First Day of 3rd Grade

CBC started 3rd grade, and dressed herself for her first day. Naturally. Enjoy :)

In case you can't see her ensemble in its entirety, she is wearing the same howling wolf shirt Buddy is with olive capris, black argyle knee-length socks, big blue tennis shoes, and a white hat. A neighbor girl bribed her to wear a skirt and a dress shirt on her first day--"girly clothes." Didn't work :)

CBC First Day of School & Working on Home

Ahh, the first day of school. CBC was sooo ready for 2nd grade to begin, and she really enjoyed her first week. With only 6 boys in the class and 18 girls, I think her teacher is going to have her hands full! I took the day off and took CBC to school--we went out to breakfast at McDonald's as a family, and then Superman took Buddy to school while I took CBC. Apparently, Buddy cried his little eyes out when he realized he didn't get to spend the day at home with everybody--poor baby (uh, excuse me, poor "big boy!" I have been taken to task regarding that several times this week--"Mom, I not a baby! I a big boy!"). CBC, on the other hand, didn't cry and wasn't even really nervous. She just takes things in stride, that's for sure. I totally forgot to take pictures of her in class (who is honestly surprised?!) and so I had to settle for pictures in front of her after-school program later that day. She doesn't get her violin for a month--"Mom, seriously, I already told you--we won't get it for a month or a few weeks. Stop asking!"

Oh, three more things! After taking CBC to school, I came back to work as Superman's servant on finishing our guest room. He and Morfar laid most of the hardwood, but Superman and I finished the job. Wow, it looks nice!! Then on Saturday, we went hiking (shocking, I know!) on Mt. Rainier--first time we have ever been there, and it was beautiful. AND . . . I stopped drinking soda this week! I had a dental appointment and it really made me realize it's time to grow up and stop living like a teenager. (I also started flossing every night, for those of you who care.) I had my last Diet Pepsi on Tuesday AM and started drinking water shortly thereafter. Yay for my bones and my teeth, but wow, this is proving to be extra hard on my sweet tooth so far. I have really been sucking down the candy. Maybe not so good for my teeth, but at least I'm not sucking down 3 or more cans of soda every day . . .

Summer, we will miss thee

How can summer be over already? School starts in one week, and I think we're about ready to get back into the learning groove. It's been a really fun summer, even though the weather in WA hasn't really cooperated. We had about a week of extremely hot temperatures when we all slept in the master bedroom with the a/c in the window, but other than that, it's been off and on rain. I'll have to post some pictures soon, but I wanted to get caught up before procrastinating this any longer.

In July, we combined a work conference in Anaheim, CA with a family vacation by driving to Utah first. We visited Superman's parents and mine, and then Morfar and Mormor traveled with us to California, where we went to the beach and Disneyland, visited some good friends, and absolutely loved every minute of it. My conference was really good, too! Everyone at the beach forgot sunscreen, with CBC and Mormor getting the brunt of the sunburn. CBC's was so awful because she body surfed for 4 hours straight without coming in. I forget sometimes how much she loves water. Buddy had to re-learn grandparents' names, because once again he called them all Grandma. So we have officially switched over to Morfar (literally, mother's father) and Mormor (mother's mother). That seemed to help :) Morfar and Mormor took CBC home with them for two weeks, which proved to be very difficult on Buddy, but she had a great time.

On the way home from Anaheim, we stopped in San Jose to visit my brother and his family, which was an absolute blast. I wish they lived closer so we could see them more often! Two weeks later, Morfar and Mormor drove from their house in UT to our house in WA with CBC, carting a U-Haul behind them filled with furniture and a piano for us. If I haven't mentioned it a million times, my parents are so good to us! While they were here for a few days, Morfar helped Superman put a hardwood floor in upstairs (no rest for the weary!).

Since they've left, CBC has gone back to camp and enjoyed a Mariner's game, bounce houses, laser tag, swimming, etc. Buddy switched daycares, which went a little easier than I had feared. We miss our old school, but now I can pick him up earlier than before, which makes his day a little shorter. He told me he was sad on Friday after I picked him up, and when I asked him why, he said, "I miss Mormor! I want to go to her house." We're glad we'll be seeing them again at Christmas!

