Back to School 2013-2014

Another school year has begun!  I can't believe it.  Summer just flew by this year.

We now have a Kindergartner, Second Grader, Fifth Grader, Seventh Grader and Eighth Grader.

This school year Liam starts All day Kindergarten.  Thursday was his first day of school.  The day before I felt my emotions on the surface the entire day.  We went to play at open gym and he and I were running around laughing, playing with the balls, bouncing, kicking, just having a great time.  All of a sudden I realized this would be our last noon time open gym together and I got misty eyes.  I wanted to just hold on to that moment forever.  I always have a hard time when my babies go to school for the first time.  Liam is my little buddy, we have a special connection so it was especially hard letting him go for 8 hours a day.  To be honest I'm still questioning my decision to let him go all day....or to let him go at all!!

Official first day pictures:

Aidan had a particularly hard time with Liam leaving. Liam and Aidan are very close to each other.  Liam says they are "Best Brothers."  Aidan loves Liam so much and wants to do everything like him.  Aidan can say his "L's" perfectly but he calls his brother "Me-am" because Liam is merely an extension of Aidan.  Of course, they had to get a picture together and then Aidan spent the rest of the day asking if could go to school now.  He cried for at least an hour straight by mid-morning and when I had to explain to him for the 125th time that he couldn't go he was hard to console.

And with his teacher, Mrs. Maggard.  This was actually taken Tuesday night at Sneak Peek, where he got to meet the teacher and drop off his supplies.

Julianna is a 2nd grader this school year and Elise is a 5th grader.  Back in the Spring we made the decision that the girls would be homeschooled this year.  It is a huge leap of faith for me because I feel really inadequate.  I've researched and researched and poured my heart and soul into studying curriculum. I have really tried to find out what will be best with their learning styles. I am excited to spend the one on one time getting to truly know them.  I've really felt led to homeschooling and I'm trusting in The Lord.  It's hard to explain and wholly personal but I know that ultimately I'm doing the right thing for my little girls and they are so excited for the new experiences we are going to have at the Bowles Academy this year.  

Elise, 5th Grade

Julianna, 2nd Grade

They wanted a picture with their teacher....silly girls....

Lastly, my two big middle schoolers.  Ashlynne is in 8th grade this year.  Cheerleading, singing in the choir and also singing in the Kansas City youth choir Allegro.  I can't believe she is in her last year of middle school!  Next year we add seminary and high school to the mix!  Somebody press pause!!!

Brinton is in 7th grade and already I can tell he is much more mature this year than last. We went to the school to get his stuff in his locker and he kind of walked the halls like he owned the place, like he belonged.  There was a new confidence in him that I'd never really seen before.  He opened his locker on the first try, which was something that was really difficult at the beginning of last year.  He is playing cello in the orchestra again this year and also takes private cello lessons.  He is thinking he might try Cross Country this year. We are only a few days in but so far so good....fingers crossed.

Our family theme this school year is "O be wise..." {Jacob 6:5} with the reminder to be wise in all that we do.  Be wise in our choices, be wise in our daily dealings, be wise in our studies...so here is to te new school year.  Be Wise.

Happy Birthday to you and you and you....

September is a busy, busy month in our house. Starting with my birthday on September 15th the festivities continue with Aidan's birthday on the 26th, then Jeremiah's birthday on the 27th, and Julianna's birthday on the 29th. All we need is a Bday on the 28th and we'd have 4 in a row!!

For Jeremiah's birthday we went to this amazing Brazilian restaurant called Fogo De Chao. It's a really ritzy all you can eat dining experience where they bring the meat right to your table and you can have as much of it as you want. I ate a lot of Lamb. Like A LOT of it. My tummy hated me for days after but it was so incredible.

Aidan's 2nd birthday was pretty low key. He got a whole bunch of new Lego blocks, some new clothes, 2 year photos and a cupcake just for him.

For Julianna's 7th birthday she had her very first "friends from school" birthday party. She invited all the girls in her class, a few girls from the other class, and a couple neighbor and family friends. In total we had 18 girls there, plus my kiddos and Ashlynne's friend who helped us out with the party. It was a No Zzzz's Pajama Party theme with pizza, cake (which I made), make-up, nails being painted, and princess hairstyles.

We set up three stations and split the girls into 3 groups and they rotated through the stations. I was at the hair station styling everyone's hair, Ashlynne was at the make up station taking care of the make overs, and Ashlynne's friend was at the nail station painting everyone's a nails. I was so busy with the hairstyling that I didn't have a chance to take an pictures of all the fun. We had an absolute blast but I was so excited to send the girls home at the end of the night. They had A LOT of energy. I'm seriously so over birthdays and birthday parties! Good thing we don't have another one until November.

