Summer break has been completed-Hallelujah! I was ready for the heat to subside and for kids to get back in a routine at school. We run better on structured days...particularly ones where I am not the only one overseeing the schedule of events each hour. While I was happy to wrap up that season, a new season of life has begun for me-all kids in school. While kindergarten is just a pre-test to see how I will handle full school days without a child at home, it is the intro to a new chapter...and we are all adjusting. Before that leap happened, this is how we spent the end of summer 2019...
Dave qualified for his 10th President's Club!!!! Such a huge deal! We celebrated in the Bahamas this time.
Not only has he been at the company for more years than most people last in one place of employment, but he has really excelled. The last fiscal was his best one yet. He was honored on stage for making it 10 times. This is everyone else in his office that was there with their guests/spouses.
We have both felt stressed out over the past while so our intention was to stop in Atlanta and meet up with Curt and Anna for dinner (which was so fun) and then to go to the Caribbean island and do nothing!
Dave couldn't quite keep with the plan, he lasted for a day or so just vegging, but he had to be on the move a bit more.
We jumped on an activity for a culinary class where we discovered the shocking horror of what lives inside these beauties...
a slimy sea snail doesn't even describe how nasty these creatures are hiding. But, we ate them and they tasted great! Ha! We learned how to do authentic dumplings, sushi, macarons, etc it was so fun!
It was somewhere we had never been and we especially appreciated the massages-highlights for sure. Our kids were SO lucky to get to go camping while we were away. Grandma stayed for a couple of nights and then Shannon whisked them away to the canyon, well...mostly. Grant opted out one night and Katelee had to start a summer math course one day. Anyway, they mostly had a trip while we were gone too. They always want to go camping each summer and well...Dave and I do not! haha. But, Shannon is the best and took them, we would be fine if that would be a yearly tradition while we are gone!!!
We wrapped up summer with last minute shopping, movies, volunteering at This is the Place (which is a name Grant says I can not mention ever again...but Harrison is already asking when he can be a pioneer again!) and a day at Lagoon. The kids love Lagoon with all their hearts so it was fun to join up with Shannon and Paige and Porter. We made Harrison ride everything he was tall enough for and he generally was a star. Perhaps we pushed it too far when this kid had to ride Wicked. He screamed "I'M SO SCARED" as we shot up the first hill. He survived and exited the coaster saying, 'That was a nightmare-it hurt my body so bad but I didn't want to say a bad word. I thought I was going to, but I didn't. That was so fast, like cheeks flapping.' We are so thrilled he was a good trooper, kept his 'bad words' to himself and we will make sure he experiences the nightmare another year! haha!
Katelee was the first to start school with an orientation day for 7th grade-she is a big middle schooler now!
She and Grant get to go to school together this year! Hooray! They even have a class together because they are both going to be part of the Science Olympiad Club, so they get to prep for that in a TA class.
This little dear is a FRESHMAN in 9th grade!
He has so far tried to break into Katelee's locker, has successfully zip tied her backpack shut through 2 class periods and kept her on her toes.
Brenna is in 4th grade and has Mrs Saunders. That is the teacher she had been crossing her fingers for so when she found out she literally squealed and clapped. I think it will be a great year.
Before Harrison started his first day, he got to have his 6th Birthday!!! We had been anticipating the day for months...asking Siri how many days until August 23rd. Finally, it arrived. There was no question what the theme for his celebrations would be-baseball. He still loves loves loves MLB and has started on a team. He has picked two teams to cheer for-the Pirates and the Angels.
I am not sure about the Pirates, but he picked the Angels partly because we found a t-shirt at the DI and he says he will cheer for them because they are like God and because they make him feel good. So there you go.
We ate pizza and opened presents with grandma. He got a new bat and Pirates hat, hence the action shots. We had to keep dodging the metal weapon, no one was hurt in the filming. Ha! Grandma's gift was a big success and has already been put to great use.
As other sports seasons are approaching, we suggested perhaps requesting a basketball or football gift. Last year's Christmas was all football, so I asked Harrison if maybe a NBA jersey would be fun. I regret that question and will for my whole life. He said he wanted a James Harden jersey. After going back and forth, even me telling him ANYONE but James Harden, Dave convinced me to make the kid's day and go for it...
Bleh...but he was pretty happy...
I will just keep eye contact the whole time he wears it! He desperately wanted a Costco cake (then he didn't really like it, oh well) It looked cool! it said Happy Birthday Harrison...different than the original "Happy Home Run Day Harrison" that he thought it should say. I should have gone for that. I had told the girls we could go to a movie in the park for his birthday after cake if he wanted, but he opted to stay home and play. It was a bit of a fiasco with the other peeps, but we had to be ready for his friend party at the park the next day.
Oh my, that was something. We had been scoping out the park, knew he wanted to put on a game of baseball for his festivities and I thought maybe we could keep their attention for half of it and then let them play on the playground. Well, someone reserved it and the diamond wasn't close to the slide, so we had a couple rounds of pitching
which included a nervous breakdown from Harrison when we tried to switch sides to avoid being blinded by the sun and a real punching fight between some of the party guests. I missed out on that cuz I was trying to calm Harry down. Katelee and her friend told me about it. I tried to divert attention and hurt feelings with Popsicles and cupcakes
but Katelee's friend had already gone home and told one of the boys' moms he was getting punched, so she rushed over and then a couple more moms came early to make sure we weren't engaged in a full out brawl. Oh sweet boys...
We had Sam, Paxton, Jack, Maddax, Tyler, Emmett, Austin, Harrison, Cash and Luke. They ended up with their shirts off and running through the water-
we should have just done that in the first place, but Harrison would not be dissuaded from the baseball birthday of his dreams. It may be one of my nightmares and I have a little anxiety just typing about it! haha! Family party next year, please.
And now for the day I had been dreading for about 6 years...sending my baby to kindergarten.
Harrison was assigned afternoon kindergarten so we have all morning to get hang out, run errands and play. It is glorious. The first day of school, Harry told me to turn on some music to "pump him up". He had specific songs he needed-apparently those were Ice Ice Baby and the theme from Rocky. Who knew? But, they did their job cuz he was ready!
He will be riding the bus everyday, but of course, on the first day I wanted to take him. We arrived and let the kids play outside before the bell rang. I had on my dark sunglasses to hide the tears welling up in my eyes. Mrs Chandler invited parents to come in and get their kids settled-following directions on where to hang backpacks, put folders, find their seat etc. It really was nice to be there and see the routine.
I hovered too long while he was working on his first paper
and he finally turned and told me I could go. So, I had to document that I wasn't a balling mess.
And so he survived...and I survived, just like I did with my other 3. The two and a half hours flew by and have ever since. I was pulled together for day one, but I will admit when I walked him to the bust stop on day 2, I watched him step up into the vehicle and I lost it. He is my little guy, my bud, my partner. Good thing it is just half day!
It made me think back on when I started kindergarten drop offs with Grant and I gave him a penny to hold and rub in case he got scared. I followed that bus with Grant on it and I felt a piece of me go into that school. I guess each day, each year since then has been spreading me out-sending pieces of me with each child. They may not know I am there with them, but I am, no matter if a coin can prove it. Grant and I walked with a neighbor who is suffering with dementia and she just hugged him talking about he was her special primary boy. It goes by fast. Kindergarten to 9th grade...baby to teenager...adult to senior. I just hope those pieces of me that I am sending with my loved ones can build up inside them and they will always know they are loved.
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