We've enjoyed the lake with family, gone to the fair, ridden bikes, played at the park, and did yard work like nothing else. Summer has also shown us what a big boy we have living with us--Buddy's vocabulary constantly surprises me ("Mom, that is so lame!"), he was potty-trained in May, and was bottle-free by July (and, yes, that was painful for all of us). Ever since CA, he is absolutely obsessed with Buzz Lightyear and Woody, and is always shouting, "To infinity and beyond!" while jumping off various items of furniture.

CBC has grown another million inches and made new friends everywhere she goes. She is reading like a champ, too! We have really enjoyed this summer, and I'm a little sad to see it go, but I'm excited to see what 2nd grade in our new school brings us. I especially can't wait to hear CBC play her violin :)

Where does the time go?

How did May sneak up on me? I am somehow surprised by May's arrival, without all the nice sunny weather I am wishing for. I've been trying to eat healthier than normal (which for me would mean eating a vegetable a month or cutting down to 4 Dr. Pepper's a day--okay, slight exaggeration but you get the point). Anyway, I've joined a gym that I visit occasionally (and if any of you have suggestions on how to get by on less than 5 hours of sleep a night successfully, I would love to hear them!) and I go jogging with a good friend at least twice a week during my lunch break, but I am seeing no results at all. Makes me super frustrated, and then apathetic, followed by wanting to go back to my old habits. Ah, whatever.

This post is probably going to be a long one 'cause we've been SUPER busy at our house. Two weeks ago Superman got sort-of fancy tickets to the Mariners, so we enjoyed them (see pics). Kids were pretty great most of the time and it was fun to see them get so excited. Food was good, too :)

Then we decided to dig into another painting project, so we painted our great room (kitchen and living room combo). Coincidentally, the color we agreed upon was "Twilight"--I personally find that pretty darn hilarious. Once we put it on a wall, we realized that was a crazy color for so much space, so we went back and had them darken it. You can check the contrast out between our original wall color and the new one in these pictures. Let me know what you think! All I know is my husband is the bomb and is seriously able to do pretty much anything--I can honestly say I am amazed at his skills and talents. I am also jealous, but being the lackey comes with perks--I'm in charge of Buddy, so I get to take 3 hour naps with him to keep him out of Superman's hair :) I LOVE our new color; hope you do, too! And I hope you enjoy the funny pics of the kids painting. Buddy was killing me in his tidey-whiteys today after church :)

In other news, CBC was picked to be included in a music program within our school district, so she'll actually be attending a new elementary school next year where they will teach her to play the violin. We are so excited!! She and I checked the classroom out this week and enjoyed having some extra Mom/Daughter time. Her OCD has been affecting her again, and manifesting in different frustrating ways. Makes me feel bad for her, and I really need to remember to be way more patient. This new school is a definite blessing because she's been having boy/girl issues with her best friend that have been painful. Those of us who are tomboys can relate to how painful that is--it's not our fault when we can do things better than the boys! She's started reading a Choose Your Own Adventure Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew from my collection, and is really enjoying it. She also jumped off the diving board again in swimming lessons. Fun!

Buddy's vocabulary is increasing daily. This week, he came in from the ride home from school and said "I missed you!" to me before I had said anything else. Absolutely made my day. So cute!! I'm not so great with the video in this blog, but I'll try to put one in that shows him talking. Funny!!! He is responding to something CBC said about him not being stupid. He's doing well potty-training and has found a new love--Trix cereal. This morning, he ate three bowls, which is really a lot for Buddy, who can get by on one gogurt a day.

Last thing--next week is the Mother's Day program in church, and I will be playing the piano for the kids in sacrament. I have a feeling it will be entertaining for all :)

Music Program at the Elementary School

Good times at CBC's elementary school. Buddy and I arrived late, so we had to stand in the corner of the packed gymnasium for the music program. CBC got really into the music, to put it mildly. A few people came up to us afterward and commented that they enjoyed watching her having fun. (A different person came up to her and told her she was beautiful, which she did not like--she said she would have much rathered "pretty" than "beautiful.") If you can't spot her, she's to the right of the conductor and in a white shirt.