It's happening..

Life is happening...faster than I can keep up with most days and certainly faster than I can blog about.  We are blazing right into busier times and while some days I think whew this is a lot, most I enjoy the busy-ness.   I enjoy most of the day at home with Nolan we have a good little routine and with our occasional errands or trips to the school we stay close to home.  So my days are busy and slow...house hold "chores" and hanging out with my little bear.   Afternoons tend to get a little chaotic and by 8pm I stop and think well ok then...another day down.  It's 9 now and like most nights I am in bed scrolling thru "my websites" I frequent and enjoying my quiet down time.  I am an odd bird and rarely turn on the TV.   During the day Nolan and I listen to Pandora a lot...my current favorite stations are the "Of Monsters and Men" station and the "Lana Del Rey" station.   

Nolan is all about "Bubble Guppies" and asks to watch "Guppies" a lot during the day....last week he called them "Gubba Gees" and now he has mastered "Guppies".   He is talking so very much lately.  Many words he couldn't say he is mastering...Phone used to be "feefee" and now it's "phone".  Fortunately he is still calling Gavin "Guy-Guy" and Jakeb is still "Sobe'", Zachary has now progressed from "Zassy" to "Zachy".   

The boys are all doing fabulous with school.   I am so very proud of all of them.  They really are great little and not so little boys.   I would love to toot our own horns but most of it is just them...sure we parent how we parent but their personalities certainly shine thru and I love watching them grow and blossom into the people they are.  Jakeb is doing so well with middle school so far and I am so thrilled with him and for him.  Homework is catching up with him a little and right now he's rocking a cold but he is doing so well keeping up with his assignments and folders.  I am sure the novelty will wear off soon enough but he is just doing great.

Zachary our "wild man" is so studious it is some times surprising.  He has a wonderful work ethic and he too tries very hard to do well and keep up with his work and assignments.  He is in 4th grade now and I am still having to remind myself that he's no longer in 3rd and the fact that he is closer to 10 than 9 is amazing.   He is thoughtful and considerate.  This past week he brought home a little note a classmate had written about him stating "Zachary talked to me and played a game with me".  I love that his teacher does this.   

Gavin, our silly goose lately.  He's our little math whiz.  He is now in 2nd and again I keeping calling him my 1st grader... and then saying wait no 2nd.  I swear this last year went by at lightening speed.  We all keep having to remind ourselves that he is now 7 and not 6.  He is so darn sweet and thoughtful....he loves to be helpful.  He also isn't is a fan of school and rebels that nearly every single morning.  He is trying to be better and I know he will get there.  He struggled with homework the very first night and now rocks it out without much complaint.  Tonight I felt his frustration growing but he was able to keep that in check and stayed calm and that is awesome.   He is learning to love to read too and that is fantastic!

A brief update on the kiddo's....or a brief brag fest eh?   Two days ago I wouldn't have said all of this...I would have griped about how they didn't do dishes and didn't pick up their clothes....but sometimes I just like to remember how really great they are...how all of the other frustrations are so minimal compared to all of the ways that they do so very well.  The frustrations that I know echo nearly every other parent around.  Certainly not reason to ignore them but definitely not things to dwell about...

I wanted to do a 12 yesterday but obviously didn't...maybe next week.  Our summer weather has been so mild lately and I am loving it!  Poor Nolan is pretty eaten up with mosquito bites from our outside time but it's just been so nice out we have to enjoy it.   Hope everyone is able to do the same!

  

Twelve on Tuesday

1.  We made it thru the first week of school relatively unscathed.   Despite 2 colds already we are trucking onto week 2.

2.  Jakeb is enjoying middle school and the independence it allows...while he seems overwhelmed with the abundance of new information he is receiving he seems to be really enjoying tackling it all in new larger environment.

