Here We Go!

So all summer long I've been complaining how bored I am...and now....here we go!
(1) School has started. This means waking up early. It also means making sure everything gets done at school and at home. It now means helping Seth with his homework which he will have on a more regular basis.
(2) Ron is starting a new ministry at church. Our Pastor has asked him to be in charge of the Ushers and Greeters for our new second service. Ron has done an amazing job at recruiting people and getting ready. He was asked to take this on a few days ago and has already recruited six people, scheduled a meeting and created an agenda for the meeting.
(3) Ron is going to practices for his play twice a week starting next week.
(4) Ron and I will both be involved in Awana this year. I'm going to be working with Cubbies. They are preschoolers. Ron will be doing Council Time for Sparks. (Kindergarten - 2nd grade)
This also means Ron will be at church Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

So, here we go! Life will be running at an extremely fast pace very soon and I LOVE it! I wouldn't have it any other way.

Isaiah 40:31 - but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

First Day of School! First Day of School!

My alarm went off at 5am. Yes, you read right 5 am. My alarm went off...but I didn't get up. Fast forward 30 minutes. Time to actually wake up. I'm doing my thing...getting ready for school and I hear from the hallway a voice. It's Seth. He woke up on his own and is singing and dancing from the bedroom to the living room where I currently am. He's singing, "First Day of School, I get to go to school today!" I smiled from ear to ear. I love that kid.

So after breakfast, changing clothes, brushing teeth, we're all ready to go. Lunches are packed. We're getting in the car. Drop the boys off at school. They're glad to see their teachers. Off I go.

I get into the room where all of the teachers have stored their boxes over the summer and I am completely overwhelmed. Boxes are stacked to the ceiling. And all of my boxes are somewhere in the back. At our teacher meeting we decide that we should all help bring out the boxes since there are so many new teachers. Seems like a good idea until I remember that all of the new textbooks that have been ordered. They are downstairs in the preschool office and need to be brought upstairs. I take a student and two dollies and we start to take boxes upstairs. It seems like it will be a quick job. Boy was I wrong. It took us quite some time and it was hard to carry all that stuff up the stairs even using a dolly.

I'm so tired after spending all summer not working and now moving and unpacking boxes. I'm not complaining though. I'm glad to be back to work. :)

Back to School

Well here we are: the Friday before school starts. I should clarify. The Friday before the teachers go back to prepare for the upcoming school year. On Monday both Seth and Evan will go the preschool side for daycare and Levi will head to Amy's house. Seth will officially go to Kindergarten on Sept. 4th. That is also the day that I will take the official "First Day of School" photo in front of the school sign. I'm so excited to be going back to work!

This afternoon we are going back to school shopping to buy Seth's school supplies and uniforms. This includes a tie for chapel. I don't think my shorts, t-shirt and flip-flop wearing son even knows what a tie is! Maybe we can find him a cool SpiderMan one so that he'll actually want to wear it.

Evan doesn't need any back-to-school supplies. I may buy him something just so he doesn't feel too left out. The preschool supplies everything that he'll need until he gets to the Pre-K class. Oh, he will need to take a blanket for nap time but we already have that. He also doesn't need any new school clothes because Grandma Lou went shopping for all of the grandsons recently.

On a different note: Levi stood up by himself for a few seconds! He was standing up holding on to the couch like normal and then all of a sudden I look over and he had let go of the couch and was standing all by himself! I got so excited I said, "Oh, Levi, good job. You're standing by yourself." This of course made him laugh and he then sat down. I've been trying to get him to do it again with no luck. He thinks it's funny to fall toward me and have me catch him.

I Am Blessed!

I am blessed to have the cutest kids EVER!

This week Seth got to attend VBS at our church. The theme was Cactus Canyon (a cowboy theme) so Daddy hooked him up with a cowboy hat and a red bandana. He was disappointed that his name didn't get called for the raffle. I tried explaining that he can't always win and that he needed to be patient. Well, he's 5 and didn't quite understand why Miss Amy just wasn't calling his name. Friday night was Family Night so the whole family went. I sat holding my breath during the raffle time just hoping his name would be called. And finally....Seth got called up! He also went on stage to sing with the rest of his Kindergarten class. He's a ham like his Mommy! Or maybe he gets that from his Daddy!

After Family Night was over Ron helped to take down the decorations on the stage so I took the boys out to play on the grass area. I took this cute picture of Evan. And then I realized I was being an unfair Mommy and took one of Levi too!

See, I DO have the cutest kids EVER!

The Countdown!

Here we are with only 11 days left until we go back to school! YEAH! We are so excited. Seth, Evan and I made a countdown and posted it on our refrigerator. Everyday when Seth wakes up he goes to the refrigerator and tears off a number.

Seth is very excited for Kindergarten. I think he'll be even more excited once we go back to school shopping. Hopefully he doesn't get bummed out by the fact that he has to wear a uniform to school and Evan doesn't. He will be happy to be getting a new backpack, markers, crayons, gluesticks, etc. Seth is also glad to know that his brothers don't get to be at school with him. Evan has to stay on the preschool side and that makes Seth feel "big".

I know that Evan is glad to be going back because lately he's been saying, "Jacob on time out." Jacob is his buddy that he used to get in trouble with last year. I'm taking this comment to mean that he misses Jacob and am hoping that it's not a sign of things to come for next year.

And Levi....Levi will be thrilled to be back with Amy. Especially when he gets to stick his hands in whip cream! :)

And finally...me. I've been counting down the days to return to school since the day school let out. I love my kids but I love going to work too. Also, this year I'm very happy that Seth will be in Kindergarten so I'll get to see him in chapel every Friday saying his Bible verse. Also when his class performs for chapel I'll get to be there. I'm very blessed to have this job and have my boys attend the same school!

All summer long I've been planning. I've got the first three weeks of lesson plans together, I've brainstormed lots of ideas for yearbook, I've come up with a new reward system for my class (BEE Bucks following our Bee theme), and I've been collecting supplies. (Thanks Amy)

11 more days!

We are Family! - Pic overload!

We just got back from our trip to visit my family! We all had a good time. The trip was pretty short but at least we got to see as much family as we did. It was nice to have us all together again. My Nanny and Papa had all four of their children, seven grandchildren (three of the grandchildren are married so that makes 10), and six out of seven of their great-grandchilren were there!

Seth, Evan and Levi did an awesome job in the 6 hour car ride up and back. Levi got a bit fussy on the 1 1/2 hour trip from my brother's house to my aunt's house. I can't blame the little guy. We spent a lot of time in the car.

Seth and Evan loved getting to know their cousins Sebastian and Koen. They all had a good time playing together.

Pictures:

top pic - my parents with 5 of their six grandsons. Nope, they have no granddaughters!

Middle pic - all of us cousins with our spouses.

Bottom pic - five of the great-grandchilren. (Koen, Seth, Evan, Levi and Chloe. Carson and Sebastian are not in the pic.)