A typical school day

We are a few weeks into our first ever school year, and we are starting to get the hang of it. It certainly is very different going from several years of your baby's internal schedule determining your day to the alarm clock deciding when you, and the baby, wake up! It is much harder... and there is a lot more waiting around... and a lot more driving... and I miss my oldest baby (Southern) daily!

Our school days start the night before with me picking out Southern's clothes and putting them on top of his dresser. It's pretty easy since he has a uniform. He wears the school polo with Parker brand khaki shorts or pants (pants are required on Fridays which is the day they attend Mass), solid white or black socks, black belt, and black shoes (no emblems showing). Boys are allowed a non-flashy watch and a religious necklace (if worn under the shirt). That's it! I just have to make sure I have enough of everything washed and ready to go.

Then I fix his lunch. The school serves four different things each day - a healthy meal (turkey BBQ sandwich, grilled chicken, etc), a typical kid meal (chicken nuggets, cheeseburger, etc), a sandwich meal, or a salad. They have five of each meal - the choices rotate daily and repeat weekly. We went over the menu for the month, and Southern has decided that he wants me to pack his lunch every day except for Thursdays which are pizza days. On Thursdays, he gets a slice of pizza, some spaghetti, a salad, and fruit. During this month, they are offering a free beverage as well, so he gets chocolate milk. I send him with a reusable water bottle every day, and he says they get water breaks throughout the day during class. His bottle is usually more than half empty at the end of the day, if not close to empty.

On the days that I pack his lunch, I send him with a sandwich along with a combination of two or three of the following: grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, a pear, pretzels, yogurt, a cheese stick, popcorn, chex mix, wheat thins, a granola bar, cheese nips, etc. I didn't think he would be so excited to bring his lunch, but he is. It's nice to see how much he ate. (He only ate half of his lunch during his first day of school because he ran out of time with talking.) I helped in his lunchroom one day, and I was super happy to see how fresh and healthy everything looked. I was impressed.

So in the mornings, everything is ready to go. I get up first, get dressed, and wake Southern up. Southern gets dressed while I work on breakfast. Usually I scramble some eggs, and he will eat them while I get the other boys up. (We have started just leaving them in their pajamas for drop off since nothing much is open that early anyway. We usually just come straight home from dropping Southern off, and I can dress them then.) Then I have some biscuits, waffles, etc for all three boys to snack on during the drive over to the school. It takes us 10-15 minutes depending on traffic and stop lights so we aim to leave at 7:30am.

We do the drop off car line so I don't have to get the others out. They have 5-6 teachers/parent volunteers standing along the sidewalk in the parking lot. We drive around the back of the church in line with the other cars, and swing into the parking lot. Then when we get up to the adults, they open the car door for the kids. Southern will hop out, turn to wave to his brothers and me, and walk on into the gate. They have it open with the principal standing nearby during this time. He goes to the gym from there and will line up with his class to walk to his classroom. (The older kids are on the playground until school starts.) The line moves fairly quickly in the mornings though I have noticed that it takes longer/is busier closer to the tardy bell time.

The little boys and I come home, eat, finish dressing, and get ready for our play date or activity of the day. We normally have something lined up every day though today Remington told me that he didn't want to go to storytime at The Purple Chair like we had planned. He said he just wanted to stay home. I guess we've had too much running around lately. So we are at home until we leave to go take Daddy out to lunch for his birthday.

Southern has all of the typical classes (he says he loves P.E.) plus music class, Spanish class, and religion class and recess. He has lunch at 11am. He gets out of school at 3:15pm. If we do the car pickup line (which we normally do since Baylor usually naps at this time), we have to get there at 2:45 if we want to be one of the first cars in line. If we get there closer to 3pm, we are usually 7-8 cars back. I have found that if we do the walk-up line, it takes just as long if not longer to get him - the only difference is that I have to get the other two in and out of the car plus we wait in the sun instead of in the car with A/C!

