First day of school 2013

Holy cow the summer went by fast!  I think the kids are happy to be back in school.  I know they missed their friends and I'm certain they were starting to get sick of spending so much time together!

This year Nash is starting THIRD GRADE!  That means he's going to be learning multiplication and cursive.  We'll hit Cache Valley history again, the moon phases and much more.  Third grade has been my favorite grade to teach so I'm super excited for Nash this year.  His teacher is Mrs. Rowley - which is who both he & I wanted him to get.  Nash is also still going to piano one day a week.

Samantha is staring FIFTH GRADE this year!  Holy cow!  Last year of elementary school for this girl!  WOW!  That went way, way, WAY too fast for this mom!  Fifth grade means state reports, trading teachers for different subjects, her last shot at the Wellsville Mile, the DWA (direct writing assessment - BIG deal), the Maturation program (I'm SO not ready for that!) and debate in my class!  Samantha's teachers are Mrs. Lockhart & Mrs. Hall.  She had Mrs. Hall for second grade so she was excited for a familiar face.  She also gets to see Mr. Hawkes for science and Mrs. Williamson for social studies.  At back to school night her teachers said they should really call fifth grade "Sixth grade prep."  So true!  Sam is still doing competitive dance (year four).  She's dancing twice a week still and then going to piano one day a week.  She was excited to find out they moved activity days to Wednesday evenings.  This means she can finally start going!  She's more excited about that than anything else I think!

And Caleb goes to KINDERGARTEN this year!  It dawned on me the other day that Caleb will be the same age that Nash is now when Brooke goes to Kindergarten.  That seems like 100 years away, but I know it's really just around the corner!  Caleb has Mrs. C. Kendrick  for a teacher.  She is a lot of fun and I think she will be able to keep up to Caleb's creativity & mischievousness!  He is in afternoon Kindergarten so he will be doing preschool with mom every morning too.  Not sure if he's too excited about that part or not. 

As for me, I will be doing preschool five mornings a week!  Two days a week I will also be at the kids' school working as the SEM teacher (gifted/talented).  Travis has given me all kinds of grief by telling me, "Heaven forbid you have 20 seconds of peace and quiet that you don't have something you have to do!"  I'm pretty sure I'd find something to fill that 20 seconds though!  I'm really excited to start preschool.  I am having my open house on Thursday and Friday this week and the kids will start the day after Labor Day.  I have 11 three year olds and 7 four year olds (Plus Caleb in each class)!  Should be interesting if nothing else!

Just keep swimming....

Well, since my last post I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.  Travis FINALLY got the basement to where I could paint!  I was so glad to be rid of sheetrock dust for a day or two!!

We had a get together with some of the Muaghan family at my Uncle Darwin's house.  We managed to get a half way decent photo of my grandpa & all his boys!  Grandpa turned 86 this April and the last photo we have all him with his boys was probably at his 80th birthday party!

My kids have had MANY "movie nights".  They always fall asleep well before their movie is over.  Now that school starts in a few days I've banished them.  I seriously have no idea how my kids can sleep like this and not just hurt for a week after they wake up in the morning!

And the exciting news....
Yesterday after church we went out to Benson Marina with my in laws & Travis's brother's family.  The last time Travis took the kids out there with his parents Nash was learning how to knee board.  Yesterday they pulled him past me and he was not only knee boarding, but he had flipped the board around so he was facing backwards and was holding the rope behind him!  STINKER!  

And as if that wasn't enough....
He decided he wasn't going to let the water ski's get the best of him this time.  Last year he tried so hard to get up on the water ski's but couldn't quite do it.  Yesterday he managed to get up behind the jet ski!  At first Travis was in the water to help push him up.  After several attempts he was not only getting up and staying up, he was getting up without any help from his dad!  I told Travis he has to teach him to get up and ski on one before the kid can master the wake board!

 Uncle Chad with Brooke & Olivia.  The girls had so much fun "bobbing" with Uncle Chad!

I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of Nash up on the water ski's.  I was able to get this one of him after he was back in the water and decided he was done for the night.

After watching the crazy Nash, Brooke decided she too wants to knee board.  Travis asked the other kids, "Do you want to knee board?" and Brooke looks at him and pipes up, "I BOARD!"  Travis didn't hear her and asks the other kids, "Do you want to water ski?" and Brooke pipes up and says, "I SKI!"  I had to point it out to Travis before he heard her.  She sure thinks she's big & tricky!

Kash decided he couldn't let Nash show him up on the ski's so Travis helped Kash get up too.

I can't believe school starts in three days!  I'll have about a week and a half after the kids go back to get everything finalized for preschool.  The basement is painted and I'm waiting on Travis to put the lights up, trim out the doors/window & put the light switch covers on.  Then I can move everything down and set it up!  I won't have my wood floors yet - ran out of money.  We'll get them down as soon as we can though!  I will post pix of the basement once it's all set up and ready to go.  Then I get to go back to work at the kids' school the second week of September.  Should be a busy school year for all of us!