First Day of School!

**Disclaimer - the next few posts will recount our first few weeks/months in Jerome. We were living in a hotel (which I'll write about at some point) but please note that every single picture in the hotel is going to look cluttered, messy, and crowded. That's because it was.**

Less than a week after arriving in Jerome, the kids started school! It was a little hectic because we were still living in the hotel but they were more than ready and excited to begin a new adventure. I am going to detour here and say that my kids have been incredible throughout this move. They have been so positive and optimistic about all the changes. Their attitudes made things easier on me for sure. These kids of mine, I tell you, they're the best.

But, back to the first day of school!
 

The night before school started we had our traditional "first outfit of the school year" fashion show.

I love Clayton's outfit (I'd seriously wear it if it was in my size)!

This is not Sammie's first outfit of school. She actually started the day after all the other kids, but she wanted to try on new clothes too. She's pretty cute.

Since there was no bus to ride, and we weren't in our home, our first day of school morning was a little different than usual. Breakfast from the hotel breakfast bar, everyone getting ready in the same room, loading everyone in the car to drop them off. It was a little hectic, but considering all the problems we've had with the bus over the past few years, I'm more than happy to drive them (we'll see if I still feel that way in a few years - but for now I don't mind it one bit).

They do school a little different out here. There are two K-3 elementary schools, 1 4th-5th grade school, 1 middle school (6-8), and then high school. So Clayton goes to a different school than Noah and Josie. I think there are pros and cons to this. They stagger their start times, which is nice (Clayton starts about 15 minutes earlier than Noah and Jo so drop off isn't a problem), but it'd be nice to only have to go to one school to see all my kids. I'm pretty happy with both of the schools though, so I can't really complain.
 

First day of school! Noah: 2nd grade, Clayton: 5th grade, Josie: kindergarten
Pretty stylish group, if you ask me! (And yes, that's a potty chair on the floor of my van. That's how I roll with a newly potty trained kid. Judge if you must, I ain't changin'!)

I can't believe this is Clayton's last year in elementary school. It seems like his grade school years just flew by! He has a great teacher this year though who lets me come into the classroom and help out once a week. It's nice being able to spend that time in Clayton's class since this is probably the last year I'll get that chance!
I wish this picture was better, but oh well.

Pootie started the second grade. As you can see, he started strong. He has a very loving teacher who is just the sweetest. He has taken that elementary school by storm and made a ton of friends. I predict he'll be running that place next year!

Josie started kindergarten! Crazy! I was worried about how she'd do academically (she wasn't quite as prepared as Clayton or Noah had been), but she's doing just fine. We struggle a bit with her teacher (she doesn't really let parents in the class to volunteer, which kills me because I want to be there for her) and she's had a few hard days, but we're working through it together and I'm hoping that we'll come out on the other side stronger for it.

Socially though, she's on fire! She makes friends left and right and is just so confident and sparkly! I love that she knows exactly who she is.

Noah and Josie go to the same school. I was interested to see how this would effect their relationship and I'm happy to report that I think they're closer for it! They have a lot of shared experiences that the rest of us don't and I think that's bonded them. They still fight a bit, but I'm slowly starting to see a more friendly relationship developing between these two! 

I thought it'd be fun to compare all my kindergartners:
Isn't Clayton the cutest and tiniest kindergartner you've ever seen! Oh my goodness! He's so adorable! I am having a hard time reconciling this sweet tiny face to the man-child that is currently living under my roof!

 Noah! Oh poor Pootie with his poor allergic reaction. Still though, he's changed so much!

Josie. Maybe it's because I'm remembering the boys smaller than they actually were (though Clayton was actually pretty young) or maybe it's the difference between boys and girls but she seems more grown up to me starting kindergarten than they did. I love her excited/nervous face here.

Josie only goes half day (she goes in the mornings). So after her first day, we got to celebrate with lunch at McDonalds with Justin (I adore his new schedule - things get so much better after residency!).

When everyone else got home, it was time for the traditional snack of cookies and milk while we discussed their first days. Everyone had a successful day!

