Ten for Tuesday 9.02.08 Back to School Edition

1. 1st day of Kindergarten! Wahoo! Oh boy, was Michael ever excited! He was seriously bouncing off the walls all morning long. (Is it time yet? Is it time yet?) Michael was just trying to drag me along so that he could get there faster. When the kids get to school, they are supposed to line up outside the school and wait for their teachers to take them inside, so that was the goodbye spot. It was seriously a mad house today because there were 101 moms with cameras, and a bunch of nervous little 5-year-olds who didn't know where they were supposed to stand. I was hoping to get a cute picture of Michael waving goodbye to me as he went into the building, or at least waiting in line with his classmates, but there were just too many people. In fact, I didn't really even get so say goodbye or good luck. He found his spot in line, and I felt like I needed to get out of the way, and before I knew it they were on the way inside. My eyes welled up for about 10 seconds, but no real tears for this mama. Of course, I was excited about this big milestone for Michael, and I realized that my baby is growing up and doesn't need me to hold his hand anymore, but Michael has been waiting for this day for so long, that I couldn't help but be happy for him. Besides, it's only for a few hours a day. I think they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Michael and I will probably benefit from a few hours apart every day!

When he came home I asked him if today was the best day ever. He said that it wasn't as good as Christmas and his birthday (or any other day when he gets presents), but is was really good! He said the best part was reading books. "I still can't read by myself though Mom." He got to sit on the back row with two other boys from the neighborhood, Caden and Sam. We'll see how long that lasts. I have a feeling that the three back row Joes might be a little bit too rowdy for Mrs. Robbins!

This picture was taken in front of his classroom last Friday when I took him in for his assessment testing.

This is the classic "let's-take-your-picture-in-front-of-the-house-with-your-backpack-and-new-shoes" shot.

Trying to get this kid to hold still and give a nice smile is nearly impossible!

2. Of course, Ty didn't want to be left out. He wanted his picture taken too! Ty is having owie issues right now. He's got them all over his body, and we are going though at least 10 bandaids a day. I think we'll all be glad when everything heals up.

3. My house was so quiet the afternoon! Michael was at school, and Blake was napping. Ty and I did a little bit of coloring, and then he played on his own for awhile. I could definitely get used to this!

4. I went out and did some heavy duty back-to-school shopping yesterday, and enjoyed some to the Labor Day sales. Holy snot! It costs a lot to outfit these kids---even when you just buy the cheap-o t-shirts instead of the nice rugby's that you really want, but know your kids will never wear. And forget about trying to save some hand-me-down pants for the younger boys. It's just not going to happen. Michael has been known to wear through the knees in just a matter of a few wearings. Not to mention the fact that he just lost one of his shoes, and broke his last pair of flip flops. Michael is hard on his clothes! My kids get really excited about new clothes. Michael and Ty have both tried to change their shirts several times in the last two days. Something about ripping a new tag off is just so exciting! Let me tell you how excited I am about all the extra laundry this has generated!

5. New job charts went up today. I for one am looking forward to a little more routine, and I hope this will help us in that direction.

6. Oh, what a naughty boy! This kid is into everything! He really is understanding a lot now, and will follow simple instructions such as "Go give this book to Michael." Now if we could only get him to say something other than "no no!"

7. My garden is still giving us a lot of produce. I'm not sure what we did that was so different from the last several years, but this is definitely the most we've ever gotten from our garden. Anyway, I found a recipe for Zucchini, Tomato, and Summer Squash Gratin that was just perfect, because it used all of the things that I have in abundance from my garden, and it only took about 15 minutes to make. I found Prudence Pennywise a few weeks ago, and I have a feeling I will be frequenting her site from now on. I have seen "Prudy" featured in several food magazines and contests over the past several years, but I didn't realize she had a food blog. If you like food blogs, you ought to check her out!
8. On Thursday Reed and I attended his cousin's wedding. The bride was so excited she could hardly breathe! Very cute. Congratulations Holly and Nate! Afterwards Reed got treated to 18 holes at Thanksgiving Point. Lucky, lucky!

9. Anyone else a little confused about the coverage Sarah Palin has been getting in the press? I, for one, cannot figure out what relevancy her daughter's pregnancy has to this political campaign. My goodness people, get off her back! I'm sure that poor girl has enough to worry about without the entire nation judging her. That said, anyone else confused about the fact that McCain chose a running mate he has only met once? Wow.

10. Those of you who know me well probably know that I love listening to NPR. Up until recently I've really only listened during the week while I get dressed or run errands. I usually don't listen much on Saturdays, so I've never really paid much attention to This American Life . Now that I have an Ipod, I decided to subscribe to their podcast and give it a try. I'm hooked! I had several loaded onto my Ipod but hadn't really listened until this weekend while I was doing housework. I think I listened to 5 hour-long shows, including a fascinating show about two babies who were switched at birth and didn't find out until they were in their thirties. I got online today to try and download some shows from the past, but was disappointed to find that you have to pay for the old ones. You only get one free download a week. Bummer! If you enjoy radio programs and have never heard This American Life, you really should give it a listen.

Well, off to bed. I'm going running in the morning. . . maybe. . .