First Day of Kindergarten

Well, folks, the day has come (and gone, actually)......Myah and Maysen officially started school today.  I've been taking them to an organized, academic center for the last three years, but this is different.  This is the big leagues, and I for one (because I get to be on the inside track) know how quickly these years fly by.

The night before, we read the book The Kissing Hand before they went to bed.  If you aren't familiar with the book, check it out!  It's a must read before you send your littles off to school.  Of course my girls are the sweetest things ever (I might be a little biased) but before they went to school the next day they reminded me that if I missed them I could just press my palm to my cheek (read the book to find out why), and Delissa (my backyard neighbor who will put the girls on the bus each morning) witnessed them doing it again as they waited for the bus in the morning....melt my heart!

The girls woke up before their alarm sounded.  I think this was mostly due to the fact that Brandon was leaving for work and I think he woke them a little more than usual because he wanted to actually see them on the morning of their first day of school.....I don't blame him.  I also think this was because they were so darned excited to start school.

When I got home that evening, I couldn't wait to hear all about their day.  I had told them that they had to remember every last thing about their day so they could tell me about it.  That didn't work out so well, but I did find out that they got to have two (!!!) recesses.  They also had Media Center as their 'special' so they got to check out books from the school library, and the lunch choices were Hot Dog (hot choice) or a Bagel/yogurt/string cheese (cold choice).  Myah had the hotdog and Maysen had the bagel (with peanut butter).  They sounded excited about making some new friends and for starting this fun chapter in their lives.  I pray that their excitement lasts through the entire year and beyond.

Meeting Mrs. Kenyon

Classes started today at Ames Middle School, and across the district, actually, except for the Kindergarten.  Kindergarteners go back on Monday so that will be a big day for Myah and Maysen, and boy are they excited!  We did however go in a meet their teacher this week.  Tomorrow (Friday) was supposed to be their 'Kindergarten Glimpse,' where you go in and meet the teacher and drop off the school supplies.  Since I will have students on Friday, I asked Mrs. Kenyon if we could come in early to do those things.  It was something I really wanted to do, obviously, since I won't be able to drop them off for their first day.  It's going to be a wonderful year and I know they are going to LOVE their teacher!  They thought she was really pretty and seemed very nice.  I'm going to try to not shed too many tears, but my little girls aren't so little anymore.

Summer Vacation Recap--Week 12

It's my last week before going back to work.  We've had a really great summer and I feel we have made the most of it.  There are a lot of new things in store for this fall that we sure are excited for!


Sunday, August 12-- Despite dancing and being up past bedtime, the girls did not sleep in this morning.  We laid around the hotel room before going to Perkins for lunch.  All three girls napped on the drive home and played around the house once we got back.  It was pretty cool outside so I did laundry and unpacked.  Our granite countertops are going to get done this week so we had to clear the counters and get ready for that.  Though it was chilly out, it was a great afternoon for playing with bubbles and the water table.....all of the kids needed baths anyway!

  After getting the kids bathed and to bed early, I got to enjoy a night evening walk with Dellisa.

Monday, August 13-- I finished up the laundry from being gone and did the grocery shopping before heading to the park for a playdate with Myah and Maysen's friend, Hayden, from Formative Years.

We were hoping to go to the pool and/or to a family fun night up in the Northern Lights area of Ames, but we didn't get to do either because of having to wait for the granite guy.  We are getting a new countertop in our kitchen (I think I mentioned this a week or so ago), and we're really excited about it.   Here's what our old countertops look like:

However, the time of the guy's arrival kept changing and when he did eventually call me, he said he'd be here at 5:30 but still didn't show up until 6:10.  Needless to say, the girls were frustrated that we didn't get to do either of those things, but it's exciting that we will have a new countertop by the end of the week.  All of the girls needed another bath after having gone to the park, and Brandon and I went to bed early.....man we're getting old!

Tuesday, August 14--I got up and went for a 3 mile run.....it was a beautiful morning!  Around 10:15, we headed to Des Moines to the Blank Park Zoo!

