School Day Craziness

Now that school and soccer have started, my weeks are flying by, even as the laundry and dishes pile up! 

During the first week of school, we were able to see Emily along with her kids. Meredith and Anna Christine were able to enjoy a couple of prolonged play dates which were so much fun. Meredith talked about them  for days!

Overall, we have really had a great start, despite the busyness, and every one seems to be settling into the routine. My bedtime has progressively gotten earlier as the weeks have passed. Will is loving 2nd grade at ECS. He tells me all about recess or P.E., but doesn't remember the other lessons as well -- go figure!! Maggie and Meredith are at home with me, which has produced a much different dynamic for us. Ballet started up this week, and Maggie is also learning to knit from a dear, sweet lady in our church.  I'm including a couple of photos of "reality" just for a good laugh.

This is a mild version of what the kitchen can look like during the week.

The bane of my existence -- IRONING!!




Meredith and Anna Christine loved having a tea party and dressing like 
princesses.

Great fun trying to get all 6 children smiling and looking at the camera.

Anna Christine cracked a smile on take 7, but we lost the attention of all the boys.

Below are some shots of our "Roman Feast." We had a really fun memorable night on Labor Day dressing up in stolas and togas and eating grapes, olives. homemade focaccia bread with olive oil, lentils, grilled beef, cucumbers in yogurt, and an apple tart for dessert.

First day of soccer!! Maggie's team won with her scoring 3 of the 6 goals (her coach had told the girls ahead of time that if anyone scored 3 goals he would buy her a milkshake. He didn't realize how motivating that was for Maggie!!)

Will's team lost pretty badly, but the opposing team was exceptionally good! Our team never gave up and scored our only goal late in the 2nd half. Will made some great plays defensively, offensively and as keeper. Lots of fun getting back into the season.

This was Will as keeper. He did his best to stop this last goal, but he didn't quite get there.  He did make some other great stops though. (At this point I was taking pictures with Meredith asleep in my lap. She has been sick with a tough virus this week and was having a hard morning!)

Let the Fun Begin

     Okay, so this week, I have felt like I've been on a roller coaster ride, and my brain is trying to catch up and process everything. Between trying to start the girls with the school year, going to ECS back-to-school parties, finding last minute supplies, getting a menu schedule up and running, grocery shopping to make sure I've got food for the menu, keeping up with laundry, and just being a mother to our 3 children, I'm ready for a vacation!! By last night, my brain was like those super slow computers that take forever to open a page! I was getting all the supplies in the backpacks since Maggie and Meredith also had their first day of Mother's Day Out today -- making sure everything was labeled,  getting Maggie's assignments prepared, checking the lists again -- when I just started wondering how I am going to do this!! With Maggie in 4th grade this year, I can't just get a book off the shelf in the morning and work a few pages with her. I really have to prepare! I have a whole new respect for women who homeschool multiple grade children. And I am so thankful that Will can go to ECS because it is so hard to juggle a 4th grader, 2nd grader, and pre-k/kindergartner who's learning to read, when the 2nd grader especially is highly active and easily distracted! My prayer this morning as I sat with my coffee and Bible is that the Lord would give me His strength and keep me in this humble state of mind when I am so tired and feeling so inadequate that I truly cannot rely on myself. "When I am weak, then He is strong," will, Lord willing, lay on my heart each day.
     Part of me is sad to send Will off to school. Most parents have this transition first with their oldest child, and most of them in kindergarten. It is very surreal sending him to school when I've had him with us for 8 years now. I am thankful that I will miss him -- and hopefully he will miss me! And I am still so grateful to the Lord for allowing me to teach him for his first few years of school and to continue to teach the girls.
     Here are a few pictures from our drop-off today. A couple are blurred and I think my camera is acting up again which is another whole frustration.

Will with the Ridgelake principal, Cathy Short

At his desk

With Maggie and Meredith -- I had to show this one as Will looked away at something else going on in the room

All Smiles!

Ms. Landy, Will's teacher

Celebrating the beginning of school at Yogurt Mountain!!

Staying Cool, St. Louis, and Saying Goodbye

    Well, our summer break is almost over. We have just a couple of weeks before we will start school -- homeschool for the girls and 2nd grade at ECS for Will. It seems the years and the breaks go by faster, and the summers get hotter with every passing year! We are trying to stay cool swimming or doing other fun indoor activities, which isn't always easy.

