Make A Wish

 Well, we survived the first day of school...barely.  There have been many tears shed and many questions as to why I would move my kids to a new school.  The guilt has been unbearable at times.  At other times I feel that change is good.  I go back and forth.  As I write this post, it has been three weeks since my kids started at the new school.  It has gotten better for them.  I have been in close contact with each of their teachers making sure we are on track with the fast pace of the school.  Each teacher has assured me that they are doing great.  Their progress reports showed the same...except for Brody who bombed an English test and got a "D." I kinda laughed because Brody was in tears because, "now he can't be an architect when he grows up because architects can't get "D's" and now he can't run for student council and he's never gotten anything less then a "B" and on and on and on" Lucky for him the teacher let him make up the test and all is good.  As in years past, I have had a "First Day Of School" dinner and celebration.  This year we had brownies with cool candles that glow the same color as the candle.  I let the kids make a wish for the new school year and they blow out the candle.  This year we did things a bit different, due to the sadness my kids were feeling.  I let them make their wishes and we left it at that.  We didn't talk about them or discuss why we made those wishes.  I'm pretty sure that both Brody and Case wished they could go back to their old school.   So it has been three weeks since school started and here is how each are doing. 

 Brody is doing well at the new school.  Although his homework load is more then I would like he is learning tons and liking his teacher.  He is struggling with the phonograms that the rest of the students learned in kindergarten and also with his math facts.  He is determined to learn them and do well and it shows in his efforts each evening at home.  I spoke with his teacher last week and she told me, "Tell Brody to just breathe."  She sees that he is an intense kid but wants him to enjoy school too.  I love that Brody's teacher she lets them shoot rubber bands across the classroom to learn about inertia and force.  She is fun and outgoing...just what Brody needs.  Brody has decided that he wants to be in orchestra after school twice a week.  He chose to play the cello as his instrument.  I have to say...he looks super cute carrying that big instrument to school on Monday and Thursday!  Brody misses his friends terrible which breaks my heart.  He has made many new friends at the new school so hopefully he will start to feel more comfortable.

 Case's favorite thing to say each day when I pick him up from school is, "That was the worst day ever (with a big smile across his face.)" Case has this great teacher who has raised 7 boys.  I can't begin to tell you how happy I was when I found that out.  Finally a teacher that will "get" Case and his funny personality.  I have spoke to Case's teacher several times and really like her.  She is so sweet and kind and she thinks Case is "super sweet and smart".  She told me so in a phone conversation and I started crying.  I've never had a teacher (other then Miss Jody) tell me they enjoy Case and think he is smart.  His other teachers have always thought that he has a, "too cool for school" attitude.  Finally a teacher who know that he is smart and sweet, because he is! Case's recent progress report was great and he is learning so much. Like Brody, he misses his friends and asked daily, "Has it been 9 weeks now cause I want to go back to my old school." Not sure how we will handle this situation when the 9 weeks are over. I am proud of Case and hope he will want to stay even after the 9 weeks are up.

 Ledger, Ledger, Ledger...you make me smile (and cry).  This boy loves kindergarten!  He loves all the new friends he is making.  He loves eating in the cafeteria and learning phonograms.  I'm not sure how he makes it through his day without falling asleep because he never sleeps.  When he does sleep he is up at 4:45-5:00 in the morning ready to go.  I have know idea how he manages to learn but he does and has a perfect progress report to prove it.  This boys is so smart.  I am amazed at all he is learning.  Ledger is the happiest about going to school. Hopefully he will stay that way.  I love that Ledger has a very strict, no nonsense teacher.  She is very clear on how she wants things done and the kids do it.  She is good for Ledger because he really likes to argue about the silliest things right now.  She is not going to argue with Ledger and she is not going to let his charming personality interfere with her rules, procedures and discipline.  She seems like the perfect fit for Ledger.

My little sidekick and I are having oh so much fun each day.  I have to say, without the boys around, she doesn't really know what to do with herself.  She kinda just follows me around all day.  We are having fun finishing up swim lessons and getting ready to start preschool.  This girl is fun to be around. She is funny and darling wrapped up in one big package.  More on this little lady to come.

Saturday At Saguaro

 Today was a fun day.  This morning I was able to attend the temple to witness my cute friend and babysitter Madi as she went through for the first time. It was so nice to be there with her and her family.  I especially enjoyed sitting next to my friend Kim.  She is truly an amazing example to me.  After the temple I came home and Jeremy had hitched the boat to his truck and was ready to go to the lake with the Boyce family.  We threw the kids in the truck and headed up to Saguaro Lake.  We had so much fun tubing and skiing around the lake.  It is so hot here lately.  We are talking record heat.  Can you believe we stayed at the lake until 6:30 in the evening and I didn't get in the water once!  I am so worried about the intestinal infection I got while at the cabin, that I was afraid that I would contract something else while in the water.  It's so dumb but I am so afraid of getting sick like that again.  I feel like my immune system is down right now so I didn't want to risk it.

