September is, increasingly for us, a month of changes. As the seasons shift from summer to fall, the days, and especially the nights, are cooler. It's getting dark earlier. The kids have gone back to school. Karlye's mom moved so Karlye is attending 6th grade at a new school, in a new city, in a new state. Jordan started 5th grade at the local intermediate school. Sasha's still at the elementary school here in town, but first grade brings a new classroom, new teacher and new classmates. So far the kids are enjoying school and coping with the early mornings and more structured schedule just fine. I'm not loving the whole "waking up to an alarm clock again" deal, but I guess I don't really have a choice.
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This month we had several firsts. Sasha lost her first two teeth. She actually pulled the first one out herself! Since she's starting first grade she got to put her school supplies in her very own desk for the first time ever. Jordan and Karlye got their first locker shelves and other assorted locker paraphernalia and got to arrange their lockers for the first time. Charlie had his first doggy play date with our friends' miniature pinscher Pagoda and lived to tell the tale. (He's normally terrified of small dogs.) And I did my first mud run!
Read MoreWell, it's official...summer is almost over and I can't say I'm particularly thrilled about it. I absolutely love summer. First of all, I'm not a morning person. At all. So not having to set an alarm is one of my all time favorite things. Secondly, I love warm weather. Being able to leave the house without having to pile on layers of clothes makes me very very happy. Also I love swimming, beaches, reading/napping under a shady tree, lemonade, iced tea and basil. Tomatoes, green beans and cucumbers are my favorite vegetables. And honestly, I love having my kids around.
Read MoreWhen Jordan was younger, he used to think that any day in which no one came over and we didn't go anywhere was boring. I tried and tried to explain the concept of nice normal days in which we could hang around the house, get things done and relax. He just wasn't buying it. Fast forward a few years and he seems to like nice normal stay at home "boring" days even more than I do.
Read MoreI'm not sure I can adequately express my love for wool socks. I've started keeping a pair by my bed so I can put them on any time my feet are so cold that I can't fall asleep. (This happens more often than you might think.) Also, I wear them pretty much any day with a high of less than 60 degrees. Since I'm having a crabby evening, now seems like the perfect time to make a list of some of the little things that bring joy to my life.
Read MoreWhat a long, trying afternoon and evening. I spent most of the morning tired and down, but managed to perk up before the kids got home from school, only to listen to them whine, cry, mope and fall apart for much of the late afternoon and evening. I spent almost all my energy remaining calm and patient and now they're in bed and I'm exhausted.
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I am so excited that my kids love to read, since reading is my all time favorite activity. Sasha goes to bed surrounding by books - stacked on her dresser, the floor by her bed and even on her bed. I love listening to her reading herself to sleep after I tuck her in for the night. Usually I have to pry a pile of books out from under her after she falls asleep, because I as much as I love books, I don't imagine they make a very comfortable pillow.
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We had a wonderful Easter this year. Saturday we got together with Justin's Dad's side of the family. Jordan and Sasha had lots of fun playing with the other kids inside and out while Justin and I got to eat, relax and hang out with adults. Sunday I made sausage and egg breakfast sandwiches, which never happens and the kids hunted for and found their Easter baskets.
Read MoreI can't wait until Jordan's old enough to change the water in the goldfish bowl himself. After having accidentally killed one of our goldfish last year in a highly dramatic fish bowl cleaning related incident, I'm even more leery about the whole thing than I already was. Most people who know me realize that while I may enjoy watching fish swim around, I'm not interested in having any direct personal contact with them. Unfortunately, our newest acquisition, Black Eyed (bought to replace the long lived and sadly mourned Fidgety Fish, and named after both the Black Eyed Peas and his buggy black eyes) doesn't seem to understand this.
Read MoreJordan's been learning about persuasive writing in school. Here are two of his assignments. Notice the blatant emotional appeal. Needless to say, he got a raise in his allowance (although not quite the amount he was aiming for) and if there was any way we could squeeze a dog into the budget, we would now be the proud owners of one.
Read MoreAt the age of 4, Sasha has had 4 haircuts. Two of them were planned, while the other two were decidedly not. Her first haircut was courtesy of her cousin Tristan. We spent Mother's Day 2009 at my sister and brother-in-law's house. The adults were hanging out and relaxing while the kids played all over the house. At one point Sasha came and told us that her cousin Tristan had done her hair. I glanced at her, saw he'd given her a ponytail and told her it looked nice. When we got home, I got a call from my sister informing me that I might want to check Sasha's hair since she had just found long blond hair in the wastebasket. Sure enough, Tristan had given Sasha bangs, and I hadn't even noticed.
Read MoreThis is, as accurately as I can remember it, a conversation Jordan and Karlye had in the car on the way home tonight (some names have been omitted to protect the innocent). Background: The kids were talking about what they wanted to name their future potential children. I couldn't hear the names they were saying at first, although I believe Jordan's current favorite girl's name is Brazil.
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The big day is finally here! Sasha has been talking about her golden birthday for months on end. She planned her guest list for her party about four months ago - her friends Mae & Violet, of course, and all the little neighbor girls. She planned the color of her gifts around the same time - some gold (for her golden birthday) and some "not gold". And she's been counting down the days until her birthday for at least a week (and making sure to tell everyone she saw how many days were left). When she got up this morning I was on the computer and she came and stood right by me, stood up as straight and tall as she could, and said, "Mom, Mom, look how big I am now!"
Read MoreSome of my favorite "Sasha-isms" are "naybe" instead of "maybe"and "grow-mup" instead of "grown-up". These are often used together in sentences that start out, "Naybe, when I'm a grow-mup..." The poor little girl tries so hard to keep up with her big brother and sister. When they're here she follows them around trying to play with them, talking and talking at them and trying to get their attention. When they're not here she spends a lot of time talking about what she'll do when she's as old as they are and imitating all the annoying things they do that I'd like a break from while they're gone.
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