monarch day

A couple of weeks ago our local metropark had Monarch Day.  We've gone before and Rachel has really enjoyed it, so we tried it out again.

long time, no blog

I've been a little busy.  That, and I can't seem to get pictures onto my laptop or ipad anymore, which means I have to go up to the desktop if I want to do anything picture-related.  So I have pictures to put on the blog, but they're upstairs on the other computer, and I'm never up there to do anything with them.  One of these days I'll get around to it and you'll have pictures to look at.

I started teaching this week.  The day was completely exhausting and I found myself wondering how in the world moms who also have a full time job do it.  My head was spinning for days with details.....getting Rachel's school picture money into her backpack on picture day.  Getting the snack ready for Rebecca's preschool class.  Figuring out what Rachel would wear for picture day (snack day and picture day also happened to be my first day, just to add insult to injury).  Then doing all of my planning, getting everything ready (since we don't have a physical school I have to take everything and bring everything home....even a stapler, tape, paper clips, scissors, paper....anything I might need during class, I have to take with me).  The day flew by, and I didn't accomplish a fraction of what I had planned.  I guess I'm out of practice, planning, because I completely underestimated how long things would take.  But so did the other teacher, so I didn't feel quite so bad.  It'll be a lot of trial and error for awhile.

But things went fine, and I enjoyed it, even though it completely wiped me out.  I'm so glad it's only one day a week for now!  

Rebecca has been doing physical therapy for about a month (because of her severe in-toeing).  She calls it "physical bearapy" and she really likes it.  The physical therapist makes everything into a game, so it's just one big play session for Rebecca, but she's usually pretty tired by the time she's done.  They've been working on strengthening her hips and core, helping her jump and balance (she's got a delay in those areas because her muscles are weak), and going up and down stairs the right way, with alternating feet.  She's getting better.

Rachel's just being Rachel.  She enjoys school, has a lot of homework (45 minutes a night in second grade??  I didn't even have any homework until third grade!), and fits in playing make believe with her sister when she has time.  But she's become a great reader.  Once in awhile she asks me what a word is, but for the most part she can figure it all out for herself and enjoys it.  Math is another story.....  It's not her strong suit.  She loves science, music, and art, especially.

And that's the news from our world.  I'll try and post the pictures soon.

official first day

Last week's "first day of school" for Rebecca was an orientation and Daddy stayed with her.  Today was the first day that she got dropped off at school. 

She was so excited for her Hello Kitty backpack and outfit. 

I don't think I've talked about her current love of Hello Kitty.  It all started on her birthday when her cousins gave her a Hello Kitty book.  Then over the summer Allecia daughter's, Marin, had on a Hello Kitty shirt, and she loved it and kept talking about it.  Then Grandma got her her own Hello Kitty shirt (this one), and now every time she sees Hello Kitty, she goes berserk.  She even has Hello Kitty shoes on, though they're kind of hard to see in the picture.

Waiting outside with her friend, Luke. 

Luke's mom (my friend, Emily), will be taking Rebecca and picking her up from now on, since Tuesday is the day that I work, and also the day Rebecca goes to school.  I'm happy that she has a friend in her class.

She went in the room without any hesitation, sat down, and started doing a puzzle.  I told her goodbye and she barely said goodbye back, completely engrossed in her puzzle, and excited to be at school.  She was ready!

When I picked her up she told me they had popcorn for a snack, went to see the puppets, which was about Abraham, and went outside to check the weather.  I asked a few more questions but didn't find out much else about what they did for two hours, but she assured me that she had lots of fun.  They did make a tree craft, which she brought home, and it had family members names on it, so they must've talked about their families. 

I'm happy that she enjoyed it and hopefully she'll be just as thrilled to go next time!

ingenious

This morning after we took Rachel to the bus stop, Rebecca was playing with blocks while I ate my breakfast.  She made this "thing," for lack of a better word.  

I asked her what it was and she decided it was for scanning her tickets (her play money that happened to be sitting there on the table, too).  She started sticking the "tickets" through the hole, saying, "ssssssssscaaaaaaaaaan!"  