The next day was Sammie's turn. I miss Woodard Preschool in South Bend, but we found her a pretty good little school. It's got a Christian based program so she learns a lot of Bible stories and a lot about Jesus. It's pretty cute. She was one excited little lady to go to school!

Again, I thought it'd be fun to compare her picture against all the other kids on their first day of preschool.
Cute little Clayton (those cheeks!):

 Oh Pootie (at the height of his pootie-ness):

 Gorgeous Jo:

Sammie goes to school from 8:30-12:30 three days a week. They feed her lunch and do a bunch of activities, so she's usually wiped when she gets home. She's adjusting better now, but she would crash so hard after school at first.

I was nervous about the time I'd have to fix Josie's hair every morning before school. I usually don't fix the boy's hair for school and I was afraid that we'd be late every day because of the time it'd take to fix her hair (because it is so, so long). But it hasn't been bad. We've discovered a few go to styles that we've made work for us (like this fancy braid that I'm so proud of).

Once the kids started school I felt a lot more settled here (even though we were still in the hotel). It gave us some routine and stability that I was desperately craving (and I think they were too). It's so weird to me that all of my kids go to school now. It's a whole new chapter in parenting. I'm starting to think about the next chapter of my life and it's like uncharted territory. Kind of scary, kind of sad, but kind of new and exciting too.

I love these kids and am so proud of how well they've adjusted to this new life. They jumped in head first and have really thrived in this new environment. Watching them out here makes me certain that this is the place for us. I can't wait to see how much they grow this year!

Sunburst 5k!

Every year since we've moved out here, I've run in the Sunburst. It's a really fun local race that starts in downtown South Bend and ends in the Notre Dame football stadium. I've run the 5k when I was largely pregnant with Sammie and last year, I ran the 10k with a personal best time! The Sunburst is one of those races that makes you feel like you can do anything. People (the other runners as well as those on the sidelines) are so positive and encouraging, the atmosphere is so energetic, and the race is just a good time all around. I've loved being able to be a part of this race and am sad that we won't be around to do it next year.

This year, honestly, I wasn't going to run it. We have so much going on with the move, plus Justin was working and I just figured I'd let last year (with my personal best 10k) be my Sunburst swan song.

Enter Noah. Ever since he saw me finish the race last year, he's been itching to run it. He would randomly bring it up during the year and I'd just sort of dismiss it. The closer we got to race day, though, the more adamant he became. So, two days before the race, I worked out a plan for the other kids and entered us both in the 5k.
 

We got everything ready the night before.

The morning of the race we woke up bright and early (before 6!). I woke the kids up by blaring the song, "Everything is Awesome" from my iPad. Noah popped right out of bed, excited to race. The whole drive downtown he kept asking me if we were sure we were on time (he didn't want to miss the start of the race). His nervous excitement was contagious. I usually get a little nervous before a race, and it was cute to see how similar we are in that regard!

Me and Noah, at the starting line.

We got to the starting line a few minutes early and it was just fun to see how excited Noah was getting. His energy was definitely rubbing off on me!

Noah showing me his tough "ready" face:

Noah showing me his super fast start position:

Before we knew it, we were off. This kid, I tell you. He held my hand the entire race, kept up a steady stream of chatter (and quite a few MarioKart references), high fived anyone who had their hand sticking out (which was quite a lot), and ran more than he walked. For entering a race without training AT ALL, I can honestly say I was beyond impressed. He never once asked to stop or told me he was done, he just kept plugging along. At one point toward the end of the race, someone had turned their lawn sprinkler on to face the road so the runners could run through it. Noah got so excited! As he screamed and ran through the sprinkler, everyone around him was just smiling and laughing. He kept everyone in good spirits for sure! Before I knew it, we were staring at the finish line. We dropped hands and agreed to sprint through the finish. Boy, did he ever sprint! I am sure I was beaming as I finished the race. My boy did it. He was so proud! And rightfully so!

Noah and I after the race:

Two of my favorite things about the race this year:
1. Noah's attitude. After the race we saw a friend who came to watch at the finish line. She was talking to Noah and asked him if he beat a lot of people. His response? "Well, that's not really what's important. What's important is that we finished!" Oh yes, proud mama moment right there!