Happy 2nd Birthday Aidan and Happy 36th Birthday Jeremiah and Happy 7th Birthday Julianna. I hope all your wishes come true!

First Lost Tooth....

Julianna has had a super wiggly tooth for over 2 weeks now. Yesterday when she returned home from her first full day of school she was bound and determined to finally pull it out. She wiggled and wiggled and wiggled until it was loose enough that she could almost just yank it out but it didn't work.

So she got an apple....

And that must've loosened it up a bit because the next thing I know she turns around, gives it a tug and Bam! Her tooth was out!!

I love her new little grin and it's about time since she is nearly 7! Her mouth is just holding on to those baby teeth.

School Days, School Days....

It's that time of year again...yay!! This year I'll have a preschooler (Liam), 1st grader (Julianna), 4th grader (Elise), 6th grader (Brinton), and 7th grader (Ashlynne) and of course the babies at home. It seems so odd to me that I have 2 middle schoolers this year. I hardly feel like an adult most days so it really does just mess with my head sometimes.

This week has been jam packed with Back to School activities starting with a 6th Grade Welcome Night on Monday where the 6th graders got to go to the middle school and go to a pep rally, ice cream social and take some time to find classes and try opening lockers. Aidan tore Brinton's schedule and combo to shreds so we had to come back the next day and practice.  It was kind of nice to go when it was quiet though because it was less  chaotic. I'm so proud of Brinton because he was able to open it 9 times out of 10!

 It was also a special night for Ashlynne because it was the first pep rally she got to perform in as a 7th grade cheerleader. They got to lead the fight song and the crowd involvement cheers...I was so proud!(there is a little video of her doing the fight song on Facebook if you are facebook friends with me)

Elise and Julianna are my only two left at the elementary school this year. Elise has always had an older sibling with her in school and now it's her turn to be the biggest sister in the school. She was so protective over Nanna so I think she is settling into the role nicely. Tuesday night they had their Sneak Peek Ice Cream Social where they got to meet their teachers, check out their classrooms, drop off their supplies and of course eat ice cream. Elise was so excited that she woke up and got dressed at 6am but it didn't even begin until 5PM!!! Every so often she would let me know how much longer till we needed to be there and complaining about how slow the day was going. I was totally over the whole thing before I even got there but I'm glad she is so eager to learn.

Julianna and her first grade teacher at the Sneak Peek on Tuesday

Elise and her 4th grade teacher at the Sneak Peek

ICE CREAM!

 

Today, the 15th, was the actual 1st day of school for elementary and the 6th graders at the middle school. They like to give the 6th graders one day without all the 7th and 8th graders to get used to the school and relax. I don't think they even went to any classes today just got to know every one and had an assembly and lunch.

Here are their first day of school pics for the day....

More later because tomorrow it's Ashlynne's first day!!!

100th Day of School Collection

Cute Little Button given to all the Kindy kids on the 100th Day

On the 100th day of school the Kindergartners were asked to bring in 100th day collections made up of 100 items. Julianna and I brainstormed what could she bring in??

We decided to make a list of 100 things she could bring for the 100th day. I was playing up the whole 100 thing. I never realized it'd be so hard to come up with 100 things but thank goodness for a smart, funny, creative 6 years old because she came up with the majority of this list!

