{it arrived}

despite me not wanting it to.

The first day of school. 

Although I am really sad in so many ways, in other ways I'm

excited for the boys and happy to be back in more of a routine.

My laid back summer plans went awry in so many ways.

So, this feels in an odd way like a fresh start.

And..............could I be late on this first day back to school?

Well, yes, I could.

But, I wasn't.

Whew!  Although it came fairly close once I discovered that

the boys had drank all of their lunch box drinks over the weekend and

no one thought to inform me.   Not a great way to start the day; a mad dash

to the little corner gas station. 

There are several things I want to note in the following pictures.

#1 - notice, no dressy shirts/clothes.   I have let them be 

more independent this year in picking out their school clothes. 

No collared polo.  That may only happen on Sundays now. 

And, of course, the athletic clothes are hitting Evan much quicker

than they did Noah as Evan is quickly following suit. 

#2 - notice, no smiles.  I guess that is because they are boys?

I'm really not sure on that one.  

#3 - notice, Evan's stance.  Standing on the outside of his feet.  

He has always done that?????  Again, not sure????  

#4 - notice {and this one is for me} how BIG they both are??  I didn't make note of it while I was taking the pictures.  It may have been because I was blinded by the shocking colors of their shoes.  They picked those as well.  But, when I opened the file I loaded.......it hit me hard.  They are getting so big.     

#5 - notice, smiles.  Because I asked. ;)

#6 - notice, the toothpaste on the face.  We worked on that all the way to Greenwood. 

#6 - notice, I am pretty sure this little man was a bald headed baby with the biggest blue eyes I had ever seen like three weeks ago.  Okay, maybe four.

#7 - notice, the toothpaste on the shirt. ;)

Welcome First and Fifth Grade!

I look forward to all that you will learn, how you will both

grow and making this the best year ever!

xoxoxo!

{christmas in july}

Well, since Hobby Lobby is doing it, maybe I should too.

But, I think I need to skip right past that to New Years.

As in resolutions. 

I'm not the resolution-making type, but I am in the midst

of some major reorganization.  VERY  likely due to the

upcoming start of school.  If I can start off on a good foot,

hopefully their trek will be easier as well.

I've been editing like a mad woman, still determined to take

some time off before the start of school.  And, my window is closing

rapidly.  While pictures load and resize, I am diving into drawers

and cabinets.  Countless trash bags are in the garage.

So, although I may not have a Christmas tree up.

I am definitely  having a manic purge fest.

{my heart could burst}

the answer to my prayer....a prayer i had prayed for years.....

was abundantly more than i could have ever imagined.

i stress in the teacher department.

in a big way.

i know they can literally make or break a year. 

i would have likely picked someone else going in as

i did not know her.  and, what a blessing evan {well,

scott & i was well} would have missed out if i had

dabbled in that water.  such a fantastic year

on so many levels. and, i think he was good for her too. 

leading up to the end of school he cried and cried

about not getting to see her every day.  he didn't want that

change.  he still talks about her almost daily - very few

days have passed that he has not.   he is keeping

up with his summer reading because he told her he would.

{he is not a lover of books on his own yet}

Last night he crawled into bed with

us sobbing because he missed her so much. 

he received this in the mail last week.

he has it in a special place in the living room and

reads it daily.   tonight he wanted to call her,

i opted to text - since she is on summer break.

he dictated, i typed his word for word.....

"Ms. Ewing, this is Evan.  My mommie is typing this for me.

I love you.  Are you having a good time in the capital of Boston? 

{oops!}.  How is your mom doing?  I miss you.  Thank you for being

my teacher.  I loved the card!  I "understanded" it.  And, I loved it.

Thanks for the card.  It was great.  That's all.  Evan Walker."

heart melted.  

We received the following:

"Love you 2.  Will call in a few minutes 2 talk. K?"

And, they chatted and chatted.  

He was such a big boy!  He absolutely loves her.

