First day of school (August 30, 2010)

I can't believe we're in school again.  It seems weird that 4 out of the 6 kids are in school, man, I'm getting old.  Actually, Kaleb has one more year of preschool but he's gone 3 days out of the week from 11:30 until 3:00.  He gets to ride the bus which makes it nice for me but I have to admit, I get a little sad when I see him leave.  He just seems too little.  He enjoys preschool so much and the teachers are fantastic so I'm not going to complain.  Really, I've never seen Kaleb quite so excited to head out the door for school as he was on the first day.  He was up at 6:00, clothes on, backpack out, smile on his face, and wondering when his bus would be here.  It was all I could do to break the news that he still had 4 long hours to wait for the bus.  He handled it pretty well and planned out the morning like this:  first I'll eat breakfast, then I'll watch the Letter Factory, then I'll play with the babies, then I'll ride my bike, and then I'll have a snack and head to school.  He's a fun kid and I'm loving that he's growing out of the little "mouthy" stage he was in for a short while.  Love you, Kaleb!  

What a handsome little guy!

Jordyn is in 1st grade this year and has Mrs. Walker as her teacher.  She's so excited and ready to stay all day but is most excited about eating school lunch:)  She was so excited to pick her outfit for the first day and stretchy pants were sure to be in the mix:)  I've said it before and I'll say it again, Jordyn LOVES getting dolled up in the morning, right down to the last piece of jewelry.  Some of her favorite items include, stretch pants, skirts, rounded toe shoes, necklaces, new hair do's, jeans, tank tops with shirts underneath, to name a few.  She's getting better at choosing things that match so I guess I can live with her obsession. 

My two Elementary school girls!  Morgan's the big sis at the school now!  She has walked Jordyn to her classroom for the last 2 days per Jordyn's request.  I think she enjoys feeling like a little mother.  She's a great kid but definitely the one who's emotions I can't quite figure out yet, actually, I don't think she has them figured out either so at least we're on the same page.  Anyway, she'll be a busy girl for the next few months as she's involved in Soccer which she LOVES more than probably anything and she's starting piano again after a 4 week summer break so we're off and running again.  Love you Morgan!! 

Morgan is in 3rd grade this year and has Mrs. Willis as her teacher. 

I love this kid, she's beautiful inside and out!  It's so interesting how my girls are all completely different.  Morgan is slightly camera shy, partly in due to her braces which I think she looks adorable in!   She's happy with one pair of favorite shoes, a pair of jeans, and a couple of cute shirts.  She would also live in basketball shorts and t-shirts if I'd let her.  Soooo completely different than the little diva up above.  But, I love each one of them the same and wouldn't change a thing. 

This was not a great picture of Regan, she looks a wee bit stressed for her first big day of Middle School.  Although, if she had taken a picture of me Monday morning, I would've had the same expression on my face only 10 times worse. Yikes, I can't believe I have a daughter in middle school.  I actually went to Walmart to buy makeup today and walked out with "age defying foundation" hoping that it just might help cover the bags under my eyes and little wrinkles that are showing up:)  It's a sad commentary if you ask me!

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Sitting in the car on a very rainy first day of school waiting for the bus!  She's looking a bit more confident!  DJ took one look at her and commented on how pretty she looked and how scared he is that the boys might notice her.  I think he'll probably come home with a supply of gunny sacks for her to wear for the next 9 months. 

I think we've officially entered the crazy stage of our lives.  We're up at 6:00 for our family time, the little girls leave to catch the bus at 7:25.  Regan leaves for the bus at 7:45, I scramble to clean up the house and run a few errands.  Three days a week Kaleb catches the bus at 11:30 which means an earlier lunch than usual.  The babies and I hang out for an hour before their afternoon naps.  I play catch up while they sleep, plan dinner, do laundry, devise plans for getting all children to all activities just in time for the kids to arrive home at 3:00.  Then starts homework, piano, soccer practice, activity days, Y.W., picking Regan up from Cross Country, play practice for Jordyn, and whatever else we can squeeze in for the week.  No wonder I've graduated to "age defying" makeup:)   To make things a little more crazy, its canning season and I'll be guilt ridden if I don't squeeze it in.  So far we've done 24 jars of applesauce and some freezer beans.  My neighbor just called to let me know she can get peaches for canning for $12.00 a box, I can't turn that down!  This is life, and I love it!!