Sea Lion Demonstration

In the Prairie Dog crawl space

sleeping Black Swan

MMM with the wallabys up by the tree

Free roaming peacock

Camel Ride

The girls had gotten free passes at the magician at the library last week and Mylie was already free so we couldn't pass that up!  It was a great day, though hotter and  much busier on a Tuesday than we had anticipated.  The girls got to go on a Camel ride, which they thought was really fun.  Brandon worked out once we got home and the girls and I made chicken salad--it's one of our favorite things to make and eat in the summer!  Our after-school care gal (Kaci) watched the girls for about an hour and a half while I went to the chiropractor and Brandon made a quick run to Marshalltown with a load of basketball cards that he sold.  It was a good time to have her with the girls for a short time and for them to get to know her before the first time she has to get them at the bus stop.  Another fun day, but Brandon heads back for teacher work days tomorrow.  We've really made the most of our summer.  It's emotional for it to come to an end, but we do know how very lucky we are to have this amount of time at home with our kids so we try not to complain about it ;)

Wednesday, August 15-- Daddy went back to work today so of course the girls slept in until 8!!  It was sweet (Brandon didn't think so).  Mylie went to Sue's house so the other girls and I could get our hair done.  Our appointment was at 11:30 and we didn't leave until 2!!  Three haircuts, my highlights and eyebrow waxing later (me, of course), we look fresh and ready to start the school year.  Afterwards, we headed to the pool for a little bit since it's supposed to be cool the next few days.  After supper, I had a meeting at the church for Sunday School.  I'm going to be a shepherd for the 4th grade class.  It's a lot of the same kids I worked with for VBS so it should go pretty good.  A shepherd basically leads the kids around to their stations.  I won't be teaching the lessons.....more on the discipline end :)

Thursday, August 16--So much for the sleeping-in thing, Mylie was up at 5:15 but did fall back asleep when I laid down with her.  Around 9, we headed up to Sawyer Elementary because today was the day we'd been waiting for for a while now.  The class lists were posted.  I had written a letter to the principal back in January requesting that the girls be put in the same class and all requesting a specific teacher.  Since then, both the former principal and the requested teacher have left Sawyer.  However, both requests were still granted.  They are in the same class and they have Mrs. Kenyon. 

Mrs. Kenyon was Mrs. Isebrand's (the first teacher I requested) student teacher and will be a great fit for my girls.  We spent 2 hours at the middle school finishing up getting my room ready for me to have students starting next week.  After supper, M&M and I went back to Sawyer for New Parent Orientation.  We got to tour the building, but didn't get to meet the teacher yet.  We will get to do that next week, though.  The girls are excited that Tiffany, a girl from Formative Years, will be in their class so they will have that familiar face as well as each other.  This mom is finding out quickly that it's going to be an emotional couple of weeks as this "school" stuff gets underway.

Friday, August 17--Mylie went to Sue's again today and will start there full time on Monday.  She's been a little (sometimes a lot) fussy in the evenings.  I don't know if that bottom tooth is finally going to be all the way through, or if she's trying to adjust to our new schedule.  She's used to being with me pretty much 24 hours a day this summer so now in the evenings she's really clingy to me.  I'm going to have to get back to having supper ready right at 5 because that usually helps the evening go better.  Myah and Maysen and I went to the chiropractor and ran a few errands before I had to go to a meeting at 11:30.  I'm a mentor for one of the new 8th grade math teachers.  It's always an honor being asked to be a mentor.  It's a paid position, though it does required some time outside of the school day.  At 4:30, I came home to new countertops!

  I LOVE them.  The process is only half done because my dad is going to hook up the plumbing on Sunday and we are also going to get a new tile back splash so that will complete the project, but the countertops are so wonderful and make the kitchen look so much nicer than the ones we had.  I made stirfry for supper.....it was a bit difficult to not have water in the kitchen, but we made the bathroom sink do!

Saturday, August 18--Mylie woke up early (5:11) today, which has been going along with her fussy evenings.  It's been cooler in our house in the mornings lately, too, so hopefully we get all of this figured out soon!  I got out and ran 5 miles on this beautiful morning and quickly showered so we could go to Staples for their Teacher Appreciation Day.  The first 100 teachers through the door got a 'goodie bag.'  Needless to say, we were early enough.  One of the items in the bag was $10 off of a $50 purchase.  We had already done most of our school shopping, but we did pick up a few things including a small fire-proof safe.  This was something we'd been thinking about getting for a while now so with the coupon it was a good time to get it.  Brandon's mom had given him some money for us to use on back-to-school items.  In addition, we went to Target and also got Myah and Maysen each two pairs of jeans for school, Brandon a small coffee maker to have at school, and some shinguards for the girls since they will need them for soccer this fall.  My cell phone had been on the fritz for some time now....most of the summer actually.  I had taken it in about 6 weeks ago and they told me that the speaker in my phone was going out.  It was to the point that I couldn't really understand people when they called me on it, and I was nervous to give out the number because I feared that they might actually call me on it and I wouldn't be able to hear them.  That can't be the case when I go back to work in case Sue or M&M's school needs to reach me so we also went to US Cellular to get me a new phone.  It took FOREVER, but it got done.  We went to Noodles and Co. for lunch and them home for a nap.  Nap time wasn't even nearly as long as I had anticipated it to be, which was a bummer.  Brandon went to Humboldt to watch his brother race and the girls and I hung out at home.  After baths, everyone went to bed a little early.....it's time to start getting on a school routine anyway, which requires M&M to get to bed about 1/2 an hour earlier than they have been for the last 3 years!