Up first....cruising the lake in the tube.  Berkley and Ana were so cute holding hands together.

Case was the first to ski today.  It took him a couple tries, but he popped up and skied around the lake.

Brody was next.  It took him quite a few tries.  He was getting frustrated but we wouldn't let him give up.  Finally he popped up and skied across the lake.

Then there was Ledger.  He was all about skiing one handed today.  It was so funny watching him switch hands as he skied.

 And then...you are seeing right.  Berkley, my soon to be 3 year old wanted to ski like the "brudders." We fitted her for the ski and out she went.

Jeremy helped her get up and then she was skiing.  She didn't go far, but she did good and had a ball.  She would have skied more, but a storm blew in and we got off the lake.  

Case had fun driving the boat when Jeremy wasn't.

 The best part was keeping cool in the lake water.  Hopefully next time I will be able to join them.

 Thanks Mark, Angela, Ana and Nicco for going with us to the lake today.

My water baby!

Change

Change has always been a hard thing for me.  I am a girl of routine and structure.  I tend to get comfortable in different areas of my life.  If they are working well, I stick with them.  I am also a people pleaser.  I like when others around me are happy, even if I'm not.  I don't like conflict and I don't always like to deal with difficult situations.  I am the girl who keeps it all in....in order to avoid confrontations.  These are not always good traits to have.  It's never good to get comfortable in life. 

This school year has started off with a lot of change.  On Monday...about 3 hours before we were supposed to attend "Meet The Teacher" at our home school, I received a call from another school that we had put our kids on the waiting list for, saying they could get all three of our kids in for the upcoming school year.  I was in shock.  Complete panic rushed through me.  I had always been interested in this other school because of their structure and use of Spalding Phonics.  When I taught school, I used the Spalding Phonics program and had great success with it.  However, when my kids started attending school, I quickly realized that Spalding was not part of the curriculum.  When I went to observe at this new school last year, both Jeremy and I were very impressed with the teachers and the curriculum.  We truly never realized that our kids would get in due to the extremely long wait list.  So when I got the call, I was in shock.  How would I have the courage to pull my upcoming second and fourth graders from the school that they have been attending since kindergarten.  Not only that, how would I tell my 5 year old that now he was going to be attending kindergarten?  I was a mess!  I called Jeremy and asked him what he thought we should do.  He was worried like I was.  What if we pulled our kids from their home school and they hated the new school?  What if they didn't make lots of friends like they did at the home school?  What if they couldn't keep up academically because they didn't start at this new school?  What if they got horrible teachers? Jeremy came home early that day so we could sit our kids down and talk to them.  By this time, we were set to Meet The Teacher in an hour.  We explained to our kids about the phone call we had received that day.  We told them why we thought this new school would be a good fit for them.  We went through all the friends they already knew at this new school and explained how they would meet tons more because the new school was merging with another school and everyone there would be in the same boat as them.  You can imagine how upset they were.  They cried, they begged, they pleaded with us to keep them at their home school.  We explained to them that we really wanted to try this new school and asked them to please give it a chance.  And then we made a huge mistake.  We told them that if they didn't like the school, they could go back to the home school in 9 weeks.  We mainly just wanted them to stay for 9 weeks to see how they adjusted and we hoped that they would like it by then.  They agreed to give it a try but the tears kept flowing. I felt terrible.  I doubted my decision and wondered why I would do something like this.  But deep down, I felt really good about trying this new school.  It felt right in a strange way.   

 Ledger is thrilled to be going to Kindergarten.  It all happened so fast but he is fine with it.  2 days ago he was all set to go to preschool and now he is attending all day kindergarten at a new school. he couldn't be happier.

 Case is having the hardest time with moving to a new school.  He has cried a ton and begged to go back to his old school.  Because we made the mistake of telling him he only had to stay for 9 weeks, he has told all his friends, "I'm only going to be at this new school for 9 weeks."  It's like he has a count down going until he gets to go back.

 I was most worried about Brody and how he would feel about moving.  After all, he has been at his school since kindergarten. Surprisingly he was the most willing to give the new school a try.  He has been hesitant but really has had a positive attitude about it all.  I'm sure it's cause he thinks he's going back to the other school in 9 weeks too!

 Ledger and Dad!  This boy is so happy to be in kindergarten.

 Thankfully we drove our cute neighbor Mallorie to school on the first day.  This really helped to ease the stress level on the drive over.  When we arrived at the school, the boys were not sure what to do.  They sat against the wall and looked for someone they might know.  It was heartbreaking to me as the mom.  I felt so guilty.  It was overwhelming.

In an effort to find someone they knew,  they headed out to the playground in search for a friend.

 Case headed back first with no luck.  He was so sad.

Brody came in next and said, "Mom, no one knows us here."  That's when my tears came back.

 Phewwwww...finally....someone we know!

Brody and his cute friend Kaden. 