2. As friendly and encouraging as people are to me when I run this race, they are a thousand times more friendly and encouraging to the kids that run. All along the course, people were cheering for Noah, high fiving him, patting him on the back, and encouraging him on. It was wonderful to see so many good people cheering my kid on.  

Noah with his well deserved, end of race popsicle.

After the race, we went to the hospital to eat breakfast with Justin. Noah loved recounting the race for his dad (who was almost as proud of him as I was)!

This was, by far, the most fun race I've ever run. I would run a million races with this kid, it was so enjoyable. We didn't do it for time - though our time was 37:45 - not bad for his first timed 5k. I am so, so glad that Noah kept pestering me until I signed us up. I can't believe I would have missed this amazing opportunity to run with my son.

Of all the Sunbursts I've run, this was by far my best one. I am so glad that this year was our swan song. Perfect way to end. I love you Noah. You're the most awesome 7 year old I know!

Catch up

I've been a bad blogger. In my defense, here's why:

Yup, our house is officially on the market. You wanna buy a house? I happen to know of a great one for sale...

Anyway, I'm using that as my excuse for not being the best blogger lately. Trying to keep this house show-ready at all times is requiring almost all my energy at the moment. BUT! Here are a few other things that have been going on:

 

We got our hardwood floors refinished. It's kind of a long story with a lot of frustration (most of it endured by my saintly mother), but it has a happy ending. My floors look gorgeous!

They were raw for a while though. It was a fun couple of days of me yelling things like "Take your shoes off!" and "Don't get water on the floor!" Fun times.

These boys. They're such good buddies. They have private jokes and made up words. I love their relationship.

Josie got her preschool "report card". Obviously, she's very awesome. We are so proud of our girl. I can't believe she'll be in kindergarten next year!

Just because. She's dang cute.

Josie was killing me with her 80's style and her sweet dance moves one morning.

When I go to bed with wet hair, I wake up looking like a member of an 80's hair band. It's totally understandable if you're jealous.

Sammie kills me with her two year old style. My favorite look is the one on the left. She prefers to pick out her own clothes these days though, and more often than not, we end up with a look like the one on the right (hood and all).

Umm, I can't really explain this. He's a weird kid.

This picture was taken toward the end of March. MARCH!! I tell you, spring is really slow in coming to the Midwest this year!

The only way to travel.

These two. I adore them.

Bed head. No pants. One sock. Sweeping the floor. 'Nuff said.

Noah is a gargoyle. Justin is way more tolerant of this than I would be.

Nutella face. Every day.

I'd vote for him...if I weren't concerned that he'd get power hungry.

A pleasant evening. Clayton making dinner (meatloaf), Noah and Josie building Legos TOGETHER, and Sammie all dressed up to watch Daniel Tiger.

He likes to sit on the heat vent to read. Kid after my own heart.

Most days, this girl is my shadow. Sometimes it's frustrating, but most of the time, I hope she never leaves. Love this little lady.

We've been reading the Percy Jackson series as a family. It's been really fun. I forgot that (years ago) the kids had given some of them to me for Mother's Day. I was so excited to see this written inside one of the books. "Happy Mother's Day 2010 Love Clayton and Noah". I love seeing their little kid handwriting!

Josie and her cute friend, Brady, having a playdate. They didn't really understand the rules of connect 4, but it didn't stop them from having a great time!

This is a typical scene when Justin gets home. These girls are such daddy's girls. It melts my heart.

My awesome sister in law has been helping me turn my blog into a book (read: she's doing it for me). Oh my goodness, it's the most awesome thing ever! We absolutely adore these books in our house!

Aurgh! Getting the house ready to go on the market was such a pain. We were trying to color match paint to do touch ups on our walls. It was a fiasco that led to many tears. Finally, Justin "biopsied" the walls so we could get the paint color matched. He's a genius, I tell you!

We also got several new appliances, which my handy husband installed (if the doctor thing doesn't work out, he's totally got other career options).

There have been other, more exciting things going on around here, but they deserve their own posts. So stay tuned, I've got our trip to Idaho (super exciting), St. Patrick's Day, and April Fool's Day coming up!