Week 26!

Back to school

Well, we are off and running. It seems everyone is adjusting OK, but we are not used to our new schedules yet, so we are tired! Today was the first football game of our season. Drew's team lost, but Drew got some really good blocks in and is playing so much more confidently than in the past. I was really proud of him. Dawsyn did a great job cheering!

They also had their movie premier last week for their Drama class. They did a silent movie, "Cops and Robbers" this session. It was great. All 3 of my kids were robbers. It seemed a little too natural for them, in my opinion, but I tried not to think about it too much. :) Only about 11 weeks left until baby and I stil haven't decided on names or gone through our baby stuff to see what we still need to get. That is not at all like me. I guess something has to give. Next week dance and Kindermusik start, so the time gets even less. Is it too early to be ready for my maternity leave????

Week 25 & 26!

LAST DAY OF SUMMER

Most people get a little depressed on Sunday evenings when faced with the long work-week ahead, but for teachers, this is the most depressing Sunday of the year--the night before our first day back. At least the first two days are just meetings and organizing your room ( I always walk around the building those first two days and think about how much I love my job on days like that--when there are no students in the building!) :). The students don't start until Wednesday. This means my own children as well. Drew is the big second grader, Dawsyn is the big first grader, and Delaney starts Preschool. We have gotten our teacher assignments, picked out our "first day outfits" (Drew could really care less, but Dawyn and Delaney got into it!), and have all of our school supplies. This was surprisingly easy--even with three kids and three different lists. Drew is always practical--he looks at the prices and gets whatever is cheapest and makes the most sense, Dawsyn is so opinionated, that she quickly picks out EXACTLY what she wants, and all Delaney needed this year was a folder. I made a big deal out of this for her benefit. We walked up and down the aisle to choose just the right one for her to take to Preschool every day. She decided on a "Jonas Brothers" folder. It had a picture of the three Jonas Brother boys on the front. I was surprised by this choice, but fine with it since I wanted it to be her decision. I quickly went on to the next item on my list when I saw Drew grab the Jonas Brothers folder out of the cart and disgunstingly turn to Delaney and say, "Seriously, Delaney? I hardly think this folder is appropriate for Preschool". Delaney looked up at him with her big eyes and said, "But Dawsyn likes the Jonas Brothers". Drew replied that it made perfect sense for Dawsyn to like the Jonas Brothers as she was 6 years old and going into the first grade, however, he didn't feel it would make the best impression on Delaney's teachers if, as a four year old, she showed up with teenage boys on her folder. At this point, I directed my attention elsewhere, partly because I was busy, partly because I wanted to refrain from laughing, but mainly because I was having a difficult time resisting the urge to roll my eyes at my "going-on-50", seven-year old. Sometimes Drew makes it so easy to be a parent. He is so responsible and always thinking about what the right thing is--very mature. Then there are those times that he crosses the line and tells Shawn and I what we are doing wrong, and what we should be doing to make things better. I swear he has come close to using the words "not prudent" when discussing our parenting of his siblings.

We took Delaney to visit her Preschool class last week. I thought it would be easier since she is my third to transition to this next phase of her life, but somehow seeing all of the same fear and questions on a whole new child is just as hard as the first. The night before we went, she came to me all teary-eyed and said, "what if someone makes fun of me?" It broke my heart, especially because I know someone will. At some point in her school career, she will come home devastated and upset because someone tore her feelings to shreds. And--there isn't anything I can do to prevent it. I just hope that I can be there for her. She got really nervous as we were walking up the stairs to the school and looked up at me and said, "Mom--what if I forget to put my name on a worksheet?!?!" At this point, I realized that Delaney was going to be just fine since most four year olds wouldn't even recognize a worksheet or the need to put your name on it! During our visit, she just kept telling me it was horrible and terrible there, but she did this with a huge smile on her face!

And then there is Dax who is going to have a tough transition with me returning to work. He has gotten very close to me this Summer. The other day he said, "Mommy--I love you!" and I replied, "I love you too". Then he said, "I love you more than Jesus!" I know it is wrong, but I didn't have the heart to correct him. I will be sure to remind him of those words when he is the rebellious teenager! The other morning, he climbed up on my lap and asked, as he does every day, "can we take the baby out today?" (I am really beginning to think that he views me as some sort of kangaroo!) I explained, as usual, that the baby wasn't ready and it wasn't quite time. He seemed to accept this answer, but a few minutes later, he turned to me again, and with a very sly look out of the corner of his eyes, he took a hand and turned it sideways and began to rub it back and forth along my belly saying, "See-saw, See-saw". I knew immediatly what he thought he was doing and told him that he couldn't cut the baby out of mommy's belly. He said, "oh darn-it!", climbed off my lap, and continued on with his day. That reminds me... I need to make sure there are definitely no sharp objects within his reach!
So... this morning was our last morning to sleep in.... and the hectic back-to-school schedule begins. Shawn and I laid in bed a little longer then normal today because we sensed the impending doom of the hectic year ahead--but he did get to feel some good kicks when he put his hand on my stomach, and by tonight, everything will be layed out to get us off to a good start for the year--bookbags, outfits, forms filled out, and even Delaney will be ready to walk into that first day of preschool with her pink backpack and purple folder with two white kittens on the front (apparantly she thought Drew had a point).