Then Southern likes to do something after school before coming home. Due to this, I usually plan on doing one errand after we pick him up. We will go to the library, go to the park, or do some shopping. I save the big grocery shopping trip for when he's in school though since HEB is less crowded then. We come home, start on homework, I give the boys a light snack, and then I make supper while the boys play. We eat with Dustin when he gets home, and then it's usually time to start baths. Bedtime is now at 7:30 since we are getting up so early. And they normally fall asleep right away! Baylor is usually the last one to go down anytime between 8-11pm depending on how long and when his nap was during the day.

And then we start it all over again! This will be our life until Baylor, the ONE YEAR OLD, is out of school, and I'm sure it will only get crazier as the boys get older and get involved in more stuff. Whew!

Southern puts his backpack in his cubby each morning. Each student is assigned a number based on their last name (Southern is 19 since Wyatt is at the end of the alphabet), so their spots are labeled with their numbers.

Each child turns in their folder at the beginning of class. This folder was given to them by their teacher, and it comes home with them every day. It has a calendar in it as well as any papers the teacher needs to send home to the parents (or notes that we can send to her) and their homework. The calendar has someone's name on each day (this indicates which day the child will bring in the group snack - we're last on that as well!), and before the folder is packed up and sent home, that day will either get a stamp in green ink or will have a yellow, orange, or red colored dot followed by a teacher comment if the child got in trouble that day.

They start out in circle time on the floor each morning.

A close-up of the bulletin board outside of Mrs. Smith's door

Here is Southern dressed for school on his first spirit day. He was excited to wear his "super cool" socks. Once a month, the students are given a free dress day where they are allowed to wear "normal" clothes (within good taste and no flip flops, short shorts, etc) so long as their shirt is a SPP shirt or other appropriate religious shirt.

Southern's 1st day of school

We are well into the first week of Southern in KINDERGARTEN. How did this come so soon? I was not and am not ready for it. I want my baby with me all day long still!

We attending a parent meeting and Meet the Teacher last week. It was a lot of information to soak in! We found Southern's classroom and were able to meet his teacher. She seemed really nice. We took all of Southern's school supplies in, and he went right away to unpacking them onto his assigned desk. Then as Dustin and I were chatting with other parents, he asked me if he could go read. He had spotted the bookshelf. I said sure and we soon found not only him but his two brothers as well paging through books.

As a little farewell to summer, the boys and I hit up Sea World one last time the Saturday before the big day.

And that Sunday afternoon during Baylor's naptime, Southern, Remington, and I made Rice Crispy Treats. I read somewhere that making cookies with your child before their first day of school is a good bonding moment. It allows you to spend quality time together while cooking which is great, but it also reminds your child of you and that time spent together during their day at school when they get the cookie out of their lunchbox. I liked that idea and decided to try it out. I think the boys found it a hit!

Also during Baylor's naptime that Sunday, I was able to work on Southern's 1st day of school storyboard. I had seen pictures of kids holding up chalkboards or signs saying 1st Day of School and such. I already had this whiteboard, and it was huge so I thought why not add a little more. It reads:

Southern's

first day of 

Kindergarten

Monday, August 18, 2014

TEACHER: Mrs Smith   SCHOOL: Sts Peter and Paul Catholic School

5 years old   53 lbs   45 1/2 inches

WHAT I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP: police officer

I AM MOST EXCITED ABOUT: the coloring

MY FAVORITE BOOK: In a People House by Dr Seuss

MY FAVORITE COLOR: red

MY FAVORITE THING TO EAT FOR LUNCH: pizza

MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT SCHOOL: climbing on the playground

HOW I WRITE MY NAME:

Southern

I made his lunch late the night before. I used the honey ham lunchmeat that he picked out at the grocery store in his sandwich. I also included some grapes, Fritos, and that Rice Crispy Treat - and a love note of course!

Breakfast that morning consisted of scrambled eggs and biscuits.

Southern posing with his storyboard on his way out the door.

We are allowed to walk the kids in to their classrooms on the first and second days of school. Dustin came with us, and we were all there walking along beside him that first morning.

