking the kids every single day, and hopefully volunteering in the classroom as well. What a breath of fresh air its been for each member of our family to have him around more.

Ah, the little moments.

When I picked him up and he climbed in the sweltering hot car (thermometer read 112! YOWZA!), the first words out of his mouth were... "Ohhhh, boy, Mom, there is a TON of homework... but its ALL FOR YOU!!!"

Har, har, har. What a funny little man.

I expected him to be a little vague so I made sure to ask direct questions, which he politely answered. He talked about the big playground, and the picnic they had on the grass. It sounded like a good day, but I knew I would get the real story at bedtime.

When we were finally snuggled in, and the exhaustion had gripped him, the flood gates opened (as somewhat expected).

He explained to me that all day he felt funny and lonely (LONELY! He actually said lonely!, his mother's worst fear!), and he was afraid of nobody wanting to play with him or be his friend at recess. He said how he wanted so badly to tell the teacher how he was feeling, but she didn't pay attention to him when he raised his hand, and it made him feel so sad. He said he didn't know if he could do first grade, because there would be homework, and it might be too hard for him...

Are you crying into your keyboard yet?

It was everything I had to not bawl my eyes out right there with him.

I did my best to gently explain that every kid... and teacher, for that matter!, feels scared or nervous about making friends the first couple days.

I said how the teacher doesn't know most of the kids, and has to learn all 29 names! That's a lot of homework!

I reminded him of what we talked about just last Sunday at church, how we are to share the love of Christ with everyone, and we don't ever have to be afraid because God is always with us.

I told him that tomorrow is ALWAYS a new day, and a new chance to make a friend.

And, of course, I reminded him that even on his worst day at school... his Mom and Dad and Anabelle Lee would be waiting patiently to hear all about it, and we would love him no matter what.

Overall, it was a day of so many firsts... and something tells me we've got quite an exciting year ahead.

But with the kids I have... 'exciting' will NOT be a first.

Bring.It.On.

xo

Little Boy Treasure

Just had to share the harvest of tonight's Dawson laundry when I went to swap his clothes from the wash to the dryer.

Here's what I scored!:



I'm sure theres a technical term for each of these items I am not familiar with, but in "laymom's terms" the contents included:

One wooden guitar pick thingy (that has no apparent function I can imagine),

One piece of some kind of coated electrical wiring (!??!?!?!),

One screw,

One even bigger screw,

One red spaceship/dreidel shaped squishy thingy I'm almost positive my Dad gave him out of his personal stash of non-mom approved toys from his super cool worker man toolbox,

A glass bead,

A woodworker's pencil,

A plastic animal cookie, made for a play kitchen (I dont share desert either, can't blame him there...),

And the grand finale....

A good sized clump of coarse black hair I can only hope (best case scenario!) came from a giant stuffed monkey he bought with his lemonade stand earnings from the neighbor's yard sale this weekend.



The things this sweet sleeping angel is capable of accomplishing in one day patrolling the neighborhood.

I have a very, very busy little boy, who I have enjoyed immensely this summer (wild ambitions, tantrums, sandy mud pies and all!)... and its hard to believe that when he wakes up tomorrow, he will be off to first grade where they fill his mind with all kinds words and colors and dreams, and rob him from his mother who loves him and misses him all day long.

But judging by his carefully selected wardrobe patiently waiting for sunrise on his bedroom floor... he's not looking back.

And I will look forward to unfolding the mysteries of his days away by checking his pockets more carefully.

xo

Leave Me Breathless

2.More.Weeks.

...until school starts.

But whose counting, anyways?

(ME. MEEEE! I'M COUNTING!)

My.children.are.BONKERS.

I have tried, TRIED, I say!, to keep them busy.

We've read books. A lot of books. Chapter books. Picture books. Educational books, old books, new books, library books, and books that I actually feel dumber after reading.

We've been for long walks, short hikes, bike rides, wagon rides, bike rides PULLING wagon rides(thanks, fun Uncle KJ!). We've been frog hunting, snake hunting, BB hunting, deer watching, and dead animal spotting.

We've picked blackberries, cherrys, apples, zucchinis and peaches.

We've made necklaces, finger painted, water colored,

strung keychains and built and painted model airplanes.

Im pretty sure my kids could bake almost any dessert I make better than I can with their eyes closed, along with a few new ones.

We have manicured, pedicured, beauty shopped, and hair dressed.

We've movie-nighted (inside AND outside!),

and (of course!) slip and slided.

We've bobbed for apples, and run thru sprinklers.

We've swimming pooled and bubble blown to our hearts content (despite the unseasonably cool LOW 80 degree weather ALL SUMMER LONG!).

We've been bike riding, face painting, garage sailing, picnicking, birthday partying.

We've been to the neighborhood park and all the city parks, to the zoo, the golf course (gentlemen only ladies forbidden, naturally),

Done vacation bible school, the drive in movie theatre and the regular movie theatre,

the children's museum (thanks, Grandma!), the beach, and of course swimming lessons.

So yah.

We've been keeping busy.

And I haven't so much been blogging.

Forgive me....

I am UTTERLY EXHAUSTED.

Despite all these fabulous summer happenings... any guesses on how do my kids prefer to spend their spare time during the day?

(If you guessed terrorizing each other until someone is crying or bleeding, leaving behind as many dirty fingerprints and making as much noise as possible in the process... you are likely a Mom that has spent a few summers home with her children. Extra triple heaping scoop of rubies in your heavenly crown, you beautiful creatures!....now come close, and whisper your secrets).