James in August: I want to go to a real preschool.
James in September: I never said I wanted to go to preschool.
James in October: Why do I have to go to preschool again?
James in November: I hate preschool.
James in December: Preschool is boring. I don't even learn anything.
James in January: I want to be done.
James in February: We don't do anything fun.
James in March. I'm not going to tell you what we did.
James in April: Everyday we do boring stuff.
James in May: How many more times?
James yesterday: I'm bored.
Here are some photos his teacher sent me throughout the year. I've asked James to tell me about the pictures as the captions. Enjoy!
"This is supposed to be an explosion with vinegar"
"We are playing kings and queens"
"I don't know why I'm raising my hand."
"We're playing Candyland!"
"We are painting on the tape."
"We have turns stirring to a song. I think it was the one where the person has a shoe and so many kids."
James got all bashful about this photo. He's dancing back there but he doesn't know why.
"We're doing like an obstacle course."
Wednesday was his graduation. "I don't want to go to school today," he said then broke out into a grin. Consistent to the end.
The kids filed in, sang a few songs with actions then the teachers presented them with their portfolio of the work they've done this year then they showed a video of photos and interviews.
This photo I took only to remark on the weird pant styles of high schoolers. Where's the flood?
They had a big spread of treats. James went right for the chocolate cupcake of course.
Even though he says he didn't learn anything, I think it was good for him to get out the house and ease into school. Plus I was able to get errands done during that time which he appreciated.
* * * * * *
Nothing like finding out your kid needs braces and glasses in the same week. Erica has wanted glasses for months but because she thinks she'll look so cute in them. She told me a month ago she has a hard time seeing the board at school but maybe this was just a ploy. Since both her parents and all 4 grandparents have glasses I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. She began trying on pairs before they even called us back. This was the first pair she tried on and even though she tried on all the kid glasses, these are the ones she wanted.
She does need glasses but as the doctor put it, "She doesn't need to wear them all the time, just during class time." All Erica cared about was that she was finally getting a real pair of glasses.
We have a scary looking fence. It looks like it belongs bordering a haunted house. I desperately wanted to do something about it a year ago but we were a little busy with inside and projects. But this year is the year of the backyard!
One can see where the fence got sprayed with the sprinklers for the last 34 years.
I'm pretty sure the only reason the fence is still standing is because the other-side neighbors took care of their side.
After an entire day (April 30) of spray washing we had to let it dry. And then it rained a couple of times so we had to wait some more.
We finally were able to spray half of it on May 7 and then finished it up this afternoon. Here are the after pictures.
It makes the backyard feel so new!
Our neighbor to the north said he didn't think the fence had ever been stained.
A special shout-out to my dad for letting us use his airless sprayer. We had to refill it every 1 1/5 panels but it worked like a charm.
Combined with our improved view and firepit---our backyard is where we want to be.
We are ready for summer evenings.
*Next up is repainting the shed but it needs some siding replaced but I'm hoping we can get it done next month.
Tomorrow is Henry's birthday. The kids are decorating the dining room tonight!
Justin's grandpa Kitchen died and his funeral was Monday. He was 96 and living life right up until the end. We will miss him. This is the first person in my kids' lives to pass away and their first funeral.
Justin and most of his cousins. There are 26 grandkids, some of which I haven't seen in more than ten years.
And some of the 57 great-grand-kids. My kids are in the middle front. Most of these kids my kids didn't know but it was so fun to see them play together.
We talked lot about how we're sad for us but happy for him. He outlived all his siblings, his parents, his two wives. What a reunion he must be having!
The sheep are here! They came! I was a little worried they weren't going to come back because I thought they would have been here by now but they did! I am mildly obsessed with the sheep by my house. They were so fun to watch and listen to last summer.
"Hi sheepies!" calls James.
They really are so sweet. This year there's a small brown cow in the pasture too but I couldn't get close for a picture.
Our backyard neighbors had these two huge pine trees but one morning we heard chainsaws and low and behold one tree was mostly gone. I took this picture after the first tree was gone.
And after the second tree was gone.
I'm kind of sad to lose the shade. (We purposely put the swing set in that corner for the shade.) But I can't complain about the view.
On Wednesdays I help in Erica's class during math. Right after we left the whole school went outside for a ping pong ball drop. This was their reward activity for raising money or something. James and I stuck around for a minute so we could watch.
We actually couldn't see the white balls drop with the cloudy background but it was still cool.
