The Rest of August

The second day of school I had a lot on the calendar.  I had a friend that had recently moved here from Virginia that I had randomly run into at the outlets two weeks prior and we had scheduled a play date at a park in Castle Rock.  It was going to be quick as I wanted to get back to school in time for lunch to make sure the routine went well, as we really didn't get to do what was planned on the first day due to the medical emergency.  Well, not far into my drive to Castle Rock I noticed the light on the dashboard indicating an issue with tire pressure lit up.  I thought it was funny because that happens rather frequently in the winter when it's much colder outside and here it was hot and August.  When we got to the exit in Castle Rock that we needed we were stopped at a signal and then once I tried to start going to make it the last mile to the park, I found the car was not wanting to move or move quickly.  And then I hear the thudding.  I'm grateful we made it all the way to the exit and that we only had a little more to go.  I got to the park and pulled into the first parking spot I could find and got out to find this.  I have never had a flat tire on the road before.  It was a completely new experience.  I was glad I knew where the spare was and I worked on getting it out and then I googled how to change a tire.  Yep--I've never changed a tire!  Thank goodness for google.  But I was struggling to get the lugnuts off.  They were tight!  A couple of ladies walked by on the last of a morning walk and I started talking to them to see if I could grab any help or advice.  Neither of them knew what to do either, though, so we decided I'd be best going inside the athletic center and asking for help.  I wanted to wait for my friend, though, so I kept working on it, knowing that eventually I would head inside.  Well, the ladies were nice enough to flag down the next man they walked past.  He happened to be a park employee who also knew how to change tires.  So, he hopped over and showed me what to do and had our tire changed to the spare in a matter of 10 minutes or so.  He was a super nice guy and it turned out he is also the trail "designer" for many of the local parks.  I was glad he was there that morning to help me out.  By that point I knew I wasn't going to make it back to school for lunch so I dragged my feet and spent a lot longer with my friend at the park, as I did not want to deal with the tire situation.  The tires were relatively new tires and I had also purchased a protection plan of sorts at Discount Tire.  There happened to be a franchise just a few miles from where I was at, so after our park time I headed over to the store.  They told me it would take two hours for me to get my tire repaired.  So, we left the busted tire at the store and drove on our donut over to Walmart where Bree and I had lunch and then did some light grocery shopping.  After that we returned to the tire center to check.  It had been nearly two hours and they said it would be another hour before they got to our tire.  I think I just about cried at that point because I needed to get home to get the boys from school (they aren't riding the bus this).  My near-tears was enough to kick their butts in gear and just around the 2 1/2 hour mark our tire was patched up and back on the van ready to go.  Thank goodness.  Bree and I got home with enough time to run the groceries in and then head back out to get the boys.  It had been an exhausting day!

While Bree and I had so much time together those weeks we spent lots of time playing, reading, and having "picnics'" (we pick one of her favorite TV shows and eat lunch on a blanket on the floor).  I also used the time to get some running in on the treadmill.

That Sunday (the first one after school started) this girl was super tired.  But I was surprised to see this.  This was a first for her.  She has pretty much dropped naps, but every once in a while it just catches up to her.

I was shocked the first time it happened and I was even more shocked when it happened again a day later.  And without her blanket?!  She must have been beyond exhausted.

After the boys had been in school for a week or so, Bree started asking about doing school with me.  So we started working on school concepts at home.  I've been combining some worksheets from Starfall (this one above is from that site) with some preschool workbooks and she loves it.  She insists on doing school everyday now and she seriously won't stop until we've done at least an hour's worth.  It's really been good for her, but it does take up quite a bit of our time.

Kai read all of the Percy Jackson series this summer and was very excited to start this book on Greek Gods.  It's the thickest and biggest book he has ever read, but he did it.  It took him a LONG time.

On Friday August 26th our boys had "assessment day".  Our school district uses this day to administer some beginning of the year assessments.  They do it in rotations by last name and the kids come to school for just a couple of hours to take the assessment.  Since we had the 10-12 shift, we had the rest of the afternoon to go visit the new Ft. Collins temple and take the Open House tour.  Finn had been looking forward to this for quite a while.  It was special to be able to walk through the temple with our kids and to point out pictures and explain various parts of the temple to them.  The inside of the Ft. Collins temple is amazing and definitely one of our favorites.  I wish it were closer!  

We took our time walking around and enjoying all there was to see at the Open house (we had driven 2 hours to get there after all).  

