Loving the routine

It's time to get back into the "swing" of things.  I decided to host story time again this year.  We have a bunch of new mom's that have moved to the area and it's a great way to meet one another.  We love reading our books and singing to songs but sitting outside while the kids get some exercise is AWESOME!!

I started a walking group too!  It's so fun!!  We have a couple of "regulars" that walk every Wednesday and Friday.  We try to walk up this beast of a hill 3-4 times.  It's killer especially on a hot morning. 

George enjoys the walks a lot more now that it has cooled down.  I've also discovered that giving him a flag, even if it's plucked from the ground, keeps him pretty entertained.  That and a lollipop!

Sadie had a few lessons this summer but they were sporadic.  It's nice to have them every Tuesday and get her back on a regular practicing schedule.  We try to get it done right after school.  She is really taking off!  She just learned Allegro by Suzuki and we can now play Heart and Soul together!! She's still a real stinker when it comes to practicing and prefers that I'm not "in the room." 

Jack started flag football with his buddy Preston.  The two of them pretty much just stand on the field and run when all the other kids start running.  They don't have a clue what is going on 90-100% of the time.  Jack thinks it's REALLY cool though and likes to show us how "fast" he can run. The other parents seem to care A LOT more than we do.  We do live in Texas (land of Friday Night Lights) but lets remember that these kids are 4!! We are rookies to the degree of Jack using Halloween teeth for his first game instead of a mouth guard because I melted the first one and the second one I bought was too big. Who cares? Not Jack.

 

For the first time, George is finally entertained by a little Baby Einstein.  This is great news for me because my little shadow will finally give me 30 minutes peace while I cook dinner or clean up the kitchen.  So much better than him walking through a dust pan of dirt or slipping on the wet floors!

He also loves snuggling with Sadie when she gets home from school.

I try to get them all to the park if we've finished our practicing and homework.  George and I also love visiting Sadie at school for lunch or Daddy at Trader Joe's. 

And George LOVES all the attention he gets when all the ladies surround him after school.  What a hunk!! We have Lily come over every Monday so her mom can work.  Avery and Evan usually end up coming over too and it turns out to be a full house of kids after the neighborhood round up!

I'm still in Young Women's so I go there every Wednesday night for mutual.  I was a Beehive instructor but just got called to be the 1st counselor so now I'm over the Mia Maids.  One such MM snapped this pic of me from her mini van on the way to the church.  I love these girls and I'm loving my calling!

Jack's "routine" is shutting his door every night after we've put him to bed.  He turns his light on and "reads" books until he falls asleep.  Occasionally we'll catch him trying to watch television with us from the stairs.  He eventually passes out doing this as well. Just Jack being Jack.

Back to School

Summer s-l-o-w-l-y came to an end.  I swear if I had to go to the pool ONE MORE DAY I was going to scream.  I loved the lazy days of sleeping in and making pancakes, but I was seriously craving some routine.  Just in time for school to start. 

Not gonna lie when I say it was HARD to wake up at 7 a.m. again.  I wish elementary school could start even an hour later.  These poor chiddlers need their sleep! Sadie was VERY excited for her first day.  She looked so cute and grown up this year!! 

She is in a portable this year which is kind of annoying but I LOVE her teacher so it's a trade off.  She has Mrs. Greene who is a little more strict but I know will challenge Sadie.  Our biggest complaint from Sadie last year was that first grade was too "boring." 

We couldn't believe all those text books! This year I've noticed that her teacher is really trying to teach independence.  Sadie is taking the reigns on her homework and needs to remember when it's time to turn something in. 

I had every intention of baking something delicious for an afternoon snack when he got home but the day ran away and I ended up taking the kiddos to TCBY.  I wasn't the only mom with the idea.  The place was PACKED!!

Jack got sucked into the television screens throughout the store and finally gave me this silly face once I got his attention.  What a monkey!!

His school didn't start until a week later.  He really missed Sadie when she went off to school and couldn't wait for it to be his turn. 

He came in to our room at 6 a.m. telling us we needed to "wake up early" for school.  He didn't need to be there until 9 so we had loads of time. 

Jack is going to preschool with 7 other kids from church.  He absolutely loves it and I get a kick out of driving him and his friends every Tuesday when it's my turn to car pool.  These little nuggets are always requesting super hero songs, "what does the fox say", and think it's pretty awesome when I speak to them in Spanish.  They just giggle and ask me to keep talking.  I love 4 year olds! Especially the dashingly handsome one in the red shorts and blue "cool shoes."

 

With the older two in school, I get to spend a lot more time with this lil' peanut.  When we don't have story time or our walking group we pretty much just chill.  He's my little shadow and will usually just tinker around unless I'm brushing my teeth.  This is when he insists on being held as he stares at me with a goofy grin while I brush away.  He likes to spit too when I spit out the toothpaste. 
George is obsessed with flags "fags" as of late so we usually walk around our street and touch all the "fags" we can find.  He gets the biggest grin on his face!!  He also loves playing with the train table and will say "choo choo" repeatedly with his mouth closed.  It's a very muffled choo choo that only a mother would be able to understand.  He also loves trucks!!  Whenever we are out and about in the car, he'll either yell out "fag" or "tru-cha" as loud as he can.  This can be a little embarrassing in stores.  We don't want to offend anyone but it's tricky when George belts out "fag" anytime we see anything resembling a flag.  This is usually loud enough for any homosexual within a block (or two) to hear. 

He's become more and more independent.  He goes to the pantry and gets his own  (snacks) or points to what he wants while yelling "dis."  If he can't reach something, he'll get a stool and drag it over to where he wants it to be.  He's been very good at rearranging my pantry.  He has learned all sorts of new words and phrases.  His latest is "cookie" and "chocolate."  Can you tell what this kids has been eating? 

The weather has finally cooled down enough to appease George's love of the swing.  He screams "sing, sing!" as he looks out the window.  He also requests a front row seat for the garbage "tru-cha" when he comes around on Mondays.   

Jack comes home first and then Sadie.  It's like Christmas every day for George when his two best friends come home to play with him.