After a few scans she said, "I'm ingenious!"  I laughed and asked her where she had heard that word.  She said, "the professor on Mickey Mouse is ingenious."  

See, letting her watch TV has its benefits....what a vocabulary!

Love that ingenious girl!

big day!

It was a really big day around here....

And it was Mommy's first day at her new school, too.

All went fine.  We both had orientation today, so we'll know more in a few weeks (I don't actually start teaching until the 17th, so I DO get to take Rebecca to preschool next week and meet her teachers and so forth--Daddy took her today for her orientation). 

I have six students.  A class of four girls (2nd and 3rd graders) and a class of two boys (a fourth grader and a fifth grader).  They seem really sweet. 

The good part about it being such a big, crazy day was that I didn't have time to stop and think about the fact that my youngest is starting preschool!  So there were no tears or anything this time around, unlike when Rachel started.  I was too busy worrying about my own day to be sentimental.  With me, that's a good thing. 

mountain climber

Last week my husband was gone, attempting to climb Mt Rainier.  (I took this picture from his Facebook page....) The weather didn't cooperate, so he didn't make it quite all the way, and no one from the company he climbed with has made it to the top in the week since he attempted.  The weather has been that bad!  He's disappointed that he didn't make it, but knows it was out of his control.  But I'm very proud of him for all of the hard work that went into training for this adventure.  

But mostly I'm glad he's back home safely!

mail

I was gone for a couple of hours this afternoon and came home to this on the table.

I opened it up to find this

It took me a little while to figure out what it says.  It says:

I love you a lot.  As much as shapes.  2D or 3D.  Your daughter, Rachel.

Wow, she loves me as much as she loves 2D or 3D shapes!  :)

Then she made me a dollar....I especially like the pyramid she drew, with an eye in the middle, just like is on the back of a real dollar.  

Love that crazy girl.....

getting my feet wet

About a month ago I started looking on Craigslist pretty regularly for a job...some sort of teaching or tutoring.  I didn't want to teach full time, though, since Rebecca is still at home, so I knew I probably wouldn't find what I was looking for.  Part time teaching jobs are not very prevalent.  But a few weeks ago I found something that looked pretty ideal, and I applied.  They called me for an interview.  Then I got a second interview.  And Friday I found out that I got the job.

So starting September 3rd I'll be teaching one day a week.  Sounds perfect for this season of life....not a lot at all, but enough to get my feet wet and get my foot back in the teaching world.  It's homeschooled students, grades 2-5 (the plan is to have grades 1-6, but right now there aren't any first or sixth graders).  They come to "school" for a few subjects and are homeschooled in everything else. Second semester it will likely be two days a week.  They just don't have the location available for two days right now, so we'll see.  

Rebecca will be going to preschool the same day that I'm teaching.  It sounded perfect at first....she wouldn't miss out on much time with me because she'd be at preschool.  And it probably still is perfect, but it's just hitting me that I won't get to take her to her first day of preschool.  I won't get to meet her teacher, or talk to her at pick up to find out how she's doing.  I won't get to ever be involved in the classroom or other activities.  I guess working moms have had to deal with these things for years, but it's hard for me to swallow, since I've never been a working mom, have been home for so long and have been able to do all these things with her sister.  I also had been hoping to volunteer at Rachel's school while Rebecca was at preschool, since I can't right now, with Rebecca at home full time.  But I won't be able to do that either, since I'll be working that day.  It all makes me really sad.

But, in the long run, it all really is ideal.  Nothing will change much except for being gone on Tuesdays and having school work to do at home.  I'll still be a mostly stay at home mom.  Still there when Rachel gets on and off the bus.  It should work out great.  

And hopefully I'll enjoy it.  I AM excited about it, even though I'm sad about parts of it.  (And if I don't like it, well, then, in May I'll be done.  But hopefully I'll like it.)

clowns

Oh, these crazy clowns of mine....

bike rider

Rebecca loves to ride her bike!

first day jitters

We met her teacher yesterday, but she's nervous about having a new teacher and new kids in her class.  She's a little more excited than she was last night, though (at 8:00 AM she wanted to go to the bus stop, even though her bus doesn't come until 8:39!).  Hoping it'll be a great day and a great year!  Second grade, here she comes!