What a great year he had!  So thankful!

now, to send my letter this year or not?  this year
i am not as hesitant to as i was last year.  likely
should have already done it.  so, we shall see! 

{oh, my}

The end of school; particularly the last two weeks

have completely kicked my bootie.

I didn't even make it to Fun Day today.

Chicken drama.   RIP my two sweet chicks. 

But, I did make it to lunch.

Finally.

Nothing like the midnight hour.  

But, I got there; hoping that counts. 

Between E's tears about the school year being

over and missing Ms. Ewing and his friends. 

Then, top that with the chicken incident. 

Traumatic day for him.

So, we headed for sno cones.

Those solve everything right?

We had a buffet and shared....

a ninja turtle, a bahama mama and a sunset on a beach.

We made our summer toasts under the umbrella.

It was bliss for about 4.7 seconds until I remembered

it was 208 degrees out there with just a tad of humidity.

Here's to summer!

I'll likely get my pictures posted around Thanksgiving.

{oink, oink}

Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot to blog this! But, I was just talking to Ang and she asked how "going to school" was going for Evan now that we are a few weeks in.

Then, I remembered.

He woke up very, very sick today. I will give him the fact he did have a few sniffles. No cough, scratchy throat,etc.

He told me he would be waaaayyyy too sick to go to school this week. And, it wasn't just a cold, it was the flu.

The swine flu.

Wasn't Noah out for weeks with that last year??

Hmmmm......

{continued enrollment}

He went again today. But, not without protest.

He has asked to "skip." Several times actually.

How did he even know that term?

I think the only thing that got him there today........

.....a girl.

This is going to be a long educational journey I'm afraid. ;)

{i think i can, i think i can, i think i can}

I know I can.

Because I have to.

I think?

Well, I do...because, I missed the homeschool cut-off date.

So, I have to, unless I want to go to jail.

And, I really don't want to.

Enough of that.

I am really not breathing very well here.

It was very obvious to me...this was it...our last day before a new chapter.

He was oblivious, he carried on his day, just like every other.

Bittersweet.

Really bitter.

Really sweet.

So, I took random pictures of how we have spent most of our days over the past year.

It was never mentioned, but he more than fulfilled his lego quota for a week! :)

He built lots and lots of "shooters" that would shoot "2 million miles then blow up". He blew up quite a few. They really did blow up?

Those sweet little hands have logged in hundreds of hours on legos.

So have the teeth, but we won't go there.

He constantly comes to me throughout the day. All day long showing me his new creations and treasures. I won't even tell you how I will miss that!

BIG LUMP.

Another premiere while at my desk.

ahhh...the demonstration. this one crashed in to the wall to the left of him. Our walls have lots of character! lol!

This is what he brought to me when he told me he wanted salad for lunch.

We had salad.

He threw a few impromptu concerts today.

Like most days.

Best part, free admission!

He is convinced that he can convince his music teacher that he absolutely can bypass the piano and go straight to the guitar. His piano teacher informed us that he {piano teacher} is very strong willed. Well, so is E!

I caught these from my desk as they were happening......excuse the plant and lamp fringe to the sides.

I am actually thankful the heat/no air conditioning caused me to move my work station to the living room. I've been missing out on alot! Not sure I will move it back.

He changed? I'm not sure why, but that tends to happen alot with him?

He is finishing up the last of the paperwork that will go to school with him tomorrow.

Notice the empty popcicle sticks?

This is for me. Their folders are ready for incoming and outcoming forms. My entire house is in utter chaos right now because of the air outage, but, my folders are ready.

One for each.

He just HAD to try on his backpack to make certain it was not too heavy for him.

Then he saw the camera and tried to duck. He begged me "DO NOT put that on your blog".

Well, maybe.

He's ready! He asked to sleep with us tonight, so he is snuggled up next to Daddy. Daddy did not complain once.

