Let's Gooo Mountaineers!!!

The dudes donned these jerseys this morning. Time to go shopping for new, long enough ones. :) Anyway, let's goooo Mounties!

Hoping for Balance

Created this today with text from this blog. It's a perfect image of the balance our family is trying to achieve with this busy start to the school year!

Teaching at the Creek, Year Three!

This past Thursday, August 23, students came back to Bridge Creek!  It's my third year there and the fourteenth of my career. I have thoroughly enjoyed the start of school; my job in life is to make music with kids all day.  Cool.

my masterpiece... the related arts bulletin board

tubanos and steel pans and glockenspiels, oh my!  love my maxxed out classroom.

love my Orff instruments

placed a "podium" of sorts under the Smart Board this year in the hopes that the K and 1st kiddos can reach more stuff

my office is full of wonderful memories of my family, students, and teaching locales past

Andrew's First Day of Kindergarten

At home today at 6:45 am, ready to head to the school

Loving the lunch box!

Andrew has walked this walk for three years now.  This year is the final one of his Montessori program.  I cried when I took this, as did a teacher who was walking in behind me (God love the weepy parents of Kindergarten kiddos....).

Ready to head in the door

His teacher is beautiful, patient, and kind.  We are so glad he is entering his third (and final) year in her class.

Reflections of a Summer

School has started for Jon, Ethan, and me. Andrew and the rest of our district's kiddos start this Thursday. I always get a little melancholy during this time; even though I am looking forward to teaching my students again and fall is my very favorite season, I always seem to wish I had a few more days at home with my boys.  So, tonight, I took a trip down the memory lane of the summer of 2012..... we had so much fun.  I swear it was the best one yet.

The photo is awkward (maybe an awkward family photos website submission?),
but our memory of North Myrtle Beach is a great one.

Ethan and Andrew enjoyed a few days of My Gym camp.  Ethan is pictured here in Mr. Jared's pirate ship.  He's on the bottom right, beside the kid who is pointing.  The boys adored this camp.  Andrew also did EdVenture and Zoo camp.

This summer, we learned Andrew loves snow crab as much as his mom and grandma do. Yum!

A pensive Dora girl, just a few days after ACL surgery.  She is bopping around like crazy now.

Jon snapped this of Andrew at a late July drum corps show in Charlotte.  Here, he's checking out the Santa Clara Vanguard drumline.  He especially loved the cymbal section.

This is also from the corps show.  One of the highlights was apparently rolling down this hill multiple times.

Back at home in our yard, a bumble enjoys the flowers.

This child loves the water.

More H20 fun.  Counted as bath for the evening.  Not kidding.

Being sprayed by your brother is both exhilarating and annoying.

Just a'swingin'

Busy, wet, sweet feet

Dora enjoys backyard fly hunting.  I think she got one here.

We said goodbye to the "Cozy Coupe" this summer.  Both boys have played with it since they were around 1 year old.  It cost us $15 at a yard sale when we first moved to SC.  Good investment.

Ethan took it for one final backyard spin the other day.

I put it out front with this sign at 6 pm.  Dogs barked at 7:30.  I looked, and it was gone.  We are gradually saying goodbye to all the baby and toddler things. :(

There was much running to be had this summer.  This was my course a few days ago: Clemson Extension.  Beautiful.  Then, I temporarily lost my car key in the sand.  But, I found it soon afterward and all was well.

And the swimming.  Ahhh... We all loved it.  We were in our development's pool nearly every day.

Fun.

We checked out a new photographer and were thrilled with the results.  I am taking a workshop with her next month and am really looking forward to it.

She perfectly captured this orneriness.

And more orneriness.

She made us all feel like models that evening.

This is the favorite.

Farewell, summer of 2012.  You were good to us.  Thank you for helping us become ready for this school year and the exciting things on its horizon.

Corner Perennial Garden: Summer Project #3

Planted this over a month ago, but just got around to snapping a couple of photos tonight.  This was previously an empty, boring section of the back yard.

Ethan's First Full Day at Preschool

Ethan attended his preschool for the first full day today.  He was extremely excited about his Lego Star Wars backpack and Vader lunch box.  He only cried a little in the morning class, and teachers raved about him at the end of the day.  We are proud of our little preschool man.

Taken at our front door this morning before jumping in the car.  The force is strong with this one.



Taken at the end of a VERY GREAT first full day.  He was proud and excited.  And, his favorite color is blue.  Who knew?

Ethan's First Day of Preschool

Today, my baby was eased into his first ever preschool by going for 1/2 day.  Tomorrow will be the same.  He loved it.  Mama was sad.

It is a local Montessori school, but a different one than Andrew's.  (The age cut-off for Andrew's school is September 1, and Ethan's September 11 birthday means he will pretty much always be the oldest kid in his class.)

The first photos are from yesterday morning, when Ethan and I had our introductory meeting with the school director and his teacher.

touring his new classroom with the director

first look at the playground

mommy foresees some muddy clothing...

meeting his teacher

meeting a new classmate

checking out some of the classroom manipulatives

at the school's front door, uniform shirts in hand

And these two photos are from today.

note from the teacher

a little playground sand that fell from these new shoes that he was super proud of this morning....
"I wear my monkey shoes to my school!" 
love the paul frank stuff that target carries.

I took (what I think were) some cute photos of both boys before leaving this morning.  But, there was no memory card in the blasted camera.  Second time I have done that.  Argh.  So, on Monday, when Ethan starts full-day preschool, I will be sure to put that daggone card in and get some good photos.

It hurts my heart that both of our babies are now school children.  But, it is good for them, and us.