This is the final summer vacation recap.  I go back to work on Monday and Kindergarten starts the following Monday.  However, stay tuned for meeting the teacher, kitchen remodel continuation, our first soccer and ice skating lessons, etc.

Summer Vacation Recap--Week 11

Sunday, August 5--Today was a good day for getting things done around the house.  Everyone's sheets got washed and bed's remade so when we get back from Lake Mills we'll have nice clean beds to climb into.  I also sewed a button on one of Brandon's shirts, packed for Mylie and I to go to Lake Mills on Monday, hung a picture down stairs, pulled some weeds.....you know, it was one of those days.  I also 'found' Kate (via interview) who will be the perfect girl to stay with Myah and Maysen on those Wednesday afternoons when they get out of school early.  It's so great to just know when you've found the right person--I'm hoping she accepts the position!  Brandon left shortly after lunch to go to Rembrandt to work with his dad on a car so it was just Mylie and I for the afternoon and evening.  We scrounged through the leftovers for lunch to be sure we didn't leave food to rot and go bad while we're gone (I HATE wasting food!).  We went to Target and Walmart to get the odds-and-ends we needed around the house (new filter for the vacuum, printer paper, diapers....you know, exciting stuff!).  After supper, I pushed Mylie on a 3 mile walk in the stroller.  She just loves the fresh air, the cars, the dogs, the people.....she's a great walking companion....if only she could hold a conversation, but that, too, will happen.  After she went to bed, I looked at my calendar for the week since we'll be gone until Wednesday.  I had a mini breakdown about my little girls being big enough to start Kindergarten.....maybe I'm not as ready for this as I thought.  They're ready, they'll be great, I need to get my act together!!  The next two weeks are going to be chock full of getting-ready-for-the-first-day-of-school type activities.  I'm pretty sure they're more for the parents than the kids.....those sneaky teachers/principals!

Monday, August 6--Mylie got me up around 7 and it was just her and I that morning.....very quiet!!  Did a few things around the house and had a chiropractor appointment before heading up to Lake Mills to see my other girls.  I picked up Kentucky Fried Chicken in Clear Lake for us to have for lunch and then took all three girls to the pool (where I used to work) to wear them out for a nap.  Mylie and I took a nap in one room and Myah and Maysen in another room.  For supper, we met my high school friend, Jen, her mom, Julie, and Jen's daughters, Cora and Tatum at the park.  We got a few pizzas and played for a few hours.  Baths were needed and then all three girls were exhausted.
  

Tuesday, August 7-- We had a lazy morning around Mom and Dad's house.  My dad and brother had gotten up early to go on Honor Flight so it was just mom, me and the girls.  I made a casserole and programmed the oven so it would be ready for lunch.  Then we went out to my Nana and Grandpa's house.....my girls call them Bessa and Grandpa.  We were there for a few hours and the girls got tired running around their house.  We went back to my parents' for lunch and a nap.  From 5-8, it was the National Night Out event at the park near mom and dad's house.  There were hotdogs and sweet corn offered by the local FFA chapter as a fundraiser for their trip to Australia next summer.  There was a bouncy house, fire truck rides, obstacle course, and so much more.  Here are the girls spraying each other in the kids water fight, trying the free Zumba, and getting fingerprinted. 

 Needless to say they were exhausted again.

Wednesday, August 8--Mylie bear turns 17 months today--boy does time fly!  I gave everyone showers in the morning and then we headed back to Ames.  Upon arriving at home, I did some laundry, bought some groceries and then got everyone down for naps since they'd had late bed times the last few nights.  Brandon got home mid afternoon so the girls were excited to see him.  He brought home a bag of craft supplies from his Aunt Darlys.  The girls have had a great time playing and creating! 

 After feeding the kids supper, I went with my friend, Dellisa for a girl's night out to get pedicures, supper at Noodles and Company, and dessert at Aspen Leaf.

When I got home at 9:15, Brandon headed out to the late movie of Snow White and the Huntsmen with his friend, Mike.  One of these days, we like to have a date night with each other, but since Mylie's seizure, we've had a really hard time leaving her.