He had a good first day. I am thankful that it was an early release day so that he did not have to stay as late and could ease into the school year better. I sure do miss him while he is there, and Remington will ask me every now and then during the day, "Where is Southern again?". Baylor screams with joy when Southern gets in the car at pickup time, so he must miss him as well. Our days certainly aren't as bright without him around, but I am continuing on with playdates and keeping busy as usual. There is more waiting involved and rushing, and a terrible lack of sleep as we try to get everyone used to the new schedule. But I think that Southern will do very well in school, and I firmly believe in the benefits of sending him to a private Catholic school.

School shopping

When I was younger, I loved back to school shopping. It was so much fun to try on and buy new clothes. I even liked buying the supplies. What is it about a brand new box of crayons that just spells possibilities?

And for the first time since I was in school, I went school shopping again. The boys and I got most everything Southern will need to start kindergarten today. It was bittersweet. I know he will love school, but I will miss that little guy like crazy! Plus, our happy little take it as it comes life will cease. Soon we will be ruled by schedules, homework, and school plans. And it will be that way for the next 22 years! Eek! So I am trying to really make the most of these last few weeks of summer. 

With Southern's school's uniform requirement, clothes shopping was easy. We got the pants, shorts, and shirts he will need. I got the black belt at Old Navy last week. Today's mission was solid black shoes, a backpack and lunchbox, and the supplies. We hit the outlet mall today after hearing from a friend that the Columbia outlet was having a sale on half off backpacks. Our first stop of the afternoon though was the Turtle Van! 

For the price of two quarters, these two little guys had a blast! 

We then hit Saucony and New Balance for shoes. We found the solid black ones we needed at New Balance. Then, for backpacks, we hit Pottery Barn, The North Face, and Columbia. This one at Pottery Barn was really nice (nicer than the North Face one actually which surprised me), was the least expensive option, and fit the best. 

But Southern liked the one at Columbia better, it was a really good deal, and Dustin wanted more of a "backpacking" name brand for Southern. Plus, the matching lunchbox was cute. ;) It is a bit big on him,but I guess that just means he will get more use out of it. 

All in all, I think we did a great job at the outlets. I had never tackled it before with three little ones by myself, and at some points I was ready to pull my hair out. But we survived and got what we needed. 

Our next stop was Target. By then, Baylor had had enough shopping. I tried to buy some time with a pretzel and popcorn. We got almost everything on his list, but there are a few things I still need to get. I think we may need to try Office Max or a Office Depot for the intermediate pencils and Manila paper. His list was specific about brands and page/box count, so we didn't have much choice as far as character supplies went. None of the things on our list have Optimus Prime on them (which was a big bummer for Southern) so perhaps we will find some Transformer stickers to put on the inside of folders and notebook. Southern picked black and white for his two colors of folders. That surprised me. He picked red for his composition notebook and a bright blue for his sicssors. 

Also at Target, I found this little snap container that holds a sandwich on one side and two compartments on the other for chips, crackers, cut fruit, etc. it fits perfectly with two small ice packs in his new lunchbox. Both his backpack and the lunch box have pockets on the side for a water bottle. I guess we are almost set! Bittersweet...

Fredericksburg Getaway - July 2014

We recently returned from a little vacation in Fredericksburg, TX. It was very interesting with these three little guys to say the least, but it was so well worth it. Making memories as a family is priceless.

We stayed at the Frederickburg Inn & Suites (thank you, Groupon!) The rooms were nice - nothing fancy, but nice and clean. The location was great! It was just a block from Main Street, so everything was within walking distance. Also, the inn was situated on some acreage, so there was room to run and play outside and a pretty little creek just outside our door. Exploring the grounds was the first order of business after checking in and unloading the car.

We had packed food and drinks for our trip, so we didn't go out to eat for every meal during our stay. But the two spots we did hit were awesome! There wasn't much open for supper on a Sunday evening, but one of the places that was is pictured below. Panda Chinese. YUM. Not only was the food here very fresh and tasty, the service was amazing. We have not been treated that well in a long time. I would totally go back to this place! I got the sweet and sour chicken meal with crab ragoon, egg roll, egg drop soup, crunchies, and fried rice. Oh, I am getting hungry just thinking about that! The servers were friendly, attentive, and quick. We were never more than 1/2 way down in our water cups, and an empty plate didn't sit on our table for long.

