Monday, August 31, 2015

Farewell Summer (Aug '15)

Saying our last farewells of the season and looking forward to a new rhythm.  We found many fun and new things to do.
How great is this?  Home Depot has free workshops for littles once a month!  Daddy had a morning date with the girls that they all loved!
Learning new skills is awesome, a great training ground to being independent ladies!
Such focus!
And silly faces!
With awesome painted chalkboards to show for it!
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At the end of the summer library party where apparently Zoe loves anyone dressed up in costume, regardless if she knows who they are or not?
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Mommy and Daddy did not know to wear a swimsuit....so thankful for Jen to support my girl as she enjoyed this water slide!  What a party.....Happy 4th birthday Max!

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My little Ez becomes more of a snuggle bug at night!  He loves his momma!
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So even though Loveland Coffee only got honorable mention in four categories...we were still thankful to get a couple of hours out to celebrate together.
We may be a bit old for such parting but did enjoy the photo opts and people watching.  Out of this world!
We had souvenirs from the night!
And a special Astronaut ice cream for the littles the next day!

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We enjoyed a last summer break play date!
Rene captured these pictures of sweet friends!
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Saturdays are for pancakes.  The best are bigger than your head!
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I think this guy has being a big kid down pat!
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So we didn't get much done on our 1st Summer Bucket list...but we did make this one.  Zoe had gone to Saluda splash pad with her school and enjoyed it!  We thought that the others would too!
They, also, loved the playground that was right next to it....probably even more and took turns playing there as well!
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 So thankful that Ez gets to have Poppy time on occasion....and that I don't have to take him to the dentist with the girls......that is enough of a challenge!!!
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How great are co-ops!  Danielle and I have continued to find time on occasion for them and it is awesome!  While the cousins get to spend a bit more time together, the mommas get some time of their own!
This morning I was beyond blessed to take some slow thoughtful (cooler) moments with the savior.  So sweet, refreshing and needed!
Apparently when it was my turn to watch them...I was a bit lacking in the photo department.  Little Ezra doesn't stand a chance with all these girls!
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Another hot Saturday and while the boys looked at the fancy cars, I watched the my girls and a friend on the playground.
Busy fun led to needing to rest to rehydrate!
Ezra is just getting so big....loves to join in with what the others are doing!
I think Savannah was a fan!
 When Ezra met Hayley he just couldn't stand it!  He wanted to constantly hug and kiss her that I had to continually pry him off, just so that her little self would be okay.  He is a lover that is for sure!
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Another swap night with my Zoe and she was excited to swap some flowers....although we are sad this swap host is moving!
A smaller swap, do to back to school activities...

Not bad for waiting till the last minute, though: beautiful flowers, two Rosemary butters, coffee jam, handmade ring, boiled peanuts, loaf of bread, flavored great smelling dough, pesto, pizza sauce, peach applesauce, black beans soup and peanut butter power bars!
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Back to school drama...more on that post here.  The second day Zoe insisted on pigtails, because she looks so cute and her teacher had yet to see them on her!
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This adjustment to new sleeping times due to school schedule sure is an adjustment.  Also a challenge, figuring out ways to squeeze a workout in! Since the golf course was closed we took a wild interval run on the sidewalk, which Shiloh loved and Ezra was screaming towards end.  Shiloh was kind enough to let me know that I was dripping all over him when I went to get him out! 
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Such a fun birthday at Little Gym!
Zoe lets me know how strong she is...yes my dear, you sure are!
Shiloh was not a fan of the picture taking that day.....so this blur was the best I could get!
Rene captured this lovely gaze!
Happy 5th birthday Sophia....here is to many amazing more!  A great end to the month!

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

A Kindergarden Do Oover

Do you ever want a do over?  Typically it takes me a long time to make a final decision.  I need to know all my options after all, don't want to make a mistake!  But once I make a decision I try not to look back....just keep on going, nothing you can probably do about it anyway.  So this was new behavior for me, pulling my kid out of school the first week and starting another one, creating more work, craziness for many....not my thing.  But this year it was right where we found ourself.
 I did school of choice this past year (way back in February) and debated with myself for months over the decision.  I came to a finally conclusion (several times), but yet the questions would just creep back up.  As time grew closer and closer, though, I had to chose....and Zoe was off to the school she had gone the previous year (not my first choice).  However, the advantages of her going there seemed to just dwindle down to her small class size and her ability to ride the special needs bus in the afternoon (due to her weight), thus not disturbing the other littles' nap times (sleep is a big deal in our house!).  I just felt that we didn't have much of a choice without making the rest of the families lives a lot more difficult.
On the first day of school Zoe was sooo excited (can you tell)! We got there nice and early (really who am I?); I think because of my nerves about getting three littles up and ready to go on my own again.  I walked my elated daughter to class and we waited in the hall for the bell to ring.  Shiloh joined right along with those waiting and got in line with them.
However, when it was time to go in the class, her teacher instructed Zoe to give me a hug and say goodbye....goodbye?  Don't I get to see her classroom, where her little cubby will be and take another cute picture of this moment that will never be repeated.....ok, goodbye my love!  Knowing that she was perfectly fine with this, I took my two other littles and somewhat shocked self back to my van.  It will be okay.  It will be okay.  Something in me wanted more than okay though!
Later on that day scrolling through facebook and seeing all the other first day of school pictures made me smile.  Then I got some more info...one of our friends at church noted that they had seen Zoe's name in her daughter's class....she was assigned a teacher at my school of choice?  And the teacher looked so friendly (I could tell this as the parents were ALLOWED in the room and the child wanted to take a picture with them). Then another friend with the same teacher, and another.....wait what?  This was something I wanted, community with Zoe's classmates....and here it was already started....but she was at the wrong school.  Well....let's just see how her first day went...

Once getting in the car, I pried for all the details I could to gage Zoe's experience and what I should do.  I found a note in her bookbag from having to go to the nurse for getting hit on the head by another student.  I had known that there were some children in her class with behavior issues...but the first day...this is not a good start.  She didn't even hug her new teacher that day...very unZoelike. After talking things over with Beach (AGAIN) I mentioned about going to the other school to Zoe. She perked up and could not be more excited!

So we decided to give it a go.  God would figure out how in the world my other kids would get their needed sleep and we would see if she could even get back into our school of choice.  When I called the register's office at the new school I was shocked to hear the voice of someone I had known for years.  She wasn't sure about getting her in...but she would talk to the principal.  Ok, well that was a good fleece then, if she didn't get in we would know that it just wasn't meant to be.

The next morning came and after sending Zoe to school with instructions not to talk about this delicate matter with her teacher, I waited awhile before attempting to call back (I hate being that annoying person that can't seem to wait) and found out that they had to hear back from the district office.  Another phone call later gave us the go ahead and another later told us that she could start on Monday...and she was reassigned to the teacher that she had been originally placed with!  Well alright Jesus....it's finally clear....and this momma's heart is at peace!
Monday came and off we went to a new school, a new teacher and hearts that couldn't be more excited!
Perhaps I needed all of this to know, KNOW, that this was were we were supposed to be (at least this year)!  How blessed we are!  Thank you Lord and all those that helped!  We are finally settled!