On Thursday James had his first t-ball practice and got his hat and shirt. I'm dying at the cuteness! None of my other kids played t-ball so this is all new to us. The hat and shirt alone were worth the money.
I got an early mother's day present. Justin brought home a smokeless firepit that I had my eye on for weeks. Since the weather was nice, we didn't wait to fire it up.
We made smores of course. It's dangerous to know that I am only minutes away from a fire cooked smore at any time.
Saturday morning was James's first game. He was pretty pretty quiet the whole morning which means he was nervous (he only stops talking if he's nervous or really mad).
He did exactly what his coach told him to do--no silliness or goofing off. I think he'll get more goofy as he feels more comfortable out there. He played first base most of the time. He liked that his team always threw the ball to him and then he got to throw it to home. He took it very seriously. He even forced an out!
We, uh, need to work on his hitting before someone gets hurt.
After his game was the opening day parade for all the city's teams. He got to ride a "float" with is team in a forever long line up of tball, baseball, and softball teams. It was a pretty cute parade and James was excited to "be the first of the kids to be in a parade" (not true).
On Mother's day Justin's morning meetings were cancelled so he and the kids made me biscuit cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Then each of the kids gave me a treat they thought I'd like from the store. (Sarah-Dove chocolate, Erica- ginger ale, James- specialty guava drink (that I suspect he picked out because he thought it looked good and he ended up drinking most of a it), Henry- Mamba, er, I mean Mamma)
Henry made this with his primary activity leaders. He came home from that activity and lied to me that he planted flowers. He was even covered in dirt so I believed him. "If you didn't plant flowers, then why were you so dirty when you came home." He shrugged.
Erica made me these cards at school and at her primary activity.
Erica also made this necklace I'm wearing.
Their primary teachers spoiled me too! I got treats and cards from there too.
After church we went to a special dinner for Justin's grandpa who passed (more on that later) and then to my mom's for dessert with my family.
Here's a snapshot of a typical week for me because I think it might be interesting to me in a few years.
Mondays and Wednesdays- Take Sarah to school at 7:30 for her honors math class. Get back just in time to get James ready (pray he has a good attitude about it) and take James to preschool at 8am. See the middles off to elementary school sometime between 8:30 and 8:50 (good weather biking, bad weather I drive them.) Exercise/shower/run a few errands while James is in school. Pick James up at 10:30. Finish running errands if James can handle it, go home and clean the house if James just can't. (He hates going anywhere that isn't his grandmothers' houses or home.) Days are quiet, James is bored, house gets cleaned, church calling stuff gets done during this time. Sarah gets home by bus at 3:25, the middles roll up on their bikes at 3:45. Kids eat snacks and do their chores so they can go play with friends or "hang out" as Henry insists it be called now. Some days I'm dropping them all off at friends only to turn around and pick them all up at 5:30. Justin gets home at 6 and we eat dinner. Wednesdays Sarah has YW at 7.
Every other Monday morning I have Relief Society presidency meeting while James is at preschool.
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays Sarah catches the bus at 7:50 instead of needing a ride. I like that better. The girls have piano on Tuesdays so they begin fighting over the piano as soon as they get home so they can appear to have practiced that week more than they actually have before riding their bikes to Sis. Robinson's house.
James's games will be Tuesday evenings for the next 7 weeks. I think we'll eat dinner early as soon as the girls get home from piano, without Justin, go to James's games and then Justin will eat when we get back.
Second and fourth Tuesdays Justin has stake meetings. Sometimes on Thursday evenings as well. I have a relief society activities committee meeting once a month on a Thursday night.
Thursdays Erica and Henry have primary activities but it alternates. 1&3 Thursdays Henry meets at the church at 7 while 2&4 Thursdays at 4pm Erica goes to her leaders' houses.
James has school Friday too and that day is a bit easier to get him ready as I haven't just rushed back from dropping Sarah off.
Second Saturdays Justin has stake baptisms. He goes to the church at like 7 (I don't know exactly, I'm still sleeping) to fill the font and stays through all the baptisms until early afternoon.
Sundays he has meetings from early in the morning then comes home just long enough to eat breakfast, for our Come Follow Me lesson, get us all in the car and goes to sacrament meeting with us but then goes to his assigned ward. He gets home an hour after we do. One of us usually has something after church to do too.
To summarize, the mornings and evenings are busy; the daytimes are almost boring. School gets out in a few weeks so everything will change, piano ends for the summer too. I'm ready for a new schedule as this is how it's been for too long.
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