Fall

So one day we had 100 degree weather and the next it was fall.  Fog.  Rain.  Cold.  And I love it!  The only problem is that I only have two pair of pants for Dodge and no long sleeve shirts.  Or jacket.  Had to bum one of those off a friend.  And I also don't really fit into my jeans yet either.  Just a few more pounds to go and then they should button and little better :)

This little guy is  cutie though.  I think he looks just like Ben.  He's is pretty even tempered like Ben too.  He still isn't sleeping thru the night and it is taking it's toll on me but we are making it.  I've got a thousand things on my list of things to do that will probably still be there come Christmas but I guess that is what happens when you have five kids, three in school, two in soccer and piano.  (PS-Heidi scored her first goal and it was awesome!)

And here are my five cute kids all ready for Halloween.  I love these kids.  They can be stressful at times but it is fun.  Daisy has been loving school and is my easiest at getting ready in the morning.  Huge surprise.

Thank you Horace Mann

Doesn't Daisy look so cute in this picture?  I love it.  Doesn't she look like the sweetest little girl.  One that you would just love to hang out with all the time who is as happy and cute as her name implies?

Well don't be fooled by the picture.

I haven't figured out if it is the age that is hard fro me to handle or just Daisy but I have had a hard time with her.  She has been a difficult kid.  At this age Kaylee had a way of challenging me each and every chance she got because she was smart and knew how to push my buttons.  Manipulative.  She has grown out of that and Daisy has filled her shoes but in a way to where I feel even more at a loss for what to do.  I haven't figured out yet if Daisy's behavior is because she is pretending to be clueless or if she just really is but I have struggled and struggled with her.  I've found myself closer in insanity than ever before.  Consequently I was very excited for her to start school.  And of course she didn't start until today-much later than anyone else's kids.

All morning I have been quietly thanking Horace Mann for beginning the American Education System.  What would I have done without it?  I am so glad to pass my responsibility off to her teacher and say Good Luck because as hard as I have tried to teach her letters, numbers, reading, or anything I feel that I have failed.  She did learn to ride her bike this summer.  That was a big deal and a tradeoff, I guess, for not knowing how to read.

She is a cute kid though.  Everyone loves her.  She is social, talkative, smiley.  She will have no problem making friends, she just won't ever remember their names and will instead refer to them as 'friend' or 'cousin'.

She has been looking forward to this day as much as I have.  She will love it.  She may be my first kid to get into trouble but it will only be because she talks and talks and talks.  

Blake, Dodge and I walked her to school.  

Here she is all lined up with her class.  We waved goodbye and my life of leisure began!!  Blake and Dodge are a breeze.  We went for a run this morning.  It was nice.  Then around 10:00 Dodge fell asleep and it has been so quiet.  Thank you Horace Mann for giving me 5 Daisy-free hours today and for many days to come.  I think we both needed this break from each other.  She is cute though.  And I'm jealous of her hair.

School finally started

School doesn't start until after labor here in Medford.  The girls have been counting down the days right along with me.  It's not so much that I don't want my kids around but they are just to the point where they don't want to run to the grocery store with me, or only get to see friends when a play date is scheduled, or base your life around nap time.  Daisy is especially excited for school and in her case, yes, I need a break.  However Daisy doesn't start for a whole week after the girls. 

I got one picture with Daisy since she is starting school this year.

Going to school

Coming back from school

I'm so excited for next week when all three girls head off to school and it is just me and my boys.  I had Daisy take some pictures of us-they did not turn out at all.  You know, I don't like my hair long.  I'm still going for it because it has been two awful years of growing it out but to be honest I don't think it looks natural on me. I feel like I look fake with long hair.  But these pictures may look bad to me because I had just had a shower and it was muggy and so my face is all shiny (that's code for sweaty)

This turned out to be the best picture in the end anyway.

Summer Bucket List

School starts this week for us.  On tuesday they will go meet their teachers and on Wednesday school actually begins.  When the summer started we wrote out a bucket list and then lost it.  There were some ideas that didn't happen-like going to Waterworks Park, sad-and some that happened early on-like having a baby-

and then there were the things that we got done just in time.  Most of them only happened because we have had family in town for the last three weekends in a row.  

So out summer bucketlist included a trip to California (picking fruit from Mimi's house, playing on Mimi's ipad, getting ice cream from great-grandma's freezer, pilfering from grandma and grandpa's yard sale, Charlie's Seasame Chicken and La Comida)

Then Aunt Kaylee came and we got to play at Lithia park, watch Planes (not as good as Cars), hit up Dairy Queen and went yard selling for my first time this summer.

The following weekend was Ben's Mom and his sister's family.  It was our first time hanging out with Elissa and David since their wedding six years ago.  That weekend we finally made a fire, had s'mores, set up the tent in the backyard (thank you Peggy for sleeping outside with the girls), played at Jacksonville and hit up Coldstone.

And this last weekend Joey and Danielle came up.  We finally went on a bike ride!!  The kids have wanted to do a bike ride all summer.  Daisy learned how to ride a two-wheeler last week and so we went today to Bear Creek Park and rode there.  Blake has wanted to rude across this bridge for the past year and he did it today.

Summer is almost busier than the school year.  I can't wait for school to start because my girls are ready to go and I'm ready to take a break.