It’s been a hectic couple of weeks in our family. Jamie was offered a job at his alma mater,
Lakeview High School, and he took it! He
will have a much better work schedule, fewer extra-curricular activities and a
pay raise too! That being said, it’s
been heartbreaking for him to start saying goodbye to his Foley kids. He’s gotten a lot of feedback from students,
parents and co-workers - he is a well-loved teacher who will be greatly missed.
His students are pretty bummed
Last football game at Foley
Don't be fooled - they are ready to claw each other's eyes out over who gets more to drink
We had fun celebrating my Dad's birthday a couple weeks ago! My mom had a bunch of silly "pops"-icle decorations - we love a good theme!
Looking good
Happy birthday to you!
Boy club
Teaching Ben the birthday song - not impressed
So much passion
Look what we can do!
Couldn't resist a sleeping-baby photo
Partners in crime
Evie is stubbornly whining in the background somewhere
Evie started soccer a couple weeks ago. She's not exactly a natural, but she is participating and not terrified - good enough for me!
Clear Eyes. Big Shirt. Can't Lose.
Just watching soccer makes me weary
Helping with soccer games
Game face
Her biggest fan
Maggie was a good babysitter
Not supposed to be a spectator sport!
We went to check out the new Tiger exhibit at the zoo - it was super cool!
So close
A little freaked out
Sometimes they like the bronze statues more than the real animals
Seriously
Angry that it was time to go
The kids had school pictures last week... they are not great at smiling genuinely on cue, so I do not have high hopes. Took a few photos before they messed up their hair!
Maggie - Age 6
Typical morning for Evie at age 4
Open your eyes!
A few others:
We celebrated Uncle Walt's 80th birthday this weekend!
We looked over and Evie was quietly eating an entire bowl of chips hoping no one would notice
Date night with his lady
This face...
Ben is all about the spoons now - eating, drumming, hitting himself, whatever...
It’s back to school time, an exciting and busy time of year. Maggie started school the week before Labor
Day. The girl had absolutely no fears or
concerns, and happily began first grade with hardly a look back at
me. It feels good to see her so
comfortable, and so far it seems to be going great!
Ready to own first grade
Obligatory photo
Bye, Mom
Maggie and her teacher
Getting settled at her desk
After a good first day
Evie started 4-year old preschool after Labor Day. The week before we visited her classroom to
play a little and meet her teacher. She
was super excited until we got there, and then she was really anxious to leave
as soon as possible. Not surprisingly, drop-off
on the first day was pretty rough. I
kept my cool, gave her some love and then walked away while she sobbed
helplessly behind me… that was hard. She
had a great day though, and is a happy participant at school. Drop-offs continue to be clingy, but she’s
getting a little better. Change is always
hard for our little one.
We made a floam snake
First day of school - excited at home!
...terrified at school
How can I leave this little face?
Ben started daycare too!
He goes two days a week, and Grandma watches him the other three. He is happy as a clam wherever he is, and
this was my least difficult baby to leave at daycare! Unfortunately he got a stomach virus
immediately and has been consistently blowing out at least one outfit every day
since… yay germs.
Just plug your nose and you'll love me...
Sitting like a champ now!
This is a video of Ben laughing at the girls. I've watched it like 50 times because it makes my day.
Jamie and I have been married 9 years! We’re a pretty fantastic team, and I’m so
thankful to have him as my partner. Amy
is a saint and came over to watch our 3 kids plus her 2 kids so that we could
go to Selden for a fancy dinner! The
kids had a great time, and so did we!
My guy
Shooting hoops
Got everything under control
Jamie took the kids to the zoo on Labor Day weekend when I really
needed a break from the chaos for a while… also a saint.
Checking out the new red panda exhibit
Not a real giraffe
Chillin with the polar bear
Too cool for the zoo
I wonder how many pictures we have in front of these horses...
Here’s some others from the past couple weeks:
Dinner date with Daddy
This is how they play soccer
First swing... he must remain stationary though
Sleeping beauty
Ready for the first football game (which he happily slept through)
Evie has a fear of the bunk bed falling on her... so every few nights I come upstairs to find her on the floor...
Maggie lost two teeth during her first week of school!
