The first day of school 2013-2014

Ashlynn...7th grade, Alisa...6th grade, and Teddy...5th grade

 Mom...with her new school bag...K3 teacher's aide.

 First day treat from one of our parents!  So thoughtful...but didn't have time to really enjoy it till lunch time...which was actually our little friends' naptime!

 Beginning Bible story about how God created the world..."It was dark.  There was nothing!  Put your hands over your eyes...what do you see?"  Little L..."I can't see anything.  My hands are in the way!"

 "In the beginning...God created the heavens and the earth....Genesis 1:1"

 Learning how to walk in the hallway using the rope..."So nobody gets lost!  Don't let go!"

 After two potty breaks, story time, snack time, play time, we made it to recess time!

 Another story time and introduction to our first two colors of the year...red and yellow!

 Lunchtime!  Four of our charges went home and six stayed for the afternoon...

 time to catch our breath during naptime!  What a morning!  Our little friend who just recently moved from Korea screamed for 45 minutes, got sick, and then fell asleep...he never even enjoyed one K3 activity.  Our little K4 friend who speaks only Bulgarian spent naptime in our room...thoroughly bewildered and finally fell asleep.  Everyone else has been part of our daycare and is comfortable...they fell asleep so hard they were snoring!

 Miss K and I picked at our lunches and sat quietly...staring blankly...and then randomly chuckling...wondering if we had made the right decision in accepting the positions in which we find ourselves in!  Wow!  I finally pulled a note out of my pocket from my one true love...and cried.  Knowing that your husband loves you, believes in you, and is praying for you...well, just helps you through the rest of your day!

 The first soccer and volleyball games were right after school!  Excitement and nerves all rolled into one.

 The girls did pretty good for their first game....EVER!  I was proud of them...no ducking or running from the ball.

 They lost their game...but were able to keep up!

 The guys won their game.  Teddy got to play during the second half.

A beautiful day to sit out at a game!  We headed home for showers, supper, homework, and bed!  One day down...how many more are left?!
**Things I really must remember**
When I wear a really pretty scarf, I must remember to flip it over my shoulder so it doesn't end up in the toilet when I am helping a child or cleaning up a child's mess.  I almost made more work for myself several times!  I am beginning to wonder how much of my time each day will be spent in the bathroom. GAK!

We are ready!

The fish is ready for the K3 room...till we decide if we want to chance a real goldfish! 

 

We enjoyed a lazy Labor Day together.  The last minute things we wanted to accomplish for tomorrow were done.  Treats made for lunches.  Granola now fills the jar.  Laundry all finished.

 We ended the day with a trip to the mall and supper at the food court.

Ashlynn finally got to spend some of her saved money on "dangly earrings"!  She took quite awhile to pick out something that will work for several outfits.  Of course, the guys gave us a hard time because we had to spend time looking at everything in Claires.  It took us five minutes to nail down two shirts for Teddy.  "Dad and I can spend a lot of money in a shorter time than you!"  Actually, it was Mom who found these shirts on a clearance rack and he liked how they felt.  Score for Mom!  Score for Dad...who paid...again!

The first day of school treats are made!  Clothes picked out.  Game day clothes packed.  Alarms set.

Sunday fellowship...

 with our youth director and wife called for a fun dessert!  We did it...we tried the deep-fried fun-sized Snicker bars.  They were good!  We had a few Oreos that we threw in too.

 We decided that we like the Oreos deep fried more than the Snicker bars!  Just in case you want to try and compare for yourself!

Saturday...

 a fun surprise in the mail after a shopping spree with the girls.  We had fun hunting for a couple specific items.  Thank you, dear friend, for the custom bag.  I love it!  I will use it for school!  

We did our huge start of the school year grocery shop.  I am so thankful for the girls' help!!!  I came home and worked in the kitchen for about two-three hours prepping for meals for the week.  I worked the plan I made and I know it is going to take a lot of pressure off for this week.

 The guys worked around the house and in the yard.  Ted was already planning for the fall/winter and contacted a guy about firewood.  What a sweet guy!  Ted knows I enjoy the fireplace and he planned ahead!  Not wanting to rush the season, but it is fun to see parts of trees starting to turn color.  Ashlynn noticed the goldenrod in full bloom, "Oh great!  Now my eyes are going to itch and my nose is going to run."  Maybe not?!  We can hope!

Family night at home demands...

that Mom come up with a fun snack!  Tonight...Deep-fried Oreos!  It has been on my "summer bucket list" for the kiddos, who have never had the privilege of such a tasty treat.  Thank you to pinterest...again!  First, make a pot of coffee while the Oreos are chilling in the freezer.  The gal said to put them in the freezer for three hours...I did one hour and it was just fine.