After ending our evening with a swim, we finally wound down enough to go to bed. After breakfast the next day, (pancakes, sausage kolaches, bagels and cream cheese, and Cherrios all made their way onto our plates) our time was spent seeing the town. We walked all along Main Street, did some shopping, and had lunch at the Fredericksburg Brewery. Great food! The boys' favorite stores were the big toy store (that had a fort and play house outside) and the joke store. The owner spent quite awhile with us showing off magic tricks. Southern especially was loving it. I think my favorite shop was James Avery. We enjoyed reading all about the history and watching a short video on Mr. Avery. I drooled over jewelry, and Southern even picked out a couple things he wanted to get me. I told him to ask Daddy ;) And, of course, Dustin's favorite stop was the outfitters store.

Fredericksburg has a lot of nice little playgrounds. I was happy to see that most of them had shade covers.

After a hot day spent walking, another dip in the pool to cool off was in order. The boys had a blast swimming, splashing around, and sliding (Remington tried it once). The inn also had a smaller pool with a volleyball net strung over it. And they had a hot tub, fireplace, and TV located outside among the lounge chairs.

We stayed in room 141. It was located just between the creek and the swimming pool - what luck!

We went to the Old Tunnel park to watch the bats emerge Monday evening. It was pretty cool. Dustin and I had been before, but the kids had never seen it (I was actually pregnant with Southern at the time), so a return trip was on our list of must do's this trip. Southern especially was super excited. The last time we saw them, the bats rose up really high in the air, and you could see them flying around everywhere. This time, they kind of just swarmed around right outside the cave opening. There were a few that darted out high, but it was kind of hard to see most of the bats with the naked eye. Luckily we had taken binoculars with us. So the boys took turns looking through them and could see really well. We were the last ones to leave ;)

Day 3 consisted of venturing further out around town.

More playgrounds, fishing, Das Peach Haus, Opa's Smoked Meats, and the Wildseed Farms.

Southern and Remington LOVED these cows. Southern wants to add one to his Christmas wish list.

On our way home, we just had to drive through Luckenbach. It was the kids' first time there. "Let's go to Luckenbach, TX..."

We had one more fishing stop as we headed for home. The boys quickly fell asleep in the car. They had so much fun - and I did too!

1 Year Old

What does a 1 year old look like?

Well, he looks like this....

Yes, we have a ONE YEAR OLD in our house. The first year always flies by, but I think it goes even faster with each additional child. It's hard to believe Baylor is already one.

Mommy and Daddy finally get to meet Baylor

Visiting Baylor in the NICU (where he stayed for 8 days)

Baylor with his great-grandparents

(And aunt, uncle, and cousin)

At Baylor's Baptism, with his Godparents

and grandparents

Look how he has grown!

1 week old

3 months old

6 months old

9 months old

12 months old

At one year old, Baylor weighs just over 20 pounds. He wears a size 4 diaper, size 4 shoes, size 12 month clothes and 18-24 month pajamas. He can pull up and walk with the aid of his walker or anything he can scoot around. He doesn't mind taking a bath with his brothers and loves to play with them. He likes looking through books, playing with balls and cars, sorting things, and opening/closing things. His hair gets curly when it's wet. He still does his bear crawl and sucks on his middle two fingers for comfort. He is very vocal with making noises and growls sometimes. He occasionally says Mama, Dada, or hi but doesn't really know how to use those words just yet. He loves baby food pouches and all sorts of table foods. His favorite fruits are pears, watermelon, blueberries, bananas, and peaches. He loves his Dracky cat.

pulling up

Dracky gets close enough for petting...

but not so close that he can't back away as soon as the excited shrieks start happening!

the bear crawl

He also likes Mommy's homemade pizza!