BTS

A special thing happened last night.  At 9:15 p.m. the house was silent, except for the rustle of an oreo package. The kids were tucked in bed and Mike and I celebrated quietly with cookies and milk because school was starting in the morning.  

It was lovely. No one doing cartwheels in front of the TV (Reagen). No one playing Spore on the computer (Dal). No one eating Grandma Sycamore's bread on the couch (Michaela). Did I mention it was lovely?

First day of school outfits were laid out. Fancy hairdo's were planned. Showers were all taken. It's a night we had been anticipating. We've enjoyed summer break, but these kids are ready to have someone besides us tell them what to do for several hours a day.

Morning came and the kids hopped out of bed and got ready in plenty of time. I quizzed Reagen about her bus number several times until I was sure she'd get home ok. Just to be safe, I wrote it on her hand. We took pictures in front of the house and the kids filled their backpacks with supplies.  

I took Dal first and dropped him off in the back of the school. It's not cool to have your mom walk you in to jr. high.  Michaela and I walked Reagen to her class and she was happy that one of her little friends was just two desks away. Last was Michaela. We made sure she could unlock her combo and then got her to class. 

As I walked back to the car, I thought about our celebration last night. We were giddy as we ate the soggy oreo's, but we got a little sentimental as we talked about Reagen being old enough to be in school all day. How Mike will miss meeting her at the bus stop at noon and spending a couple of hours with her before the other kids got home. How Dal has gotten so tall and changed so much in the last few months.  How Michaela didn't buy one shirt from the boy's department this year (we're making progress). We talked about how fast they are growing up and how they'll be gone before we know it. It all rushed back to me as I walked down the hallway back to my car. A tear may have been shed, but I wiped it away quickly before the janitor saw me.

After all that excitement, I went home and did what any other sensible mom would do...finished off the oreo's.

Reagen in Mrs. Jenning's 1st Grade class.

So excited for school to start, she's doing the happy dance.

Back to school sisterly lovin'.

Dal wasn't in the dancing mood.

Look mom, no boy shirts! We're still working on the shorts 

and shoes, but you've gotta start somewhere.

Shake your bootie!

Not sure what this pose is.

Note to self...

I've realized a few things this summer. 

• Make a disclaimer to pin on Reagen's shirt that reads, "My eleven year old sister dressed me and did my hair today. She doesn't really care what I look like."  Needless to say, she looks like a little orphan some days. The clothes I lay out are usually still laying on her dresser when I get home.
• No excuse for Dallon. He's almost 14 and still can't match his clothes. 
• That cute summer skirt has a little cotton liner under it. When you pull it up to go to the bathroom, you have to make sure and pull it back down or it will be bunched up around your hiney at work for several hours before you realize it. I really don't need the extra volume in that area.
• Young Women lessons given on Sunday should be prepared prior to Saturday night. 
• If they are prepared Saturday night, make sure and prepare the correct lesson.
• Sleeping until 9:47 am on a Saturday morning is a little piece of heaven that doesn't occur more than once a year. Realize that if you sleep until 9:47 am, you may wet your bed. (I didn't, but it was kinda close.)
• Remember what 9:47 am feels like when I'm getting up at 5:00 am for work. Be grateful for that once a year event.
• And last, but not least, horses slobber like no other when they are eating apples. Stay clear.

Doesn't it look like a little heart on his head?

Six!

Five is a great age. It's the age where you figure out how to laugh like sponge bob (it's trickier than you think), you get to be a picky eater, it's a time when jumping on the trampoline and playing with stuffed animals consumes most of your day. With just a quick yelp, you can get your big brother or sister in trouble in 2.5 seconds.

Although five is great, Reagen was excited to turn six. She gets to go to first grade and eat school lunch, something she's been looking forward to all through kindergarten. She couldn't understand why they sent her home at lunch time instead of feeding her. 

She's still my baby and the little sis, but man, she's gotten so tall with those long legs and big feet, it's hard to deny that she's growing up. She's learned how to tease her dad from the older two and she loves, loves, loves doing that. She'll torment him and then run to the "safe couch" where he can't get her.

She sings in the tub, in her room, while she's eating, everywhere we go. No song in particular, just little sing songy noises. She's a dancing fool, too. She's got some swing in those little hips. Don't know where the moves came from because they're definitely not from my side of the family. She'll spend hours drawing and coloring. She's decided it's ok to like Hannah Montana regardless of what Michaela says. She's our little sunshine, making us smile constantly.

Michaela helped me with a treasure hunt for R's birthday.

She drew pictures of places all around the house for Reagen to follow until she eventually found her new stuffed Cheetah. 
I tried a new dessert called cake pops found on bakerella.com.  They were so nummy, it's a new fave with the fam.
We had family over for cheesecake brownies, cake pops, and sheet eclairs. Thanks to everyone that made R's day special.

I had to laugh when I saw this picture on my camera...

Dallon snapped it of Mike the other day after Mike got home from the post office.  He just wanted to get on the computer for a minute, but just couldn't keep those eyes open...or his mouth shut. 

With 3 kids, 2 parents working, and no school, this place is a zoo!

Pipe cleaner animals courtesy of Martha Stewart crafts clearance price at WalMart. I thought it would give Reagen hours of craftiness fun, instead I spent a half an hour listening to how I was making them all wrong.