First day of school 2009

Well, school has begun! Yesterday was a success, I think, for the most part. The kids came home tired, but excited. In some ways, it felt like there had been no break from school. In other ways, it seemed forever since they'd been......weird.

Getting them back into a routine and on a tighter schedule will be good. Here are a few pics of their first day.

Kyle--2nd grade

Dallin--4th grade

Brandon (7th grade), for some reason, hates smiling for the camera. Could it be that he's 12 and almost a teenager? Possibly.....


I told him to give me "something" for the 2nd picture, and this is what I got....MUCH BETTER! I'll take it.


Brandon has usually had cold lunch all through his school years because he is soooo picky. He was anticipating great and yummy things when he entered junior high (and I was too). Sadly he came home to report that the cheese pizza was "gross." (which is his explanation for most foods). So we're back to cold lunch. UGH! Maybe high school??? I won't hold my breath!

And Eric started high school this year.....big Sophomore! I can't believe I have a 10th grader. How is that possible? I still remember being in high school myself, it seems unreal that I have a child that age. (And by the way, love the hair, dude! Can we say, "haircut?")

Eric also had lunch issues yesterday. I had given him a check for the week for lunch. He came home and tossed it on the counter, saying, "I didn't know who to give it to, so luckily in one of my classes, we helped a teacher move some stuff and I got two little candy bars." Niiiiiccce...! We discussed other possible solutions like, "Could you have asked someone where to pay the money?" Or, "How about the office? Couldn't you give it to someone in there?" And, "What about your friends? Did they know?" To which he replied, "There was no one around to ask, I don't know where the office is, and I don't think my friends ate either...." WHAT? True Eric responses! I called the school when he got home to ask where to give the check. Of course, the LUNCH LADY would have been a nice alternative to starving, but try telling that to your teenager. Hopefully today he'll eat more than sugar for lunch.....something actually considered a meal. But we'll see......

All in all, I think everyone survived. Jacob doesn't start Kindergarten until next week. I think I'll really be freaking out then. I still don't understand how my baby can be going to school....all by himself....without me! But just like with the others, I guess it will come, whether I'm ready or not. Until then, I'll try and enjoy this week having him all to myself!!

Crazy Hair Day

Here are some funny pictures of Kyle and Jacob on the day that I last cut their hair. If I "styled" their hair like this every day, you'd never be able to tell how crooked it is......something to seriously think about......

Crazy kids!! But I love 'em!

Dollar store surprise.....

I stopped into the dollar store today with one of my kids for some cheap 9-volt batteries and guess what I found in one of the aisles?

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!!

I did a double take at first and asked myself if I really was seeing Christmas stuff already out in AUGUST and, yep, I was! I couldn't believe it. There were wreaths, big velvet red bows, tinsel and other such items. I remember seeing Christmas items last year in the stores around September and I was disgusted then. But seriously, school hasn't even started yet, people!

BUT THEN.....

I went downstairs into my "storage" room and gazed upon the gobs of this year's Christmas gifts already bought for neighbors, friends, and family members. I realize this is a sickness of mine. I literally do shop in January and February for the next year and I usually have everything wrapped by Halloween, with the exception of a few last things. But in my mind, this is different. I want to be prepared, yes....but I don't want to see Christmas decorations in the stores until around October (at the earliest) and even a little later would be fine with me. I suppose that's a contradiction in terms, huh?

And just so you know.....this looks pretty unorganized and messy, but.....um....okay, it's more like "organized chaos....." I promise, I know right where everything is.....(AND my whole house doesn't look like this either, in case you're wondering and are a little frightened).

My Father-in-law always comments about my early Christmas shopping, and that we shouldn't even be thinking about Christmas until Thanksgiving, to which I always reply, "That's easy for you to say.....you only have to buy like one or two presents (if that)," which usually quiets him. :) But I must admit, I see the logic of enjoying each holiday separately and that we need to be careful about overlooking Halloween and Thanksgiving. But really, the other reason I try to get things done "early" is because then I really can enjoy the holiday season. There's less pressure and more time to concentrate on what's really important.

Okay, so you're probably asking yourself...."so, is she disgusted or not?" I know it sounds like I'm a little wishy-washy on the subject, but even though I like to be prepared for Christmas way earlier than its arrival, I really don't like to have it splattered all over the stores in August!

I don't know, for some reason, this is bothering me today. I don't want to be seeing Christmas items yet. Doesn't it somehow take away from the holiday all together if we are exposed to it for half the year? When the Christmas "season" finally approaches (which, really, when is that now?), aren't we going to be immune to its magic? Can there be an overload of Christmas? I believe there can be. And each year, it's starting earlier and earlier.

Anyone else out there have similar feelings on the subject? Or is it just me?