While I was helping Brody and Case, Ledger was over on the kindergarten playground searching for his friends and playing on the slides.  He was having the time of his life!

 When the bell rang, we found his teacher and waited to go inside. Suddenly my little 5 year old seemed to little to be going to kindergarten!

Luckily he could get help if needed!

 In he went.  Out came more tears...mom tears!

Ledger went right in, found his desk, and waited for directions.  His new teacher is going to love him! I really hope this school year will turn out to be a good one for these kids.  Last night our home teacher Pete gave them the best back to school blessings.  He said everything I was hoping for.  As I listened to him I felt so much peace. My hope is that my boys felt the same thing and that they listened to what he said.  

My Back To School Date With Ledger

After piano lessons early this morning and then haircuts, Ledger and I headed out for our Back To School Date.  I give my kids the choice for where they want to go for lunch.  Ledger chose "Old McDonalds" aka McDonalds...under one condition...we eat INSIDE.  So I have a confession to make.  My kids have never eaten INSIDE a McDonalds.  We've been through the drive through several times in our lives but have never eaten inside the so called restaurant.  Let me just say...the boy was in HEAVEN!  He ate his nuggets and downed his chocolate milk and then headed off to play in the air conditioned play area.  Pure bliss!  Why haven't I done this sooner?  Oh wait...cause it smelled like poopy diapers in there and was horribly dirty and disgusting! After our lunch experience, we headed off to the mall and got some darling clothes for the first day of school.  We had a great time together.  Here is a small tid bit of our conversation on the way home from shopping.

L.  Mom?  When I get older, can we still go on dates together?

M.  Of course Ledger!  

L.  Can we get married after we go on our date?  

M.  Well, no cause I'm already married to dad?

L.  What does that mean?

M.  Well, I can only be married to one person at a time.  If I were to marry you, Dad and I would have to get a divorce?

L.  What is a divorce Mom?

M.  It's when a mom and dad decide they don't want to be married any more.

L.  Hmmmmm...no I don't want that. I'll find someone else to marry.

Ledger wanted "green" shirts today since that's his favorite color!

School Supplies

 Nothing makes me happier then new school supplies. I love sharp pointy pencils, unused crayons, and smooth perfectly shaped folders.  New school supplies make me giddy! You can imagine how happy I was when we headed to Target today to get the things off the kids lists.  I must say, these back to school "suggested" supply lists are RIDICULOUS!! I am shocked each year when the list gets longer and longer! It is very expensive when you are buying for more then one kid.  We survived the crowded isles at Target and got ALMOST everything on the lists. It's gonna be a great year!

Brody needed 3 1inch three ring binders...in different colors!

My Back To School Date With Brody

 On Thursday,  I took Brody on his back to school date.  We had the best time together.  Any of you who know Brody know that the boy is a talker!  Well this outing together was no exception. He talked my ear off the whole way to the mall.  He talked my ear off the whole hour he tried on clothes.  He talked the entire time we ate lunch, and he talked the entire way home from the mall.  It was hilarious.  I love the conversations we have together.  Mostly I love hearing him open up about his excitement for school and seeing all his friends.  He is sad his buddy Jackson will be going to the Academy this year, but is excited for them to play sports together. When I was trying to talk to him about it he said, "Mom, let's not talk about it anymore." I think it is going to be harder on him then he realizes.

This year was much like last in the sense that not one pair of shorts fit this skinny boy. Because he needs the length, he needs a size 23.  Because this is considered, "big boy" they no longer have the elastic waistband.  We are going to have to get them altered at least 2 inches in the waist just to fit.  GOODNESS! I love that Brody is not afraid to dance in the dressing room while trying on his clothes. He is a fun kid and I hope that he knows how special I think he is.

My Back To School Date With Case

 Today Case and I had the opportunity to go on a back to school date together.  Let's just say that after today, this boy is gonna look waaaay cool for second grade!  I always enjoy my one on one time with my kids as they get ready to go back to school.  This year was no exception.  Case is a funny kid. While in the dressing room today I kept saying, "Oh that's cute Case!" Finally he looked at me and whispered, "Mom, stop saying things like that." Who knew that since we were the only one's in the dressing rooms that he would care! It's funny how this kid looks cute in everything he tries on.  He is kinda between sizes right now so his clothes are a little bigger then he would like, but after a good wash and a couple months into second grade, they are gonna fit perfect! What I enjoy about taking Case on these back to school outings is that he really likes clothes and wants to try on everything in the store.  It's fun to see the little personality that comes out when he is getting one on one time while looking fashionable! After shopping, we headed over to Z Tejas for lunch.  We chatted a little about the upcoming school year and checked out the Target website on my cell phone.  Case informed me that he is most excited about second grade because this is the year he gets to be baptized.  He is also excited to have Jefferson and Cutter in his class.

 Riding the escalator is always fun!

We had fun today, just Case and I, but as you can see, shopping makes a 7 year old boy sleepy.