Kicking Off The School Year - Kindergarten and 2nd

Lets face it. Every year I cannot believe they are this old. I'm pretty sure I will be in denial their entire lives. So, here we go with the start of another school year.

School Photo Shoot
So, as I was talking to Brittany (GCA friends, Savannah and Charlie's mom) a few weeks ago, she told me she was trying to find a photographer to take Charlie's pictures for going in to Kindergarten. She had a photo shoot for Savannah when she went into K, and you know how we moms like to make things as even as we can! So, I volunteered to do our own little shoot in the backyard right before meet the teacher. (They live an hour away...so that made the most sense!) I already had everything we needed, so it was mostly quick and easy. Oh, and this also meant my kids were going to have a school photo shoot this year. ;)

Meet The Teacher
We enjoyed getting a chance to see where the classrooms were located and meeting each child's teacher. GCA did a great job this year having the event well-organized. We even had a little schedule with our own folder and everything! :) The excitement was in the air as the student saw each other again and they were all smiles.

Makin's Classroom...although I think she already rearranged.

2nd Grade Sisters, Lorelei, Savannah and Peyton with their Kindergarten brothers,
Makin, Charlie and Grayson

Driving home from meet the teacher, Lorelei with her new reader.
"Can you please stop talking mom? I'm trying to read."

First Home School Day
This day went okay. I knew it would definitely take a while to get used to juggling both lessons, although I still don't feel great when it doesn't go as smoothly as I would like! The first thing I learned the first day...each child needs their own lessons plans printed separately! :)
We headed to the lake to celebrate that afternoon!

First Day At GCA

Both kids had great first days.

I feel like Makin was really prepared for Kindergarten. I'm thankful he seemed to have gotten his nerves out of his system going to preschool last year. I think it also helped that he was making copies with me second semester, so he was familiar with the school building and the teachers. I was so, so thankful. He was feeling: brave, old, funny and excited.

I got a report from an inside source the second week of school saying that Makin was a great leader in his class and his teacher was so thankful for him. Words a mom loves to hear. :)

Lorelei was excited to see her friends again at school, but was nervous that second grade was going to be too hard. She was also worried about having a different teacher, and what she would be like. I loved what she talked to me about a day or two before school. "Do you know what I'm going to do at recess the first day? Play with the new kids because they won't know anyone!" Friendship is very important to her and I love that she wants to include everyone. She was feeling: nervous, curious, happy and older.

She really loves her teacher this year as well. She seems like fun, easy-going lady who is perfect for second graders!

Makin chose a sports mat for his quiet time for K.
The football turns into a pillow.

I'm so proud I finally have the mental clarity
 to remember these bags for my grocery shopping!

I have to laugh (or I'll just cry) at the people who say, "Well, what's mom going to do?" While I did have the opportunity to apply for a teaching position at GCA, we did not feel it would be a good fit for our family this year. Attempting to juggle teaching two days a week, plus the side work that goes with planning/responding to parents the other three days, along with home-schooling my own kids three days just overwhelmed me. I knew I could not be the wife and mother I need to be with all of that on my plate So, for this year, I'm going to enjoy two days of being able to volunteer a few hours at the school, run errands kid free, clean my house without interruption and possibly even get in some personal time for lunches/coffees/reading. We don't know what next year will bring, but I'm so thankful for this schedule this year.

Home School Moments

A few minutes of quiet while they both work on handwriting.
Typically I wouldn't want them doing this at the same time, but that was the timing of the day.

Making soup, which later turned into a stinky Scentsy to scare away the wasps.
While it can be distracting, I love that our schedule permits them to still be kids playing in the dirt throughout the day.

Taking math off the page and onto the driveway. :)

Snails - The kids found a tiny snail (likely not the same one every day...) now named Snaily (of course) and have just been loving studying snails and bugs lately. This is how they spend most of their "recess" in between lessons. Lorelei also walked in with a "class pet" one morning, which was a roly poly in a jar. I feel like I have gotten lots of reminders this first week of why I love this model of schooling. So many of these little moments. (Attempting to balance two kid's lessons is why I need these reminders!)

One of my challenges with Makin would be I feel he gets a bit neglected with his school work. While I always go through his lessons with him, he is often still playing legos part of the time because Lorelei's school work takes longer. One morning morning he woke up 45 minutes before his sister, so we seized the chance to start on his first lesson. It was wonderful having undivided attention on him for his work. Kinda crossing my fingers this could happen more often!!!