Thursday, August 9--I've really been missing the pool this week and we didn't make it today either!  I got up and folded laundry and ran 3 miles.  Brandon and I FINALLY met with a lawyer today to start setting up a Will.  It's not really something we like to think or talk about, but since our kids are our life, we really needed and wanted to get a legal document together 'just in case.'  The girls and I went to the chiropractor and then played outside on the deck in the water table and with sidewalk chalk before going to the library for the Hotdog Dinner Theater.  Our backyard neighbor boy, William, went with us to see the magician.  It was a very average performer, but the kids enjoyed it.

  A gal I work with was having a Back to School Vault Denim Party (you buy jeans at an in-home party) so the girls and I made a quick stop there before heading home for baths and bedtime.  It was another busy day!

Friday, August 10--My morning started with a trip to the dermatologist.  At the end of last summer, I noticed two darkish spots on my upper lip.  I finally decided to get them checked out.  He told me they are a result of Melasma.  Basically a hyperpigmentation in the skin caused by the sun combined with a hormone releasing birth control.  It is especially noticeable (and more prominent) in people with dark/olive skin, dark hair color, and dark eye color.  Well, that explains me.  Of course, the best medication they've found is not available on the market right now so I have to wait until it comes back out.  At least I can be thankful it's nothing more serious than that, I guess.  The girls and I ran some errands in the morning and then met Brandon at Fazoli's for lunch.  It's one of those places that is underrated, we feel and we don't get there as much as we'd like.  Of course, we had some coupons that were going to expire today so we made a point to use them.....can't pass up 99 cent kids meals and you can get up to three (how perfect is that!?) with each adult entree.  After an attempt at getting all three kids to nap, one of them actually did (the littlest and most important one), I went up to the school to start planning with some of my coworkers for a few hours while Brandon played with the girls.  His parents stopped by on their way to Des Moines so they played outside and in the basement for a while.  Remember I said I had been missing the pool?  Well, I decided we better make a quick trip there since I knew we wouldn't make it there tomorrow either.  It was cool outside (78 degrees) and the water was cold but we went for about an hour.  There weren't many people there, but the girls still had fun and the sun was out.  We went home and made some Puppy Chow for our night snack and read some new books the girls got from my friend Sindy.  Her sister is a children's book writer and she gave the girls 3 of her (Lisa Moser) stories.  It's great fun to get books with such a personal story behind them.  Brandon and I wound down our day by watching the movie 'One Day' it's quite slow moving and not all that great.....I don't recommend it :)

Saturday, August 11--Half Marathon training called for 4 miles this morning and they were wonderful!  The weather was great and it felt like an 'easy' run, which NEVER happens!  The rest of the morning was spent packing and getting things ready to be gone over night for my cousin Lars's wedding.  We traveled north to Mason City for the wedding and to Clear Lake's Surf Ballroom for the reception.  It was a beautiful wedding and the girls had a blast dancing the night away.

Summer Vacation Recap--Week 10

Sunday, July 29--Brandon got up (not quite as early) for his last day of basketball camps.....finally!  Remember my parents had stayed over night the night before......we went for an early lunch at Noodles and Company and then went to the Big Bucket to show off our swimming skills to Nana and Papa.  This made for some tired girls and some good afternoon naps!  We spent a lot of the early evening watching the Olympics and doing the weekly grocery shopping.  Brandon took the girls for a ride around the block before baths.  We had a great weekend!

Monday, July 30--My morning began with folding laundry and emptying the dishwasher.....you know, the fun stuff!  Then a 3 mile run to clear my mind for the day before I went to the chiropractor.  I have a lot of tension in my neck and mid back (three kids, teaching and on my feet most of the day, running, etc have contributed to this.).  It's not painful that often, just tight, but I do have some twisting in my vertebrae that play a factor.  William and Ella came over to help make some cookies for dessert after dinner (their family joined us for our monthly meal together at our house).  The three girls and I went to the Big Bucket to beat the heat (96+ degrees!) and then a trip to the book mobile for new books and movies for the next week.  The girls had finished path #4 on the summer reading program so they got to choose a new book, which is always fun.

Tuesday, July 31--It's the last day of July, folks!!  I emptied the dishwasher first thing, again, and then headed out for a 3 mile walk.  This time, I had all three girls with me.  My plan was to push Mylie in the stroller and the other two wanted to join me.  They each walked a total of 2 miles--they each got to ride for half a mile in the second and third miles.  After they were rehydrated, Brandon took them outside to practice dribbling on the patio.   I also took a box of baby clothes (after Kelsey took what she wanted) to a local consignment shop to see what I can sell.  A garage sale is too much work, but this is worth a try.  I can't believe how good of shape some of our stuff is in!  The Olympics seem to be on our TV most of the day, but often no one is really watching anything.  We like to have it on so we can check in and make sure we see the events we want to see.  I went back to the chiropractor to hear the results of my examination the day before and then the heat was back so the Big Bucket was in order.  All 5 of us needed a good cool down. We went to Pancheros for supper after swimming-----we had two full punch cards for free quesadillas.  It's hard to resist Cold Stone next door so we headed over there.  Myah had a free kid's dish coupon from the summer reading program and we also had a 2 for $5 coupon so we did pretty well price wise.  We've been fully enjoying our summer vacation with frequent trips out for ice cream!