Heat up oil to 375 degrees.  Mix up a simple batter of 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp veg oil, and 2 Tbsp white vinegar.  Mix well...no lumps!

 Coat the chilled Oreos in the batter.  Carefully drop them into the hot oil.  Fry till golden brown.  Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

 Eat while they are still warm!  "Oh, Mom, these are highly addictive!" said Ashlynn.  Teddy and Alisa groaned their approval.  "Mom is trying to kill us!" said Ted as he wiped the powdered sugar off his beard.

 I grabbed my coffee and sat for a minute.  Oh, yes, they taste just as good as the two places where we have ordered them!  I like them just like this...but a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and/ or hot fudge to dip in is good too.  Ted liked the cream cheese type frosting that one place offered.

I fried up the left over batter...tasted just like the funnel cakes you can get at the carnival!  I am not a big fan of the mess deep-frying makes.  Good thing.  This could get out of hand!  We have one more treat to try that is similar...deep fried candy bars.  But with the Friday night sport schedule...it will be awhile before we do them...thankfully!

"I'm just going to school for a little while..."

 said the silly lady with a large DD coffee in her hand!  We met this morning to go over a few things and put supplies away.  I sat on the floor sniffing new boxes of bright, sharp, shiny Crayola crayons.  I almost felt like I was depriving our little students of one of the joys of a new school year...opening that box of new crayons for the first time...then I remembered they are 3 and will probably snap them in half right out of the box just to hear the "snap" sound or see what is inside the paper.

Humor!  

That is our key word for the start of this school year!  A sweet cheery friend taught me the importance of that when our three were little.  If I am still...I can hear her bubbly laughter and see her tear-filled, red-face trying to hold back loud guffaws.

A bucket of freshly washed and dried friends ready for the first day of school!  Today...laundry and menu planning.  Tonight...a quiet night at home.  Tomorrow...grocery shopping.  Checking off things from our "to do to get ready for school" list!

"Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you!"

 Ashlynn baked a cake for me!  I helped supervise, but she did the work.  I wanted the Fluffy Brown Sugar Frosting that I made for Mari's cake...so I made it and Ash frosted the cake.  We used the peanut butter from the Amish farm for the filling layer.  YUMMO!!!

 My loves sang to me.

"Only 2 candles?  Mom needs 44 candles!" Teddy insisted.  I don't...really...I'm good with 2!  After Teddy's flippant comment about me being 45 or so, I was ready to take Teddy down.  Thankfully, Uncle Brad instructed him last night on the finer details of dealing with women, "Teddy, it is always a good idea to round down for Mom's birthdays!"

Candles or no candles...the cake was good and the company sweet.  I love my family and friends for their loving words are always special.  Thank you!!!

A week of hard work...and all was ready for tonight's open house!

 Sewing curtains for the puppet window, tablecloth, napkins, and towels for the kitchen.  Alisa helped me make sensory bottles for our Science corner.  All three kiddos helped me hunt for book characters for our reading corner...scored a big Cat in the Hat and a little Curious George plus several other little animals at the Salvation Army!!!  After I threw them all in the washing machine, I had to laugh...poor Curious George looks like he is trying to get out.  I am hoping I don't ruin them...but washing is a must!!! shiver shiver shiver

 Everything is so bright and neat!  The room was filled with children and parents tonight.  LOTS of activity!!!

 My auntie is going to recognize a couple sweet friends!!!  The kiddos and I went to the storage unit this morning and Teddy helped me dig out several boxes.  We found books, decor, and teaching aids to add to this room-o-fun-learning!

 Mrs. K and Mrs. K watched several of our new little friends tonight.  "Oh. my. Are we in for a ride!?"  The supplies are over-flowing the table and wait for the appropriate storage spot.  Little faces smiled in response to our greetings.  Parents took in all the surroundings and information.

A couple more days...and we will hit the ground running...because there was at least one child who took off running across the platform DURING the opening meeting tonight.  I whispered to Ted, "Um, that is one of our little K3 students!"  And....he laughed.  I'm wondering what label I will assign to all my K3 stories...Dad, a little help here?!

We went over to meet our newest relative...

 Lollie the puppy!

 A little 8 week old Boston terrier with one blue eye and one brown eye.  She prances through the grass.  Mari says she doesn't like it...just like their Beau Lucky (the Boston terrier they had when they got married).

 We brought her a new blankie that I made once we heard the news (I had the sewing machine out for other reasons.).

 With all of us invading the house after prayer meeting/Bible study, she was little shy.

She let Aunt Kari hold her and cuddled right in to my arms.  We all turned to a bunch of saps as we watched her.