This picture also shows our new rewards system we are trying this year. For the kid's two least favorite/toughest subjects they have a chance to earn tickets. So far it is working really well. It is great for them to have something to earn to add a little happy to their school day every 2-3 weeks. The rewards vary, they have lots of choices ranging from reading a book by the fire to getting a longer recess for 10 tickets. There are some 20 ticket rewards as well if they decide to save up, like a quick donut run.

One of my goals this school year is to really take advantage of our flexible schedules and have more fun with the home-schooling aspect. This worked out wonderfully this week, when we finished all of our lessons before lunch and had our best home-day yet. Brad had worked some off hours so could take some time and come with us to the lake. So blessed with all of our flexibility to be able to do this as a family!

Summer Fun Sprint - Dates, The Lake Beach, Daddy Tent, Friends, Pool Time

With the start of school looming before us, it felt like a sprint these last couple of weeks to pack in every bit of summer fun we could.

August Dates
We have never watched the TV show Ninja Warrior, but a friend told me about this location when she knew I needed something fun to do with Makin. Oh. My. Word. This boy went nonstop for two full hours and said he wanted to stay longer next time. This was such a good fit for Makin, so no doubt we will be back. I'm not sure he will get to the top of "the wall" for a few more years though...but sure not from lack of trying!

Makin and I actually got two dates. Enter the world of drop-off play dates and birthday parties. Looks like my one-on-one with my not-so-little-man will happen a bit more often than I thought! We headed for a free (for a rewards card) pastry at Panera and then headed to the library. It was nice for me to have one more time of our little library tradition. Makin requests that we drive to the top (in this case second from top...too hot to park in the sun!) of the parking garage so he can ride down the elevator.

Lorelei and Brad's Date was to Cici's Pizza, which they both were a little dissapointed in, but sometimes that is just how it goes! :) They still enjoyed the time together.

The Lake Beach

So, we haven't been able to make it to the lake as much as I would have liked this summer. First it was flooded. Then there was a huge concern about all the bacteria in the water. I knew we had to fit it in before school started. The kids were so thrilled to be there. When I'm enjoying the sand, sun and water I am appreciative we have this very close to home, and I also get a bit nostalgic missing living close to the actual beach, enjoying this more often.

This guy insisted the dump truck make the trip.

"I love the smell of sand!"

Floating Mud Pie Creations

This became quite the project and I wish I would have gotten another picture before we left.
They could have stayed all day!
(Hopefully we can when its a bit cooler! You can home-school in the sand right!?!)

Daddy Tent

When Dad watches you over lunch while Mom grocery shops...you eat lunch in a huge tent.

Friends

We packed in several play-dates with friends, a drop-off included (still getting used to that!) but I didn't get many pictures. It seemed like everyone was trying to fit in just one more time to get together before the school rush.

Ice cream with Ki, Kaitlyn and Hailey

Pool Time

We have loved our pool time all summer. :) These guys have increased their swimming stamina that is for sure. Lorelei is talking about possibly wanting to be on swim team, but we will see what she says next summer. :) She did enjoy swimming her hardest and wanted to be timed the short length of the pool. They both just kept getting better and better each week.

Summer Soccer

We have a few weeks off between summer and fall soccer. While I didn't necessarily love having Makin out running around for an hour when it was 100 degrees, it was, overall, a great experience. Because Coach Ian took on the girl's team, Makin worked with Coach Andy, who is an absolutely amazing coach. He knows how to challenge them to the next level, yet if they need some one-on-one correction/help, he gets eye-level and helps break it down for them. He is also a great encourager. 

Because Makin felt the other classes were easy, this was different in the fact he was challenged mentally and physically to achieve more. He liked this, for the most part. He is a bit timid when they scrimmage at the end, because he wants to get rid of the ball when there are three kids coming at him, which is the case pretty much the entire scrimmage. Most of the boys in this group have played a lot of soccer and are much more aggressive than Makin has encountered yet. This mom is a bit nervous for his first game (Sept 10th) but hoping he will enjoy his fall season.

Watermelon Day

It just has to have its own post. :) This year still didn't get much preparation for Watermelon Day (the first year I think I had books from the library, crafts etc.) but we still love our little summer tradition. :) I bought a watermelon at the store knowing we needed to fit it in before school started. As I opened the back of the vehicle, the watermelon rolled right out and cracked open...sooooo when I asked the kids about how soon we should have it, it became THAT DAY. While I cooked supper, they decided this year they needed to decorate for Watermelon Day. Makin wanted to make his own page to show the stages of the watermelon (actually going from right to left in the picture) and Lorelei constructed her own centerpiece for the table. I was loving their individuality on each project and love how they had such fun decorating. (I had red crepe paper in a tote in the garage!)