3.  I find myself wanting to video every little cute thing Nolan does...so we don't forget.  I never can catch it all...my new faves are him cheering when people applause on TV.  He claps, says "yay" and "woo" in the cutest little voice ever.   He also likes to copy me calling for Lucy in a stern voice...claps his hand yells "suuussssy COME" in this little growly tough boy voice. The cutest.

4.  Discovered we had a few more paperwork items to knock out for our home study....nothing hard to obtain and in fact I had everything but one item in my hand in 5 minutes.  The last (a septic inspection) is a little bit more time consuming so working on getting that finished up.  

5.  We are still having to work out the kinks in the pick up/drop off routine....thus far I take Zachary and Gavin come home and snag Jakeb and then head home.  Z and G ride the bus home and shortly after they get home we go get Jakeb....not sure how we are going to work out his bus venture.   The bus won't get home until 4:15 and he has swim team starting at 4:30 soon.  That's not going to work. 

6.  I don't mind the morning shuffle it gives me some quiet car, coffee, and chat time with the boys.  

7.  I would like to load some more beach pictures up one day this week...hopefully I will get to it!

8.  Nolan is at the age I miss the most with the big boys and while there are times when I need a break for the most part I am just really having fun with him....despite his less than stellar sleep habits he really is a happy cheerful little guy.  

9.  I still can't believe I have a middle schooler.   Amazing but also kinda cool.  

10.  Zachary has turned into quite the worrier lately...I hate that feeling that he is having...I know it all too well worrying is no fun.

11.  I am trying to be better about getting to sleep at a decent time.  It really makes a huge difference in my near painful feeling of having to get out of bed at 6!

12.  Gavin is turning into quite the little reader and is really enjoying the "Magic Treehouse" series of books!

First Day of School

(they are laughing because I told Gavin to fix his face....the grumpy mad one)

Twelve on Tuesday.

1.  School started yesterday!  On one hand I was ready and on the other I really do enjoy the boys being home and the relaxed schedule.  

2.  Dropping Jakeb off yesterday at the big middle school was HARD.  I had geared myself up and was ok and he was ok...until the morning of and then he was really nervous which made me really nervous and then he got out of the car and looked so little and nervous and scared and then I nearly burst into tears.   When I sent him off to kindergarden I walked him to class and stood around with him and introduced him to his teacher and made sure he was ok.  You can't do that when they are 11 even if you want to....even if he deep down wanted me too.   He had to navigate something new on his own...and that's scary and good and part of growing up.  I was very proud of him.

3.  Gavin and Zachary barely even told me bye...they let me take their picture in front of their classrooms and didn't give me a second glance.   They have both been at the same school for 3 years now, they know all the teachers and all the kids so they were ready!   Perks of a small school!

4.  We are days or weeks away still from being approved for foster care...crazy!  I have been saying the same thing for weeks now...it hasn't changed.

5.  Robert finished the boys "closet" in their room over the weekend.  I LOVE that that is finally done...no more clothes stuff all over.

6.  I am finally starting to feel less guilty over hiring cleaning people.   It's a HUGE help....I rarely have help with the house work or the kids and this is my help.  It's a splurge for sure but a well spent one.  

7.  This is my last week keeping the little baby girl I have been watching.  We will be sad not to see her every week but it was time...our schedule is going to be picking up and both her parents and I need more of a set "schedule"  

8.  Nolan is talking up a storm...his newest phrases have been "Dog, bark" "Mommy, Home" and "Mommy, comp!" aka come

9.  With the return of school is the return of "morning Gavin"...morning Gavin stomped down stairs this morning and announce he was NOT going to school.  I told him he needed to get dressed and he said "No I don't, I already told you 100 times I am NOT going to school"   Ok then....we try to ignore "morning Gavin" he usually snaps back to nice everyday Gavin as soon as he eats.

10.  Zachary is in 4th grade this year and seems so very "mature" and ready for 4th grade.

11.  We have had a very mild summer...it's been wonderful!

12.  I can't think of another one!