We modified what she was going to wear the first day because it's COLD this morning.  She was going to wear a cute little skirt outfit, but her legs would've been freezing.  She chose this new outfit from Grandma instead.

She wanted to show off her new backpack.  She's SO excited about it!

Rebecca wanted her picture taken, too.  Right before I took the picture she scooted over to be close to Rachel, put her arm around her, and posed with her arm up like this....

When we went back inside, she wanted me to take it again, so she did this pose.  Little stinker...

summer's last hurrah

Tomorrow is the first day of school.  I promised Rachel we'd go to the science museum this summer, so today was my last chance to keep my promise (I know, we should've gone weeks ago, but I kept putting it off).  So we spent the morning there.  The beauty of a membership is that we  can go for just a couple of hrs and not see everything because we can go back another time.  

The girls had fun, and it was a great morning.

Hard to believe that tomorrow morning I'll have a second grader!

Enjoy the pictures!

dear friends

Last week we made our now annual trip to visit my dearest friend, Allecia, and her two kiddos.  We meet at a park each summer that is about half way between us (when Rachel and her son Kaden were two, they moved to Indiana, so we've been meeting every summer since then at this park).  It was a great morning, though much, much too short with my dear friend.  The kids got along great and had lots of fun.

Playing on the splash pad

Hanging out

Deep conversation between Kaden and Rebecca....

Ice cream!

growing up

I found out the hard way this weekend that it was time that Rebecca graduated from her crib.  She went in bed for her nap on Friday during the garage sale, and we were outside manning the sale for an hour or so.  My mom went in to check the monitor and saw the lights going up, which meant she was making noise (our monitor is on it's last leg and doesn't make sound any more, so we rely on the lights to tell us when she's awake!).  She came out to tell me, so I went in to see what was wrong (it really was too early for her to be awake).  She was crying and crying, saying she had to go potty.  But she had already gone in her pants....  Who knows how long the poor girl had been standing there, first calling for me, then crying because she was all wet.  I felt awful that we hadn't heard her.  

So I got her out, washed her up, changed her clothes and the sheets, took her "Pinky" down to get washed (this is what she started calling her special pink blanket a couple of weeks ago....her Pinky), and calmed her down.  Poor little thing.  

So, needless to say, it was time to let her get out of bed to go potty when necessary.  We hadn't done it earlier because she slept so well in the crib and I didn't want to mess with a good thing.  And she doesn't normally wake up and have to go.  But it was time.

So here's my girl in her "new" bed (really just the same bed with the front taken off to make it a toddler bed).  Sniff, sniff!  She's not a baby anymore.

Don't you love all of her finery?  She put that on this morning.  Rachel is rubbing off on her and she's playing dress up a little more these days.  She said she put it on "so I could be PWETTY!"

So there's my PWETTY girl.  Growing up way too fast.

recovery

I'm recovering from the garage sale.  I don't know how many hours I spent getting ready for this.  I made over $300, which is more than I thought I'd make, but if I divided that by how many hours I spent, it would be depressing!  So I'm glad I don't know how many hours I spent!   

Rachel had her lemonade and cookie stand, which she was excited about, but her excitement fizzled quickly, and she spent the majority of the last two days playing with the neighbors, instead of manning her stand.  We had to keep calling her back for her customers!  But she made $34, so she was excited.

It was pretty slow yesterday morning, which was frustrating, because Friday morning is usually the busiest times.   And this morning it rained for the first couple of hours, which really cut down on our customers, and I had a pretty dismal outlook about the rest of the day, but then I had one woman come looking for the exact size clothes I was selling and she bought a ton of stuff, so that brightened my day.  Then the rain stopped and we were able to move everything back outside, and the rest of the day was pretty steady business, so it all worked out.  Rebecca loved being outside all day, interacting with everyone, and helping Rachel now and then with her lemonade stand.

My mom came down to help me out during the sale, and she also took the girls and me to the state fair one evening.  We took Rachel when she was about two, but that was the last time I had gone.  The girls had a great time.