I will end this here and not get into how my heart is feeling. But, I am excited for him. And, not to overshadow Noah - been there, done that with him and always hate to see the summer end with him as well. But, after 10 years, no baby at home. It's super hard.

So, I am off to clean a little. Not sure I will sleep much. But, I will be praying for our next chapter!

xoxo! I love you boys!

ps. you could have made this easy on me and been not so pleasant to have at home, then maybe I would be able to be excited summer is over like I hear so many moms say in the check-out line. But, nooooooooo you had to make it so hard because you're so stinkin' wonderful to have around. 24/7.

{happy 4th grade!}

Well, I put my happy face on today and we celebrated Noah's first day of school! He seemed a little nervous and unsure when we left him, but I guess that is totally to be expected.

The famous back to school shot I take every year. He looks thrilled doesn't he? Can barely contain it?

Me and my brace-face smile, I cannot wait until these things are off!

On the way to school, Evan informed us "I hate school!" And, that was without him even starting today? Then, he fell asleep on the way home. Tomorrow will likely be very interesting.

This is what he retreated to when we got back home.....

His little life is about to change in a big way!

I am excited for what the year will bring them both. Happy first day Noah! You make us very proud! Hope you have a wonderful year! I'm looking forward to our evening snuggles filled with reading. We somewhat got off track with that over the summer...but, it's one of my very favorite things.

Love you so much!

{it's a new year}

Paperwork signed, checks made out for lunches and t-shirts, lunch planned, clothes ready, supplies bagged, pencils sharpened, boys in bed.

Heart very, very sad.

But, excited for what the year will bring them.

So goodbye summer, you didn't visit us long enough, but you gave us so much fun!! We will miss you dearly........

{getting there}

Very reluctantly, but I am.

Due to the chaos of not having a working air conditioner and basically "camping" in our living room...any small feat is a huge thing at this point.

Yesterday I went through every single pair of shoes they had and determined at this point, the only thing that is needed is a pair for Noah.

I went on a quick grocery shopping trip this evening as the boys were convinced they were starving. So, I started my stash of school lunch/snack supplies. I am a little stressed {actually alot} because Evan will not have lunch until 12:40 and he is such a picky little eater anyway. I'll add the fruit next week.

I know he will not starve, but, it makes my mommy heart a tad nervous....

Am I really at this point?

Summer is gone pretty much. BOTH boys are going to school. Everytime I start feeling sorry for myself I am quickly reminded that it will be okay.

Tonight's reminder was that I learned a dear friend from school and church as I grew up will be saying goodbye to her son tomorrow as he leaves for Basic.

I have nothing to complain about.

At all.

{who would have thunk it?}

Shoes?

Obviously my boys have been living it up this summer in flip-flops and bare feet to the point they {one in particular} are in tears as we are trying on shoes to see if we have any we can wear from the end of last year.

Tears?

Grumpy faces?

They are too tight. They are too big.

They don't feel right.

Even feet have to get ready to go back to school.

{reality...hmmmm}

Yesterday I spent the day running errands - restocking groceries, picking up sweet Molly, going to Post Office(s), returning calls, getting ready for a 6th birthday party, etc

Today. Whew.

I entered my office and the organizing began. Remember that list? Well, I wanted to literally puke when I saw it. It immediately took me back to the frantic pace of the week preceding vacation. I'm not really sure how I survived. Well, I guess I didn't, I spent several days of vacation sick, not leaving the hotel for much activity if any at all.

My office is ready to go again come Monday.

I'm in the midst of the boys closets packing up things that are too small, figuring out what we need to start with, trying on shoes, etc.

But, it pretty much stops there. I have a lot I have to do to get in gear due to school starting.

A lot I want to do. But, the want list will just have to wait until after school starts.

I am being very stingy with my time right now.

Time = boys.

And, really not much more right now.

But, I do have my happy face on for school. He is finally getting really excited. So, that makes it so much easier.

Or, at least I'll pretend it does.