"Really we should call this Watermelon Picture Day..." -Brad Stahl

Both kids tend to favor different fruits, and Makin loves watermelon more than Lorelei. She ate a good share and then said she was filled to the brim. 

Makin said (with a mouthful of watermelon), "I can eat hers!"

Watermelon Day 2016 in the books! ;)

Trip To Nebraska

We were excited for an August visit to Nebraska. We love escaping the 100+ degree weather for bit and always have a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's farm. Brad enjoyed 6 days off in a row for the first time in a long time, and got to golf all four days we were there.

We had a bit of a rough start when we took our vehicle in to get a noise checked out, and were then told it wouldn't be ready until around noon the next day...when we planned to leave for NE at 6 am. We didn't want to wait around, so headed out as soon as the vehicle was fixed, and did have to stop for the night about 4 hours short of our full trip at 10:30 pm when the kids were still awake and it started raining. This was our first attempt at making the 13+ hour drive all in one stretch. We did make it on the way home, so I'm sure this will be the new norm! These kids were troopers happily watching DVDs! :) This is when it really pays to live in a tv free house!

We were greeted by Grandma and Grandpa, Sarah's family, Oreo, cats, a praying mantis and a goat. ;)

Two nights we enjoyed a bonfire. Yes, that is Grandma using a pitchfork to roast marshmallows. Loved the chance to be out enjoying the sunset too!

I've now been told that, "If you can reach the pedals you are 'old' enough to drive." by a fellow Nebraska farm boy. (Brad's old roommate.) Makin was certainly enjoying this idea with the Stahl's gator. His one request for Grandma was that the gator was charged...meaning the Little Tykes gator. He quickly learned it didn't have enough get-up-and-go after about 9 years of farm driving...so he moved on to the real thing, with someone older riding close beside him. Most of us took a turn riding with him. My experience ended up with me covered in dirt as he found it hilarious to try and gun it in the recently plowed up dirt. As I cautioned him at some point in driving I was told, "Stop being a backseat driver, Mom!"

One huge hit with all the kids (How in the world did I not get a picture with all the cousins in here Grandma!?!?!) was "the hideout". This is the batch of trees back behind the Stahls house and it was such a perfect place for them to fix up and make into a special spot. Lorelei could rake/sweep forever in here!

Grandma and Grandpa took Karter and Makin duckpin bowling. They had a great time!

We girls hung out before joining them for lunch.

Lorelei got to experience gathering eggs from the chicken coup with Hannah at Aunt Sarah's house.

Best. Roadside. Find. Ever.

Grandpa found this giant rectangular air padding, we speculate it was used for extra spaces in train cars and blew out of one.

Well, it works way better as entertainment for grand-kids.

This was my favorite night of the entire visit. It started out with Karter popping Makin into the air for quite some time.

Then Grandma thought it might slide on the wet grass. So they ran and slid over and over again.

The girls soon joined in on this fun. Then the cousins were all cheering for each runner while they waited their turn. Cousins and Grandma make great cheerleaders. :)

At one point the boys tried landing on it together...and you can see how that went!

Happy Kids.

Family Pictures!

Lorelei just adores being able to play with kittens and Oreo all day long. Grandma even lets her bring the kittens into the sunroom for short visits.

This particular day most of the family went into town to golf, but she and I hung out.

She even read a book to Oreo.

Makin, Hannah and Karter enjoying their golf outing.

Trampoline Fun. This evening Makin was wound up and when I was taking their picture he yelled, "BE BLURRY!!!!!!" while running and moving his arms around like crazy. Lorelei and I jumped together other days but I didn't take any pictures. :)

Makin is always up for a game to keep busy. He and grandma attempted Operation. As always he loved playing the wii as much as possible. They also took in the Olympics, which was nice for us to watch while we had the chance since we don't have cable at home. Lorelei enjoyed some chalk artwork with Brooklyn and Grandma one afternoon.

Grandma took us into town to check out the new swimming pool. The kids loved the lazy river the best. I didn't get a picture but they had a large floatie of Karters and loved falling off of it for fun. Loved the picture Grandma caught of Lorelei's face after coming down the big slide.

Grandpa took the kids on a little field trip to their cornfield in their garden close to home so they could see what it was like to pick corn. Then he sent home a huge boxful. What a treat!!!

We stopped off with a super-quick visit with Aunt Heather at Braums on the way home. :)

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for a wonderful visit!!!