1. 100 buttons
2. 100 pennies
3. 100 Popsicle sticks
4. 100 pieces of candy
5. 100 beans
6. 100 Cheerios (or any other type or cereal)
7. 100 UNO cards
8. 100 gift bows (since Christmas just passed and we still had a ton)
9. 100 toothpicks
10. 100 q-tips
11. 100 post it notes
12. 100 balloons
13. 100 cheez balls
14. 100 puzzle pieces
15. 100 crayons
16. 100 little plastic dinosaurs or bugs (they had a huge bag at the $1 store but she is so girly she couldn't get into this idea)
18. 100 bobby pins
19. 100 hair bows
20. 100 paper cups
21. 100 marshmallows
22. 100 pencils
23. 100 stickers
24. 100 craisins
25. 100 bouncy balls
26. 100 jelly beans
27. 100 pebbles
28. 100 marbles
29. 100 squares of toilet paper (she started getting a little silly right here)
30. 100 bars of soap ?? (I guess since wee were on the topic of bathrooms)
31. 100 thumb prints
32. 100 googly eyes (they had a bag at the $1 store)
33. 100 warm fuzzies (you know this little Pom Pom fuzz ball things you can craft with? Also at the $1 store)
34. 100 straws
35. 100 beads
36. 100 pop tabs (you could donate them to Ronald McDonald House when you're done)
37. 100 Noodles (wagon wheels, macaroni, those little shells...)
38. 100 lollipops
39. 100 Legos (her brother said no...he didn't want to share)
40. 100 pieces of fabric (fat quarters maybe)
41. 100 conversation hearts (it is February after all)
42. 100 Pretzels (Food seems to be a good go to)
43. 100 Shapes. Triangles, Stars, Hearts, Circles (cut out on the Cricut)
44. 100 Rubber Bands
45. 100 Letters (Random alphabet letters...)
46. 100 words (make a list)
47. 100 Paper Clips
48. 100 Sea Shells (we found a bag at...you guessed it...the $1 store)
49. 100 Erasers
50. 100 Squinkies (We don't own 100 squinkies and I think this may have been a ploy to get me to buy more)
51. 100 Poker Chips ($1 Store!!!)
52. 100 Markers
53. 100 Birthday Candles (Would they let you take these to school??)
54. 100 Matchbox cars (Again too boyish for my girly girl)
55. 100 Silk Flowers (That's more like it....)
56. 100 Clothespins
57. 100 handprints
58. 100 Paint Swatches (I think she was talking about those sample paint chip thingys)
59. 100 pieces of ribbon
60. 100 Photos of yourself
61. 100 playing cards
62. 100 m&ms
63. 100 socks (If we could find 10 socks in our house that would be AMAZING!)
64. 100 magnets
65. 100 sheets of piano music
66. 100 Box Tops (I think you'd have to start saving these for awhile beforehand but then they could go right to the school when done!)
67. 100 Coupons (This one made me laugh when she said it because I am NOT a couponer)
68. 100 Handrawn Smiley Faces
69. 100 Lipstick Kisses on a posterboard (That kid loves lipstick!)
70. 100 Pipe Cleaners
71. 100 Valentine's Cards (the cheap-y ones)
72. 100 Pieces of paper
73. 100 Potato chips (these might break...but maybe if you did like a can of pringles?? IDK)
74. 100 Pieces of Gum
75. 100 Fruit Snacks
76. 100 Blocks
77. 100 Pieces of Yarn
78. 100 Invitations
79. 100 Binder Clips
80. 100 Pieces of colorful Duct tape
81. 100 Stamps (Like Stampin Up Stamps not Postage Stamps)
82. 100 hair clips
83. 100 napkins
84. 100 pieces of shiny confetti
85. 100 envelopes
86. 100 Dog Bones ( like the ones they eat...which is funny because we don't have a dog)
87. 100 Band Aids
88. 100 Bottle Caps (I don't know where you'd find these....I'd resort to the candy)
89. 100 Hand drawn Rain Drops (we're getting desperate here....)
90. 100 Shoe Laces (that could get costly...yikes)
91. 100 Flossers (You know those plastic thingys with the floss on them)
92. 100 Herbal Tea Bags
93. 100 Golf ball holder thingys (tees??)
94. 100 Index Cards (They sell them in neon colors)
95. 100 Plastic Spoons
96. 100 Paper Chain links (Make a paper chain)
97. 100 Cotton Balls
98. 100 Variety Mix (10 Groupings of 10 things ie. 10 Buttons, 10 Beans, 10 paper clips...etc.)
99. 100 Rhinestones (Bling Bling Bling-ety Bling...wouldn't this be cute on a poster board in the shape of the number 100...I tried and tried to convince her that this was the greatest idea EVER. It didn't work.)

and....drum roll please....

100. 100 Fingers....yes 100 Fingers.

Julianna wanted to have her hand traced 100 times but I thought that was just too much so we compromised with 100 FINGERS. Just 10 Pairs of hands traced and then mounted on poster board.


She cut out all but one pair of the hands out by herself and used a glue stick to put them all down on the poster board. It took her about 100 hours to cut those hands out but I wanted her to really take part in the whole project. After she was done gluing she wrote the title at the top. This was the hardest part for me to let go of because I'm a perfectionist but I really knew that it would mean more to her if she did the project than if I did the project. I think it came out beautifully and I'm proud of my little girl for all the hard work that she put into this project. Yay for 100 days of school!!!!