{may I have an autograph please?}

*that would be to our hometown celebrity......drum roll.....EB!! Seriously, N and I stopped into the wonderful world of Wal-greens today after school. I had some RR that I knew if I didn't spend, I would let them expire due to the weekend ahead. As I was checking out the cashiers were about as excited as I was at the savings and then I told them about my hero EB, they almost screamed. "The one with baby Beau??" Yep, that's her. EB - you have made quite the impression on those girls! Seriously, not just with how much you save, but they literally gushed about your sweetness overall but to them in general. Apparently, niceness from customers can come few and far between for them. I felt like I personally knew a star!! :) Kudos to you! You've made quite the impression. Which is not shocking at all, just a great reminder to me to actually converse with those around me.

*air conditioner prognosis: not good. Estimate to replace whatever part it is: $1200 v. having a new one made (cost unknown) - he should know by next week!!!!!!!! Thank God for the cold, leaky pool.

*the boys swam in leaky pool tonight. I made them get out when E's lips turned blue. They are in a hot bath right now.

*we had a summer quick off meal on the patio tonight. It was perfect with roasted hot dogs, chips and sweet tea. Well, N went for vanilla rootbeer (yuck). But, what made it even better were the cute fish-y dishes that TH got for me several months ago. Perfect!

*woo-hoo, FUN DAY tomorrow at school!!! Then I have them home! Yippee!

*yay, N! He received two awards today at school for Citizenship (which is the one that makes me the happiest) and the Principal's Honor List. Great job! Very proud of you! You make this motherhood thing quite easy on me. :)

{happy dance!}

two more days of school! yippee!

Fun day doesn't count. ;)

I honestly think I am more excited than he is. But, he's pretty close.

{avoiding being totally last minute}

I always have the very best intentions and then craziness ensues. I have 4 days left and am almost finished with our teacher gifts. Whew! So cute, I want one myself. Will post pictures at completion. :)

{countdown: 9, 8, 7, 6}

We officially have 9 days of school left (we miss next Thursday as we will be at ACH). I.AM.SO.EXCITED! I am beyond thrilled. I love having my boys home all the time. I love the laid-back days and everything that summer brings.

I did have to put my brakes on when I was updating a few things in my planner yesterday. Just with church activities, baseball, vacations, etc - the summer can get zapped away so quickly. I am very thankful I actually had the foresight to block major periods of time off my calendar this year with nothing to do but play with them! And, now that the job changes will be occurring - it couldn't be better. I'm not going to even allow myself to think about fall.

I'm going to savor!

p.s. sweet tenille is giving me a blog overall

{brave}

Little man had his immunizations for Kindergarten this morning. All four of them. I'm really not certain how he managed, but he did not shed a tear.

I did for both of us.

So not ready for this!

{happy day}

He's been sweating it. From K-2 he had received Student of the Month within the first few months. This year, he got down to the wire and he was freaking out about it. So, last Wednesday the moment he jumped in the car he informed me that he had good news and bad news. I requested the bad news first. He told me of a collision he and CH had on the playground which sent him to the nurses office. He was fine. The good news: SOM! He was so excited. Then in April Fools he informed me he got detention. Not so funny. He disagreed! :)

Look at that "look" below. What is up with that?

Brothers. :) Look at E's feet. Love them!

Very proud! He makes this mommy thing very easy.

Not sure what in the world is up with the one below. We all have the strangest looks. But, it's one of us together. ;)

So happy Daddy got to go! He has was down all day Sunday and Monday with a migraine. And, the day is still shaky - not sure if he'll be up and about today or not. But, I know it meant alot to Noah that he was able to go.

And a funny - Noah typically loves for them to be dressed alike, particularly at church. He about stroked out today when I pulled a shirt out for E that matched his. I guess that's not allowed at school. ha!

We are very proud of you Noah. You amaze both of us. Stay as sweet as you are! We love you!