I love watching these two together.  They have a very special bond.  As I watch my children interact, I've been touched to see just how special Finn is in our family.  He is the glue that ties my other two children together.  Yes, he is the middle child but it's more than that.  He loves and adores his big brother and wants to be just like him, and yet at the same time he takes the role of big brother to Bree quite seriously.  He wants her to be happy and engaged in whatever he is doing, even if Kai doesn't want her tagging along.  Kai is at the age where friends are starting to become more important than his family and siblings and he's learning that those siblings are "annoying", but Finn is good at holding it all together.  I'm grateful for the effort he puts into making sure that Bree is a part of what he does.
Oh, and there are lots more pictures from the open house, but they aren't good at all!  Some passer-by offered to take our family picture and well, it was a disaster.  I don't even know how she managed to take such bad pictures, but she did.  Oh well, at least we have these few.

After visiting the open house we headed to Texas Roadhouse in Ft. Collins for dinner.  We decided it would be better to eat and let traffic die down before heading home at what would have been rush-house.  Our hostess saw our clothes and immediately asked if we had been at the temple.  I don't know if she was a member or not (but I got the feeling she wasn't) and she said they had had many people come through dressed up after visiting the temple and that she wanted to go, but had not had the time to visit yet.  I encouraged her to go and told her how easy it had been.

By the end of the month my jogging had been going quite well.  This was my first 5 mile day and I was quite proud of it.  Unfortunately early into September I hurt my foot and have been unable to run for nearly three weeks.  It's nearly healed and I'm anxious to get back to the treadmill and keep burning those calories!

And really--how is Walmart already getting decked out for Christmas?  And nearly $400 for my girl to ride in a battery operated princess carriage?  Umm....no.  But that doesn't keep her from dreaming about.  She loved this and would love to have it.  But really, my girl doesn't need a carriage to be a princess in my book!

First day of school 2016

Kai-4th, Finn-1st, and Bree-mommy prescchool

The boys went back to school on August 17th.  It is Finn's first time going to school all day, and Kai's 6th year of school (!).  The first day of school was a good warm day, and strangely enough it went by really fast.  Going back to school is always a transition, not just for the kids but for me, too.  Bree misses these boys so much when they are at school.

Kai--first day of 4th grade

Finn lining up with his teacher--I wanted a picture with her but she was very overwhelmed that first day as she was hired just one week before school started.  She is a veteran teacher who had been out of the classroom for a while and was then thrown in at the last minute.  Poor thing has had a steep learning curve.  As for Finn, he didn't know very many of the kids in his class (just three or so from his years of Pre-K and K) so he was nervous in this group of kids. 

After I dropped Finn off with his teacher, we made our way over to the other side of the building for the 4th grade lines.  Kai's teacher is also a veteran teacher and has always taught 2nd grade.  Due to many of the changes going on in education these days, she made the jump to 4th grade this year.  As sad as she was about that, Kai was thrilled.  It's the first time he has gotten a teacher whose name he recognized and who he knew before the first day.  His 2nd grade classroom was right next to hers.  And we had heard many good things from friends in the last year about her, so we were excited.  And over the last month we have learned that all of the good things we have heard were spot on.  We love his teacher!

After seeing that Kai was happy and settled, I headed back to check on Finn.  I found him in this group of boys and did not get my camera out fast enough, as they were all standing in this circle comparing muscles.  It was quite amusing.  Finn's teacher tells us that he has become quite social and has many friends.  He enjoys playing soccer at recess and has a firm team that he plays with.  He has told me several times over the last month that 1st grade is so much better than Kindergarten and that he really likes school.  That makes this mommy heart happy.

The PTO had a message of encouragement for the kids as they entered the building.

Poor Bree!  I mentioned that first day went by quickly, and it did.  After dropping the boys off and visiting with friends for a bit, Bree and I headed back to the house.  But it was quickly time for lunch and I wanted to be there for Finn's first school lunch to ensure that our plan for his enzyme dosing went well.  So, we pulled up to school not long before his lunch time and were greeted by the health aide coming out of the building.  When I told her that we were coming to see her and to check on lunch, she asked if I could handle Finn's enzymes and lunch that day as they had a bit of excitement on the way.  It was then that I realized that the sirens in the distance were getting louder and heading to the building.  I assured her that I would handle his enzymes and then I went to the office window to grab all of his stuff for lunch.  The office was closed (blinds closed and doors shut) as the paramedics came in a tended to a student.  From what I gathered after the fact, a 3rd grade girl with a seizure disorder had suffered a seizure just mere hours into the first day of school.  Poor thing.  But I was glad that I was there to help Finn and relieve the office staff so they could attend to her at the time.

After lunch, Bree and I headed into town to grab some cupcakes for the boys as an after school treat. (It was after the trip for the cupcakes that Bree fell asleep in the car.)  They were excited to see these yummy treats waiting for them at the end of the first day.  Kai had an ice cream sundae cupcake.

I think Finn's was a "birthday cake" cupcake, but I can't remember.

It was a good first day of school.  The kids got started out on the right foot and I was surprised at how quickly the time went by those first few days.  I had been concerned that 7 hours of just me and Bree would be long and well, slow, but those first few days were certainly not slow.