Everybody's In Now

What needs to be done vs. what should be done

When everyone except Wyatt headed back to school, we ran into a sticky situation.  Wyatt needed to attend back-to-school and meet the teacher day, and I could not get him from Dad's house to get him there.  In order to remedy the situation, Andy took the day off work.  He needed that day off.  We were all so tired from the race back to school and return to sports.  The house looked and continues to look like a storm marched through it, and so much needed to be done.  However, I insisted that regardless of what needed to be done, Wyatt should have a fun day, preferably with a friend, but definitely something fun.  Andy made a day out of treating Wyatt.  He took him to a nearby cave where Wyatt could mine for gems.  They enjoyed treats, lunch out, and a cave tour....all a big deal for one of four kids.  Wyatt had a great time and did not forget about me.  He brought me some great smelling candles. That boy knows how to get to my heart.

Fun for Everyone

Months ago I learned that my all-time favorite band was coming to town.  However, when I looked up ticket prices, I found that there would be no way I could attend.  Sorry, my all-time favorite band does not even justify $85 for one ticket.  On a whim I took another peek at the prices a couple of weeks ago and found tickets for half the original price.  Hmm...what to do? They were appearing on the very night that Zach's football season was starting. With Zach's permission, Savannah and I joined two of my sisters for the concert.  The band was very good, and I would definitely see them again.  However, I will buy my tickets sooner next time to get better seats.  The dude sitting behind us smoked pot, probably peed on us, and harassed Tara throughout the entire show.  If I had a do-over, I would insist that security have him removed.  I can take obnoxious behavior (I do teach high school, after all), but he crossed the line.

I missed Zach's sac, tackle and other positive football feats that I cannot relate here because years of watching football has not taught me enough about the game to have any understanding of it.  Field hockey is pretty much the same.  I can cheer when they score, and that's about it.

While at the fair for the concert, we hurried over to the art entries to check out the entries by Julia, Wyatt, and Savannah.  We found a blue ribbon on Julia's art.  We kept this secret until Sunday when the entire family visited the state fair.  

She was thrilled.  Neither Julia nor Savannah has had any art classes outside of what they do in school and extra art at school.  Both have now been awarded blue ribbons at the state fair.  Kudos to a great elementary art teacher.  Julia's piece was done at school and given to me as a Mother's Day gift.  It is impressive.

Wyatt is also a very good artist.  He stuck with his love of Mario for his fair piece, and he does not like to add color  to his art.  Because Julia received an award, and he did not, he is losing confidence in his artistic ability.  I know, however, that he has much potential in this area.

Savannah's entry is pretty cool.  She is bothered by the crease in it, but it happens.

We enjoyed some of the other attractions at the fair, such as checking out the cockpit of a helicopter.

The kids tried the Krispie Kreme donut burger.  We bought one and had it cut into four pieces.  Zach and Savannah thought it was okay.  Savannah called it a waste of calories.  She does not need to count calories, but it is good that she recognizes when they are wasted.  Wyatt and Julia liked it.  Kids can be so disgusting.

Julia asked for pictures of Andy and me by her art.

We had some silliness.

Our visit to the fair was typical for us.  We had about two hours and spent all of it in one section.

Julia returned to the fair after school with a friend, and they tried the hamster balls.  We did not even see these.  We have never taken our kids out on the midway.  We find it best to not let them know that you can ride rides and play games at the state fair as getting in for six of us after paying hundreds of dollars to get four kids supplied for school is as much as we can do.

We are all back to school now

Wyatt returned to school yesterday.  He came home insisting that I sign his agenda. I know what his teacher emphasized -working on getting that agenda signed daily. Wyatt has two teachers this year.  They both work part-time and split their days at school, so he has one teacher on Monday and Tuesday and another teacher on Thursday and Friday.  They take turns working Wednesday.  I see both advantages and disadvantages to this, but after meeting them, it is clear that they work very well together and are committed to producing success in their students. 
As it turned out, Wyatt had a nosebleed on his first day of fourth grade.  Oh Joy.  We also had a full schedule as Savannah had a field hockey game.  Wyatt and Julia had soccer, and I decided that I should actually buy Zach and Savannah something new for picture day.  Therefore, we had to go shopping.  They aren't really growing, so they rarely get new clothes, and it is pretty clear that they need them (Zach wears the same outfit to church every week - I know this is a first world problem).  So Wyatt ended his first day of school with a tired and cranky mama who really gave him a hard time.  Extra love is on order for that boy today.

Now the picture is complete.  Everyone is back to school.  Sports are in full swing, and scouts are right around the corner.  Hoping for a great 2012-2013 school year...and hoping my house recovers soon:)