Back at It!!

It's true! I have been slacking in the blogging department. It's a total routine thing for me and when I get out of routine, that's it. Until of course, I get back into routine. Our routine went from summer chill to busy fall and it's taken me a while to get into the groove. We are officially back at it now though and going strong so watch for many blog updates in the near future.

The kids are back in school. These top and bottom pictures are from the very first day. We were all up bright and early and ready to conquer the day, school style. Braxton and Adelle weren't anxious to go back until this morning but they do love school and were happy to get back into the routine. They just had such a fun summer that they didn't think they wanted it to end!

Our mornings are a bit different this year since our friends moved we don't have carpooling buddies anymore so I take the kids to school and pick them up. I can honestly say this year is the first year of my momhood that I have felt like a taxi. I feel like I am constantly running kids around from here to there. Good thing our car is always a rocking good time!

Braxton is 3rd grade this year and he has the same teacher, Mrs. Bucham, that he had last year. That was a surprise to us but Mrs. Bucham has a split class this year 2/3 and apparently she got to pick her most cooperative 2nd graders to stay and be 3rd graders so Brax was one of her picks. He has really loved being in a split and getting to help the 2nd graders and be a leader. He continues to be an awesome reader, and speller getting 100% on his spelling tests plus all the bonus words at the end. He works really hard and loves school.

Adelle is a big 1st grader and Ms. McCormick is her teacher. She's an awesome teacher and Adelle loves her. It's been a really great year so far!

Adelle is a really hard worker. She continues to excell in reading and spelling and math is still her best subject and comes very naturally for her. She got a star award on the very first day for helping the teacher and listening when she was supposed to. She is such a good girl and all the teachers and parents are always telling me how much they love "Miss Adelle,"

Emmett started Preschool this year at Sunshine and Smiles Preschool. He had waited for this day for what seemed like forever and was so excited when he got to go on his first day. I cried, but he didn't see that of course.

Emmett gets to go to school on Monday and Wednesday mornings and he gets to eat lunch at school which makes him feel even more official. 

I was so nervous for Emmett on the first day. I wanted more than anything to be a fly on the wall to see how his day unfolded but then, midway through the school day, I get this text from his preschool teacher with a note that say's "Emmett is doing great. Really quiet but happy to be here."

Perfect.

Emmett was an instant preschool pro. He gets up on Mondays and Wednesdays before all the other kids and comes out ready for school. He thrives on doing homework and learning. His teacher is Mrs. Monica and she is amazing. She tells me that Emmett still doesn't talk much but that he is really engaged and will always answer when he is asked a question.

I asked Emmett one day if he talked at school and he simply said, "well not when the teacher is talking like all the other kids do!"

Emmett has made some really good friends at school. This is Henry, who we carpool with and Emmett loves riding home in Henry's van. Ari is another one of Emmett's good friends at preschool that he enjoys playing with.

Last week Emmett came home with Henry and when I met him at the door he goes, "Mom! I finally learned something at preschool!" When I asked him what he learned he said, "how to read!" So cute. He is learning how to read and is still a complete genius in math. The boy can count forever.

Gage gets mommy time on Monday mornings and then on Wednesday mornings he goes to a friends to play for a couple hours so that I can volunteer in Adelle's classroom. Gage loves to read books with mommy and play "basket hoop" as he says referring to basketball. He is quite the cute little sidekick and has spent many hours with me at the grocery store and Joann Fabrics.

This is him waking Emmett up from a nap one day. Emmet doesn't typically take naps anymore but some days after preschool he will and on this occasion Gage snuck in and got into bed with him. Cute little stinker brother. 

This is my morning last glance I get of my big kids. Adelle smiling all the way to class, saying "hi" to everyone she passes, and Brax in my side mirror.

We have been riding bikes to school more this year. When I say more I really mean we have done it 3 times, but that is 3 times more than we did it last year so I guess it's improvement. If the school wasn't all the way up hill we would ride a lot more. Braxton and Emmett both can ride it but it's hard on this momma as I am pulling both Gage and Adelle in the bike cart up the hill. It's fun though and I do love me some sore calf muscles.

We walk home quite a bit on nice days. Some of us run and Emmett, if it's his choice, is always on the bike.

After we leave the school Gage gets the easy ride home, downhill the whole way. It's so fun to coast down the hill and listen to him in the bike cart laughing.

On Thursdays we watch my friend's 2 little boys. Owen is Emmett's age and perfect playmate and Elliot is just a little older than Gage. The boys all play together, we go on walks and jump lots on the trampoline. These two on the bottom are eating my cherry tomatoes like they are candy.

That's the just of our routine in a nutshell.

On top of that Adelle is doing great in piano. She goes to her lesson Mondays after school still and is really forming a good understanding of the technique.

And Braxton is a Bear now in the cub-scout program and is really diligent about working on his projects and getting things done. He even occasionally sews on his own badges, like a boss.