Week 24!

OUR NEW ADDITION:

The other day, a woman at church made that comment that I must be "saintly". I just smiled politely and thought to myself that until that moment, I had never realized how the words "saintly" and "insanity" have a love of the same letters! So--I am huge pregnant with my fifth child, coaching cheerleading, in two weeks, I will be back to teaching 6th grade full-time, have a second grader, first grader, and preschooler, I will be running Drew and Dawsyn to piano lessons, Drew to football practice, Delaney and Dax to Kindermusik, the older 3 to Drama class, Dawsyn to baton and pom-pom, Delaney to ballet and gymnastics, throwing in Karate when we can, plus Sunday school starts and Drew will be having extra classes to prepare for First Communion. Soooo.... Just to insure there is no chance of boredom around here, I broke down and got Dawsyn her first puppy!!! See??? Total insanity? Apparently I am addicted to potty-training, because I finally have Dax all potty-trained and I get a puppy that now needs to be watched ever second! She is a little Bichon-poodle mix (no shedding was a major point with me!). She is snow white and Dawsyn thinks she looks just like the type of dog that a Disney princess, or Barbie would have. Dawsyn has named her "Snowball Elaine". That should be cute to hear her calling it when she's 20! She has been after us since Christmas to get a dog. She is the only one of my children who is so in love with animals. I actually think in the long run it will be good for her because she does best when she has something to be responsible for. So far, she has done well--now we're just waiting for the novelty to wear off. When we gave her the puppy, we had all of the kids line up on the couch and I told them that we got them a "back to school" gift. I started with Dax and gave him a gift bag. When he opened it, inside was a little stuffed puppy. He was very excited and loved it. Delaney went next and opened a little puppy webkinz, then Drew opened his Webkinz dog. Finally, we brought Dawsyn her bag, she looked inside and a little white puppy head popped out. At first, she jumped and wasn't sure what to think. But, as the pictures show--she was in love right away. Definitely one of those moments you won't forget--and try to force yourself to remember when puppy is whining at 3:00 in the morning! In reality, I only had about three more months to sleep through the night--might as well start adjusting again now!

Week 23!

We have a ...
...Lego Luke Skywalker!!!! Yes, I am the proud grandparent of a 2 inch, not-quite-an-ounce, blond-haired, plastic Luke Skywalker! He even came out with his lightsaber fully intact! Dax was very relieved that his delivery went well. There were complications however because Dawsyn and Delaney informed me that they had to perform a C-section. He even walked around with a band-aide on his stomach for half a day. He lovingly took care of his little lego baby for two whole hours, but has since informed me that he lost him somewhere and might need to get a new baby in his stomach. Luckily, they did think to celebrate the baby's birth with a full mass in our living room before the babe went missing. I was not really invited to the mass, as I was busy doing laundry, but I was informed that Dawsyn was "God" which to Delaney and Dax means that she was the priest. When I came around the corner, the scene was one-of-a-kind. Dawsyn was standing behind our coffee table which she had carefully covered with the finest kleenex tissues. She had a plastic bowl of fruit loops (the eucharist) and a "Dora" cup of apple juice was the wine. Drew was seated at the piano playing music, while Dax and Delaney were sitting on the couch singing the "Alleluia" at the top of their lungs. I pretended to be busy and not notice so as to not interrupt their service, but I did catch the end of a wonderful homily about forgiveness and not losing your temper (ironically, two things Dawsyn really struggles with!). Oh well, at least I know she has the right idea--But I still need to inform her that the leader isn't God, but the priest. These are the moments that I wish I had cameras installed in the house so I could turn them on and not miss a beat--I'll probably have the same wish when they are all teenagers, but my motives might be different!
As for our baby, everything seems to be going well. Shawn even got a little kick in the hand the other night! I wish I was doing so well. I currently have a pinched nerve in my hip and two pulled muscles. I look horrible when I am walking, but I still keep going. Today, the kids and I worked in my classroom, then went to Easton to see "G-Force". We have a great time, but I am definitely slower than my usual self! I'm not sure I can handle this pain and lack of mobility for 15 more weeks! I just keep telling myself that the end result will be well worth it.