Let the fun begin!

We got the keys to the house yesterday! Woo-hoo! Now comes the fun (and hard) part!

This is what we started with. I am NOT a fan of yellow. So last night Dan put the kids to bed while I spent about 3.5 hours working on the kitchen. I always forget how long it takes to tape everything. I think that's the worst part of painting.


I went back over this morning after dropping David off at school and finished up the kitchen paint (I had to get more tape to finish the edges). This is how it looks now! We plan on changing so very many things as time & finances allow. First will be the floor, then door hardware, counter tops, stove, etc. We'll get it looking really nice eventually, but for now I think the green makes a huge difference!

Now we just have to paint the office, 3 bedrooms, and playroom. I would have started on something else this morning if I'd had time, but Katy got up at 6:45 this morning. She usually gets up between 7:30 and 8. So she was rather difficult. She cried most of the drive back to the apartment because she ripped her paper cup. She was able to verbalize that she was sad because her paper cup ripped when she took it off her elbow, but not able to comprehend that it didn't matter and we would get her another one as soon as we got home. Silly girl.

The Various Startings of School

Well, when you have a kindergartner you don't just get one first day of school. This year we had three different days! Here they are!


The real, official first day of school was September 2nd. David got to go, Ryan didn't yet. Look how cool and composed David is. I guess this is the fourth different school he's gone to, this is old hat to him!

I saw a blog where the lady had cut out big numbers of the grade the kids were in to hold up in their first day of school pictures. I thought about doing that. But this is what we ended up with instead! So Ryan doesn't get to do anything (I suppose I could have had him do the sign for "k"...), and he'll run out of fingers for grades 11 and 12. But he might not really want to do it at that point anyway...




First day of school, take two! On the second day of school for David Ryan got to go for part of the day. It was called their "smart start," and they got to do fun things and have ice cream!
So excited about school!
Waiting to go in. I guess his face was getting tired from all the pictures...
Katy wanted her picture taken, too. I guess it's hard to not be the center of attention when you're so used to it! And what's up with her hair trying to escape the ponytail already?




And finally, Ryan's first real day of school. He gets to go all day! Yeah, Evergreen School District has decided to have the kindergartners go on A track (Mondays, Thursdays, and some Wednesdays) or B track (Tuesdays, Fridays, and the other Wednesdays) instead of Morning or Afternoon. It's to save on transportation costs. I'm still undecided about how much I like it. Today is awesome, with both boys at school all day! But tomorrow, Wednesday, and Friday Ryan has to hang out with us the whole day. At least I'm not having to drive to the school and back three times a day! And Ryan is really excited about getting to eat lunch at school.

Look at all those school supplies they wanted! It sure added up!

So now Katy and I have lots of girl time! This morning I asked her what she wanted to do for girl time, and she said "Watch d-d-Dora (can't convince her that it's just called Dora)!" I told her that she probably could. Then she told me "You play on the puter, Mommy." I guess she's figured out that I'm more likely to let her keep watching TV if I'm occupied. Silly girl!

Preview...

I spent all that time updating the blog, only to get a bit behind again. The past week has been David's first day of school, Ryan's "Smart Start" (first half day to be assigned a teacher), my birthday, and Ryan's first full day of school (he goes all day M, Th, and some W). I have lots of pictures to post! But Katy and I are going to a lunch group that starts in 1 minute, so I'll have to just do quick preview. Today is Ryan's first day of all day kindergarten, and I don't think I've ever seen him more excited in his entire life! Look at that grin!

Blog Ketchup #7 - Girly Girl!

You know how sometimes you look forward to something for a long time, then it doesn't live up to your expectation? Having a girl isn't like that. It is SO much fun! And so different than having a boy. I'm sure I reinforce some of her girly behaviors, but I couldn't mold her to the extreme that she is.


I like to keep Halloween costumes in the dress up clothes so they can get some more use. Recently Katy discovered her Tinkerbell costume from last year (it's been in her closet the whole time we've lived here, but apparently she didn't notice...), and she really likes wearing it!

So here she is, being Tinkerbell, playing with a pink castle. And not just that, but setting up the table and chairs and putting the people in them! Not long before this picture, it was all in the closet put away. She did this all by herself!

Seriously, the boys have never done anything like this. I dont' know what I expected her to do with them, but I certainly didn't see her doing this at 2 years old. Such a little homemaker!

And please disregard the princess' birth mark. Somebody clearly messed up when painting her eyes, but thought it was good enough to sell anyways. I briefly considered taking it back, but didn't think it was worth returning the whole entire castle for one problem on the princess. So apparently this toy is also teaching us the worthwhile message of accepting others' differences...

Blog Ketchup to be done by Dan - Crabbing!

My grandpa took Dan, David, Ryan, and my cousin Randy with 2 of his boys crabbing a couple weeks ago! Now that I'm all motivated to update the blog I will have to assign this post to him!

He sure likes it when my motivation means more work for him...

Blog Ketchup #5 - Morrill-Style Camping!

I took a break in catching up the blog, and forgot to get back to it. That happens a lot to housework around here, too.

So last month when we were at my parents' house the boys & I went "camping." We slept in sleeping bags in a tent, so it counts. True, we didn't leave civilization (or my parents' yard...), but this is as much as I'm willing to do at this point. The kids are just too dumb right now to take somewhere where there are so many ways to get seriously hurt or lost.

David & Ryan started out VERY EXCITED! I, not so much, but an amazing mother such as I has to make sacrifices sometimes!

Here's Ryan, smiling nicely...

Here's David...um...what's wrong with him? Apparently we need to work on our "smile for a picture" skills...

See, I was there too! I realized there hasn't been a picture of me in like 12 posts. That's what happens when you're always the one holding the camera. The only pictures of you include your arms stretched out in the corners.

Here is how far we went on our camping trip. I must say, camping is much less miserable with a kitchen and a bathroom so close!


Anyhow, I tucked the boys in, then went inside to hang out until my bedtime. I imagined them being too excited to sleep and was just going to let them enjoy the experience.

Then David came in crying. They were out there thinking of all the bad things that could happen to them. They were, in particular, worried about an earthquake opening the ground under them. No why would they worry about that?

When we were setting up the tent they were talking about how a tornado could come and blow it away. I told them we don't have tornadoes here, we have earthquakes. Good going, mommy!

So I ended up reading between them until my bedtime.

And we all woke up with the sun.

Hopefully that got it out of their systems and we won't have to do that for a long time!

a break in the catch up, and a glimse into my crazy brain...

David just helped Katy wash her hands. What did that make him?

A sister assister!

Okay, so apparently assister isn't a word. Assist, assisted, assistance, but not assister. I still think it's funny!