Ryan and I got to get-away at Andover Plantation in Olive Branch to celebrate 13 years of marriage.

Outside the plantation home

Maggie and Will with the Ferguson boys after the play "Willy Wonka."

Playground at the Redbirds Game

Maggie's cabin at Camp Good News and one of her counselors. This was Maggie's first camp experience and she loved it and can't wait for next year. Neither can Will.

Saying goodbye to Abby Mutrux.

Will's sign for Maggie to welcome her home.

Meredith and her picture and sign for Maggie.

Happy to have big sister home!

Meredith's play date with Amelia Greenslade.

Maggie's and Reagan's outing at Paint a Piece.

Dixon Gallery kids' day for 4th of July. Reagan and Connor Lutz spent the weekend with us before they moved, and we had lots of fun having them with us.

Making a print of the American Flag

The finished flags -- and notice Connor and Will match, on purpose!

In costume for their play

Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A with all the Lutzes

Porters, Lutzes, and the ever-creative Oakley Weddle

Meeting Nana in Batesville to get some yummy sweet corn and eat lunch.

     A couple of weeks ago, we went as a family to St. Louis just for a short vacation, and we had such a great time. Thankfully, the Lord allowed a cool front to come through the night before we got there, so  even though it was still rather hot, it was tolerable. We went to the science museum, the children's museum, zoo, Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Grant's Farm, City Garden, farmer's market, and picnicked at the Arch which was just a short walk from our hotel. We also got to have supper with a friend from my high school years and both of our college years -- Joel Hathaway and his family. I think the kids enjoyed that a lot because they all had someone to play with. Shannon and I visited while their 3 older boys and Maggie and Will played baseball with the dads, and Meredith played with their 2 year old daughter Mary. Another highlight was eating at Dewey's Pizza. Not only was it GREAT pizza, but they had a window so the kids could watch them throwing the dough and making the pizzas.

Play ground at the Missouri welcome center

St. Louis Science Museum

Dewey's Pizza

Children's Museum

Maggie at the top of Jack's Beanstalk

Super Fun Slide

Heading into the Zoo

The Brewery

The Huge Clydesdales!

Up close and personal with the Clydesdales at Grant's Farm

Heading into feed the goats -- notice Meredith's face. We didn't realize that we would be "attacked" by the goats, and Meredith wanted nothing to do with them!

Will gave sips to as many goats as he could.

Maggie LOVED the goats!

City Garden

Getting soaked and cooled off

Meredith practiced her swimming which was great.

Headed to our picnic at the Arch

Will strikes a pose.

My attempt at a "cool" picture

    Our low point for the summer came right before we left for St. Louis when we had to say good-bye to our best friends, the Lutzes. They moved to Memphis 4 years ago when Ryan Lutz took a job at ECS, and we hit it off right away. We will miss them so much here in Memphis, but we are already planning a visit soon. The kids are saving all their money for Six Flags! We are all thankful for the technology of cell phones, email and skype when close friends move away!

Will's goodbye letter to Connor -- I had to take a picture because it was so sweet! The money was included in the letter.

     Will turned 8 on July 21 which, of course, is hard for Mama and Daddy to believe. We had a fun celebration with a few friends at the bowling alley the day before. On his birthday, I made blueberry pancakes for his breakfast, fish sticks for lunch, then grilled chicken, mac n cheese, broccoli, and French bread for supper -- all at his request.

He wanted a Hot Wheels cake, so here it is.

Trying to get those candles lit!

Licking the candles -- Yum!

Noah Newhouse and Will

Aaron Brink and Will

Bonner Brownlee and Will

Griffin Garrison and Will

Having fun opening presents

Will and his blueberry pancake -- decorated and served on the Special Plate.

A German Shepherd Webkinz ("Amos"), and a new watch

Gifts from Nana and Papa -- outdoor tools, a new backpack for school, and a new Blaze book

     Before school started, we took a trip down to Mississippi to visit Nana and Papa in Tchula. We had such a great visit with everyone. Meredith even took to swimming at Jan Jan's pool, which we were SO excited about. Will and Maggie had the best time just running around outside with the dogs and going to see Coco the horse. As always, it was sad to leave!

Meredith loves getting her picture taken!

Maggie and Will are always thrilled to give Coco some apples.