First Day of School!

After a very busy summer, we were ready for haircuts, routine, football, and school! I think I was more ready than any of the kids! But, ready or not, here they come....

Joey and Maddox both got new backpacks for birthdays this year. And, as I pulled Saylors old backpack out, she looked at it like "That old thing?" She then said "You mean I don't get a new backpack every year???" Hahahaha. No, no you do not!

Everyone had a really great first day! The boys were definitely more quiet than usual....school has definitely lost its flair. But, Maddox had ten new kids in his class and seemed to really connect with a couple of the new kids, which was nice. And, Joey really liked the teachers. And, Saylor sat close with Ryder, played with her kindergarten friend Brooklyn at recess, and kept busy. She came home and started playing school immediately! She really needs school the most out of all of them....she's a different kid when she's more fully engaged....

Here's to a GREAT school year!!!

Haunted Houses with Joey

A friend of ours put together a little mother/son night at the haunted houses at Sleepy Hollow last week! I am not a fan of haunted houses....I do not enjoy having the daylight scared out of me, peeing my pants, or having zombies or monsters follow me. But, Joey could not have been more excited. He wanted to go so bad....I was kind of hoping he would chicken out. And, then when I mentioned that some of the moms were going, he actually got more excited. He really wanted to see me scared (that's what he said anyway, although I think he might have wanted me to go with him, too!). So, reluctantly, I went.

There were 5 different haunted houses, a fog maze, a zombie paintball bus ride, and some other fun stuff. I did two of the haunted houses with Joey and then gave my ticket to another mom to do the last three haunted houses. Two houses was enough for me, and later when we quizzed the kids and asked them which were the scariest - they said the first two houses! So, I guess I could have kept going and it might not have been so bad. They also had scary people and zombies and dead people just walking around the grounds which freaked me out too!

The boys were all smiles and wide-eyed! It was so funny to hear them talking and freaking out and describing everything! It really was fun! Here are a few photos from the night!

The best part was really hanging out with Joey. On the way home, we talked all about scary moments, ghosts, haunted houses, etc. Before we got there, we met just one of the friends for a burger and it was fun just listening to the boys tell us all about school, the girls, the troublemakers, the teachers, etc. So far, Joey still shares a lot with us, so I went to bed thankful for that. But before I went to bed, Joey asked me if he could come sleep with me if he got scared that night! ha! Turns out, he fell asleep right away thankfully. He's excited to go back again next year!

First Day of School!

The dreaded first day finally came...Maddox started third grade, Joey started fifth grade and Saylor started half-day kindergarten!

The boys...new shoes, old backpacks, new shorts, old polos....

Memories....Joey has Mrs. Battani (who told him that his hair looked like Uncle Kyle's), he got into the car and said this might be his best year in his entire life, he thought Mrs. Hunter was funny, he got new math curriculum, new discipline practices in the classroom, played football at recess....

Memories from Maddox...he is a mentor for a new kid, Jesus; he played football at recess; he likes Ms Jansen a lot, he went to Math in the 4th grade room and was worried about that, had the new music teacher and loved her, and overall had a great day! I took the kids to Chilis afterwards for big skillet desserts and Joey discovered a love for cheesecake!

Now, Saylor had her orientation for half-day kindergarten and then her first day came! She was super duper excited and not scared or nervous at all. She cannot wait to learn to read! She's constantly asking me what sounds certain letters make, and how to read or write words...I'm very ready for her to learn too! Saylor has Mrs. Basler, and both boys had her so I wasn't nervous either!

There's just something different about sending your daughter to school....I don't know what it is. Or, maybe it's that she's the baby. I'm not sure what it is....She will go to school every day this year from 8:30-11:40...which gives me a lot of time to get stuff done around the house, go to the gym, get groceries, etc. I work my butt off during those hours and am exhausted by the time I pick her up!! She loves getting to vote for the book Mrs. Basler reads every day, she loves the riddle of the day, she loves the tool man and using the tool bench, and she already knows how to read FIVE words (and loves to tell me about that). She's a lot more eager to learn than the boys were...and she's more eager to tell me all about her day than the boys were too! And, every day, I pick her up, she YELLS at her friends "BYE, BECCA! BYE JACK! BYE LAUREN!"

Here's to a great school year!!!