Wednesday, August 1--Our wonderful cleaning gal came this morning.  I'm so fortunate to have someone clean my house.  It's something I don't have to spend time doing and because it allows me time with my kids when I'm home, it is worth every single penny!  While she was at our house, the five of us made a delivery to Goodwill, a trip to Target to get birthday presents for this weekend, and a stop at Hobby Lobby for some materials for a DIY project I hope to complete very soon.....stay tuned!  Once we got home, I made a nice balanced lunch for us, wrapped the birthday gifts, and made some appointments for the girls and I before school starts up in just 2.5 weeks!  Then it was off to the pool.  Home for supper and just chilled all evening.  It was nice to have kind of a productive day with no absolute places we had to be.

Thursday, August 2--Mylie went to Sue's since we had a few things scheduled for today and I want to keep her visiting there a few times this summer so I don't have to experience a week of tears when I go back to work.  I took advantage of the calm and quiet morning to be lazy (aka, not run) and finish #3 of the Hunger Games Series Mockingjay.  I had signed M&M up for Tot Time at Kil'n Time, the local paint-your-own pottery store.  They read a few books, had a snack and made a glass mosaic in honor of the meteor showers that are to take place later this month. 

They had a great time, but of course want to go back soon so they actually get to do the painting projects.  We met daddy for lunch at Noodles and Company (where they had this totally futuristic pop machine---I had just been there on Sunday and it wasn't there then)

 and dessert at Aspen leaf (don't tell Mylie!).  Ok, now I think we've made a few too many trips for ice cream/fro-yo this summer and the scale is starting to show it.  However, isn't that what summer is for?  Ugh.....I need to convince myself that it's ok and I will start eating better once school starts back up and training for the half-marathon begins next week!  After our chiropractor appointments, M&M and I went to the pool for a few hours before picking up Mylie.  Brandon went to the new Batman movie with his friend, Kevin, and the girls and I hung out at home for a quiet evening of baths and books.

Friday, August 3--I did get up and run 3 miles this morning, showered and made a quick trip to HyVee to get us through the weekend.  After lunch, Brandon took the big girls to the park to practice shooting baskets and I took Mylie up to the middle school so I could sort through some things since next week they will be waxing the floors and I won't be able to get into the building.  Around 3, we headed to Des Moines.  Stop number 1 was at Midwest Tile and Granite so we could pick out some granite for a new countertop for the kitchen as well as a new sink!  I'm sure excited.  We're also going to be putting in a tile backsplash.....it's going to look like an entirely new kitchen.  Pictures to come!  Stop number 2 (and our main reason for going) was to have supper with Kelsey, Eric and Rooney.  Eric grilled up some wonderful chicken breasts and corn on the cob.  We supplied the melon and Key Lime Cheesecake for dessert.

Saturday, August 4--I joined the Vardos for a 6.45 mile run this morning, which was harder than it should have been because I also ran on Friday.  I usually use Friday as a 'rest' day before longer runs on Saturday.  I interviewed a college gal to potentially be our 'sitter' for Myah and Maysen on Wednesday afternoon when they get out of school early.  I'm interviewing another on Sunday.  After doing a few jobs around the house, it was time for the busyness to begin!  Myah and Maysen had two birthday parties to attend.  They went to Macy's gymnastics party from 1:30-2:30 and had a wonderful time.  We wished we could have stayed longer because we hadn't seen them in so very long!  From 2:30-4:00, they went to Kyan's gymnastics party!  They were in different locations, but you better believe that with all that tumbling, swinging, jumping, and running, they were tired!

 Shortly after the second party, we all five loaded up and headed north to the Dows exit to meet my parents to.  Myah and Maysen are going to spend two nights with them without any parents.  They are thrilled.  This will only be the second and third nights that they will stay somewhere with out either Brandon of myself.  The only other one being about 6 weeks before Mylie was born and they stayed about 2 miles from our hotel with Kelsey and Eric.  As much as I don't like being away from them, it was a nice break for all of us and they got to be spoiled by Nana and Papa!!