Oh the places we'll go...

...Birthdays, school, Boise and doctor's visits...

Bryant is all about walking to and from school with the neighbor kids and enjoys taking a lunch from home-I'm not sure how long this will last, I can't believe my mom packed a lunch for us every single day from kindergarten to our senior year in high school-I don't think I can be that creative or dedicated. He started out the week a little unsure how the days should work and got a little too excited about playing after school instead of coming home, but we got it figured out. He is a true boy and will only tell us the "cool" things that happened in the day.

Kayelynn is doing fabulous! Her teacher is super surprised at her ability of concepts, letters, numbers, etc. She is the only one in the class that will respond to the teacher and stay on task. It's kind of funny. She is going to be great in Kindergarten next year!!

Sarah was a little worried about the first day of preschool, but adjusted really well with it. She blended right in and only had a tiff once toward the end of class when someone wanted the toy she was having. Not a big deal, but it was at that time that her attention span was starting to waiver. Good thing she only goes two hours. She had a fabulous birthday-it ended up being a little more pink than Mermaid, but she was okay with it as she was the one requesting what/how she wanted. She received her very own Razor scooter, pink-just like she has been wanting all summer since I found two in a yard sale...her Grandma gave it to her and she was so, so excited!! She is such a mature 3 year old. I still worry about her sometimes with her health, but I think we'll keep doing what we know keeps her content and yet still do some research.

Jake surprised us with a last minute, quick vacation to Boise so I could get school clothes for the kids. I confess, after trying to go school shopping to find just a dress, jeans and new shoes I about had an anxiety attack in the store when there were no dresses, the jeans were $15+ and shoes were just as much as my shoes are!!! The receipt showed half a month's rent with just 6 items (okay, that could be an exaggeration, but only slightly-can you tell I haven't bought clothing at full price in a very, very long time, somewhat embarassing, but not)! I seriously about hyperventalated and died. I now understand why my mom hated school shopping for us! I can do groceries and not freak, I've figured out the coupon world, but clothing is another obstacle to overcome. I told Jake that since the kids were still small enough we needed to hit up the quarter sale in Boise at the 2nd hand store (Other Mothers-I hope the thought of another's clothes on my children's backs don't disturb you...they grow too fast to buy too many new things, and I can't afford/handle it). So, he took us to Boise and I was able to get just over 100 items and only spent $26! Now, THAT I can handle, it even included 6 pair of shoes!! After washing the clothes we discovered one of them had $2 in the pocket!! We even got some money back ;) To get more of a stock up on clothing I think we will be going again in October and hopefully be able to get enough clothing to get through the winter! It is totally worth the time and gas money to me because then I get to spend more time with my family too!!

While we were in Boise I canned apricots, apricot jam and 21 bottles of green beans-it's been about 5 years since I've done that. It's making me want a home and garden that much more. I hope that wish comes true this year!! (at least the home portion, the garden will have to wait until next year-I'm not that off-even if I do feel like it).

We are still getting into the morning routine for school-as none of us are morning people. We are getting the very last of the pictures hung and figuring out how to more effectively use our space. All is on hold for a few days as after arriving home from Boise late Sunday night we discovered Monday morning that Sarah and Jake have both come down with strep throat. I am just sanitizing everything to hopefully keep the bug from spreading and keeping the two of them as comfortable as possible. Then to reconvene with our daily routine!