Back to School

Hey ya'll!  Boy, I know I'm behind, but my house is busy-and my first responsibility is my family! : )

We've had a great week-all the kids have gone back to school-Ethan on Monday, and Clay and Mary Claire on Thursday.  Ethan is going to the preschool where both kids went a few years ago, to our church's preschool, St. Raphael's:

I can tell you how bad I feel, but it won't do me justice.  I didn't take pictures of Clay and Mary Claire on their first day!  We got up early, left the house at 7:30, I helped them carry their long list of school supplies (in extra bags!) to their classrooms, took water bottles by the nurse's office, and simply lived in the moment-no pictures.  We're going to fake one one day this week-at least I'll remember how they looked at this age-in these classrooms. : )  It's not perfect, but it'll do.  So..I do have some from previous years-lucky you! : )

This is last year-August of 2009.  Clay was starting third grade, Mary Claire was starting second grade:

 And this is August of 2008 (first and second grade):

And even further..August of 2007 (kindergarten and first grade):

And here's even earlier!  (Now I only go back as far as digital photography, so there won't be many more)  This is August of 2006-the year Clay started kindergarten:

And then I have one more..the year we moved to this house, and the kids were headed off to preschool, August 2005:

Oh, what fun it is to scroll through pictures on iPhoto!  I went through Halloweens, Christmases, Ethan's birth and baptism, Easters, vacations, and lots of hairstyles!


So..back from Memory Lane..Ethan kept telling us on Sunday that his ear wasn't working.  We took him to the doctor Monday-his ear was leaking fluid by then, and the doctor thinks his tube just opened up.  So he's been on antibiotics since then.  He has no pain, so that's the best thing.


Then Tuesday was our last summer Bible study, so we all exchanged cards for the secret prayer partner we'd been praying for-remember my book?  I got to give it to Tiffany!  I put a lot of time in on it, I wish I'd taken more pictures-it was so fun!  Maybe I will help our girls make little paper bag books for our prayer partners this fall.  We're picking a study, and we haven't decided yet.


I got my hair changed up on Wednesday-better!  It was highlighted-I needed to go lighter-I was feeling so down in that darker color.  It's all layered up again-I like it only when it's curly, so it'll be a long affair with my curling iron over the next month!


We had a back-to-school get-together at Ches' department head's house Thursday-and got to see so many people!  We found out that Ethan's assistant teacher (don't know her title!), Andrea, was there, and her husband is starting his third year in Recreation, but they didn't come last year, so I totally didn't know them-but what a small world!  The kids love to go to Sharon's house-they actually love her backyard!  They roll down the hill, run through her ivy, and after an hour or so-the boys and girls had divided!  Clay was leading the boys, and Mary Claire the girls-don't know if that's good or bad.


Yesterday was my first big day too-my first alone.  I was fine-I prioritized and had to get to work.  My first to-do was thank you notes!  I've had checks come in for the JDRF Walk, and we were going to have the kids write the notes, but they only wrote one sentence, so I had to go back over and write more!  I also went by the church and refilled envelopes and straightened books, got a nap, and got my nails done!  Then Ches and I had a date night-PF Chang's and The Switch!  (The Switch was great by the way!  I liked it better than Eat, Pray, Love.  I think it's cause the book was so much better.  And Switch had a happier ending-I'm a girl at heart)

What a week.  We are ready for some serious playing this weekend!