Summer Time

It seems I blinked and the summer was over. We have had lots of fun and stayed busy this summer.

My oldest started 4th grade and my 5 year old started Kindergarten in July. There weren't as many tears (his or mine) with my 5 year old starting school as I thought there'd be. He's becoming so independent and proud that he knows how to get to his class all by himself. He enjoys buying school lunch twice a week. He's so shy so I wasn't sure how he'd do with having to say his lunch number aloud but I've been to lunch with him a couple of times so far and he's sounding pretty confident! He's starting to learn and recognize sight words. He's on his way to reading!

During the summer, my daughter went to preschool camp and loved it! The first month she went gave my 5 year old and me some time to spend, just the two of us. I rarely have the time to spend one-on-one with each of my children but I feel like my 5 year old, being in the middle, really doesn't get the chance. The way I see it, my oldest got all of my time prior to my second being born....3 years....and my daughter is having her time with me alone now that the boys are both in school. So I try to steal time as best I can with each of my children. The second month my daughter went to preschool camp, I had 3 whole hours, 3 days a week for 3 weeks all to myself! I never knew what I was missing! I was able to finish tasks that I started. I feel so ADD at times because I'm constantly having to stop something I'm doing to referee or help them and so I'm constantly barraged with "Mama!"

In August, during the boys' track-out, we went to the lake for the week. We camped in our travel trailer. My husband's parents and aunt and uncle camped with us as well. It's always so much fun to spend a week swimming and spending time with the whole family. With everyone being so busy, it's nice to be able to get together. While we were camping, we decided that the RV we had (Damon (now Keystone) Hornet) was just getting too small for our family of 5...not to mention feeling like the 10 year old trailer was being held together by 3 year old caulk. So, we took the plunge and bought a new RV. It's a Keystone Laredo. Here's a picture of the new trailer along with a link to the floor plan and other pictures.

http://keystone-laredo.com/index.php?page=321BH-gallery

We are going to try out our new trailer next weekend when we hit Myrtle Beach. I'm hoping all goes well. All of the kids are so excited to have their own space and beds. My oldest has even told me that with the exception of taking showers (the shower is in the kids' room) we (the parents) are not allowed in their room. Perfectly fine by me! We're also planning on going to Boone, NC next month to try out the new camper.

My youngest and I started back to preschool this week (her as a student and me as a teacher). This year I am teaching the young twos (as opposed to the 3's for the past 2 years). Our first week has gone great...very low-key and easy-going, though we do have a couple of kids who are having a hard time adjusting. We'll see how next week goes. I know it'll get better....or so I'm told!

Kids Say The Darndest Things...

You know how teenagers many times are embarrassed by their parents, no matter if they do/say something or not? From the parents perspective, it's totally unintentional (well for the most part anyway). I have decided it's payback for all of the times their darling children unintentionally say embarrassing things as preschoolers.

My 3 year old daughter has been on this "kick" lately about wanting a baby sister (or brother or both depending on the day). Well, my husband and I have about decided that our family is complete. I say "about" because we have tossed around the idea of adopting, more so before I was pregnant with her, and I will never say never to the possibility of adopting. Anyway, we're at the indoor pool a few weeks ago when my daughter joyfully announces (quite loudly) that she's going to have a baby sister and even pats my "perma-pooch." Thankfully, no well-intentioned strangers congratulated me.

On one of the 90 degree days at the end of April I pulled out the Elmo sprinkler for the kids one afternoon. They had the best time running around and jumping over Elmo. It brought back memories of my now 8 year old son when he was just shy of 2 years old. One hot summer day, I had gotten him in his bathing suit (no shirt), pulled out the sprinkler and sat in a lawn chair fully clothed, enjoying the day and watching him gleefully running around, getting wet. My son, not one to leave anyone out, says to me "Mama, take your shirt off and run through the sprinkler with me!"

My 5 year old is my dramatic one. Everything is a crisis for him. He gets so passionate about even the simplest things. He'll give me this face that only he can do (and words do no justice for). He somehow ruffles his brows so his forehead is all wrinkly. He bulges out one eye while squinting the other one, his mouth in a half-smile/half frown all the while saying as though he were giving a moving rendition of Hamlet: "MOM! I NEED some juice!"

My 8 year old is quite smart. He loves to read and learns much of what he knows by reading through Science encyclopedias. Well, his third grade teacher tells us this week that recently she was having the class vote on a leader-response phrase to say when she needs to get the class's attention. For example, when the class gets a little loud, the teacher will say "Peanut Butter" (or some other previously discussed word) and the class (those who are listening) will respond with "Jelly" (or previously discussed response that relates to the teacher's word so as to be easily remembered). The idea is the class knows this is the signal to be quiet so more and more will stop talking and instead say the response when they hear more and more of the class responding with "jelly." Well, the teacher was taking suggestions for their class's attention-grabbing phrase for the class to vote on. One suggestion was "Oreo - Cookies." My son confidently raised his hand to offer his suggestion and said "Hydrogen - Molecule." He said it actually came in second!