Summer of 2013, Part 1

This was a strange summer for us, for SURE.  It went by so fast, and almost the entire family got sick during the month of July. DUMB!  We WON'T be doing that EVER again.  Gee whiz!!  Here are some pictures from my phone of some things we did do this summer..........

 Sasha and Addie had a dance recital.....always a highlight of our summer.  (Addie HATED this costume.  It was so very itchy and was so tight, I had to alter it.  Poor kid.  But she does look super cute in it!)

 We played baseball or softball every single night for about 6 weeks.  It was a good season, and not so good season.  I don't know if the kids will play or if Will is going to coach next year.  That is all I want to say about it.  :(

 Beautiful Sasha had a wonderful piano recital and we were so proud of her.  Playing seems to come naturally to her.  She has a soft touch on the piano and is lovely to listen to! :) Seth and Addie started lessons this summer and they seem to enjoy it. :)

 We got this to play with at Bear Lake.  We planned on staying for at least 4 days, but Addie got sick and we ended up cutting our trip short.  Camping in a tent with 7 people is nuts and I am not sure we will do it EVER again.  (Me and my big ideas.  My family things I am crazy.)

 I made 24 of these tote bags for girls camp, which took place at the end of July.  It was an amazing experience.  It was huge undertaking and dominated by thoughts for months and months!  When I got back, I felt weird to NOT be thinking about it or making something for it!! I am so glad I got to go with Sasha, even though she got sick up there and didn't have the best time.  We stayed up so late!  We played games!  We ate junk!  We floated down the Portnef River!  We crafted! It was glorious!  I LOVE being with the YW and hope I can go to camp again!   It was so fun since the girls I had as Beehives are now Laurels, so this was their last girl's camp.  It was a blast!

 Noah spent his summer playing with the hose.....it was a long hot summer so he enjoyed himself immensely.  We learned to not get too close to him while he had the hose, or you'd get a little wet.  Ha ha!

 So very glad we have this pool.  Whoever wasn't sick, swam in the pool!  Having a pool has always given us something to do, right in our own backyard!  This pool finally bit the dust; it had several holes and was leaking big time.  SO, we found a BIGGER one on clearance and filled that bad boy UP right away.  I think I swam nearly every day.  Which is probably why my hair is fried from the chemicals and sun.  It was worth it.

 The girls were in 2 parades!  It was a new experience for both of them and they loved it!!!  Addie rode the float, and Sasha danced with the older girls.  It. Was. Beyond. HOT!!  We were so proud of them for wanting to do it on the July 4th, after they were in the Syracuse parade and nearly melted from heat.  I have many fond memories of being in parades as a girl.  Nothing better that feeling the excitement of the crowd as you march past.  Ah, good times.

And lastly, here are Noah and Audrey at the park with me one day after the kids went back to school.  It has been nice to be able to focus on them during the day. Taking them to the park was something I could not do as a homeschooling mom.  Mornings were for school.  Naps in the afternoon.  Dinner and activities in the evening.  This picture makes me smile and although it has been a hard transition in some ways having the kids attend public school, I know it is right for our family. Anyway, goodbye Summer of 2013!  It was a party!

1 Week Down....

We made it through our first week of public school.

Sasha:

She loves it and is doing well.  She has gotten 100% on all her assignments so far and that makes us all so happy!  We had some technical difficulties with our computer last night as we tried to watch a power point lesson her math teacher had.  It was so frustrating.  BUT, we loaded up and went to the library and she was able to watch and listen to it and answer the 4 stinkin' questions.  Noah knocked over a fake tree while there and Audrey jumped on every couch in the place.  I needed back up but Will was with Seth at his martial arts class. Anyhow, so far Sasha loves it!  I knew she would!!

Seth:

Hates being timed on math facts.  Ya, he has never liked that. He gets so stressed.  He cried at school. I hugged him and loved him and prayed with him the next day before school.  He has had better days since then.  This is good for him to learn to handle his emotions.  Hard, but good for him.  He finally got in to a martial arts class taught by a member of our Stake Presidency. He's been on the waiting list for a year! HOW good it's been for him to go twice a week.  The 2nd day of school was rough for him and I was so glad he could go to his class that evening.  He broke a board on the first try and Will said he was so happy! None of the other kids did that on the first try. I think Seth will be like his Daddy and be a black belt too.


Addie:

LOVES school lunch and must read the menu over and over.  So funny!!  She loves all her friends and has a crush on a boy already.  And this said boy found out about her crush so Addie cried about it last night and today.  Good grief that girl. She has never been a fan of writing and gets mad that she has 2 pages of homework at night and has to "Waste 4 hours of the night doing homework!!".  Ya, she's emotional. And she exaggerates.

It has been a good week as I have spent time with my little ones playing at the park and just hanging out with them.  I have crafted with a friend for a Relief Society activity I am helping her with; something I could not do before. I helped organize a neighborhood park day and had such nice time chatting with other moms.  I have missed that so much.

My afternoons\evenings have been more busy that I am used to but I am adjusting.  Adding homework to the mix is something we have not had in our lives for 5 years.  Their are pros and cons to each situation.  Homeschool had wonderful things and not so wonderful things.  Same with public school.  No situation is 100% perfect.  We still feel good about our decision to send all the kids and I have been so touched by the love and support shown by our neighborhood.  An older boy in our neighborhood has gone out of his way to give Seth a high-five when he sees him at school.  A 6th grader saying "Hi" to a 4th grader.  Ya, makes me so happy.  After school yesterday Seth was coming to the car, stopped, ran back and said "Goodbye" to this boy. (Thank you, Sarah).  It was so cute.

So, we made it!  I know more time will be needed to adjust but we will be ok.  All is well.