We have ourselves a safety

Emily began safety duty on Tues.  She passed her test (which is a new requirement) and began with front circle duty.  Next week she'll be assigned elsewhere.  Her favorite part was helping this little boy getting into his grandma's car and  he was so excited about going to his grandma's house and told her all about his day....."HE WAS SO CUTE!" she said.

The worst part was waiting at her post (not supposed to move) with some very old car's engine idling, churning out exhaust "right in her face" all the while, the dad smoking a cigarette with the windows open.  Super YUCK!

She's at the third pole.

Our walks to school have been fantastic....and have run into some old friends!

 

After school waiting for our safety to be done with her duties.  Beautiful days!

 

Gene was in Chicago this week for some training.  He passed his test with flying colors and now is certified as a lead auditor for ISO.  (whatever that means!).....it means he still has a job.

We had parent nights at school and saw what will be expected of the kids.  We are super pleased with their classes and teachers.  Tara had her fall photo taken Friday.  She tried on her pants from last year (just 3 months ago) and they do not fit.....at all....won't even go up!  So, it's time for aunt Diana to visit.....with some fashion advice, since this mom is SO out of it. 

I had a great week making up some chore charts  (easy ways for the kids to take care of all their own jobs without me having to repeat.)

And the best part is....I only look once a week and then REWARD for responsibility.

 

I have been taking cleaning to the next level.....a toothbrush has been involved in my dusting, even cleaned the piano keys.  I'm tellin ya, this is awesome!  There was one mishap where I stepped on a shelf in the laundry room to reach above the cabinets, and the whole thing came down.  It's all good though, it cleared out alot of space in front of the washer...and again I was able to use my toothbrush to scrub what hadn't been scrubbed for a long while.   

 

 

First week of school + this week's pinterest attempts

Emily is the only one I was able to get a photo of in front of the school.

PINTEREST IDEA ATTEMPT #1

We made a special treat for the first day for Jacob's class.....rice krispie treats in the shape of apples.  Tootsie rolls for the stem and smashed green skittles for the leaves. Jacob did most of it himself.  It was a good way for Jacob to "contribute"to his class and get to know new friends.

PINTEREST IDEA ATTEMPT #2

We saw this cute skirt on pinterest  and decided to try it.  It wasn't too bad.  I definately need to improve my sewing skills....but, a straight skirt wasn't too tough.

 We've found with Tara's height, most skirts for her age group are woefully too short.  I'm trying to tactfully add about 3 inches to her dresses.....

PINTEREST IDEA ATTEMPT #3

An idea for my primary class of 7*up lifting was to start your first week of school. 

Wake UP and decide to have a good day.

Dress UP and put on a smile.

Cheer UP and say nice things and have a positive attitude.

Stand UP for what you believe in.

Look UP to the Lord.  He's only  a prayer away.

Reach UP for something higher.  Set some good goals.

Lift UP be a good friend, and help those around you.

Emily and friends after church....all chose to wear large flowers.

We had a successful first week of school.  Thurs and Friday we parked at the YMCA and walked a brisk 20 min. to school to avoid the parking lot and to help energize the kids.  Tara is unhappy because we had to walk another 20 min. back uphill to the car.   In my finest brittish accent....I replied, "It is always best when we begin the day with our morning constitutional."  Insert large eyeroll. 

Gene ran the Hotter than __ _ _ _ 5K.  Only it wasn't so hot.  At 8 am it was only 69*.  But, he took 1:40 off his last 5K time. (Would have done better if the twinge in his calf didn't bother him -had to walk uphill for a bit.)

One last hoorah....summer grilling is really tough to beat.  We love grilled chicken.  The grill master is sharing his secrets to "little grasshopper". 

A walk in the woods

We decided to take ourselves and our new shoes to the woods for a walk. 

It was the best way to break them in for school...that starts in 2 days!!!!

It was the most beautiful day.  It was cool and breezy. 

Jacob gave a family home evening lesson on Monday.  See if you can guess what story this lego set-up is depicting.......Dumbledore makes a good Moses, right?

So, I saw this great idea to take "back to school pictures with your kids".  Usually I take one in front of the school on the first day....but, I thought we'd mix it up this year.  Some people were happy about it....can you see from their smiles???? Peter Pan, Star Wars, Rocks and Minerals, The Dangerous Book for Boys.

We stacked up their favorite books from the summer.  Tara's was The Goose Girl, The secret to Teen Power, Princess Academy and How to be Lovey (Audrey Hepburn)

We found balance was easy for some....

Emily's choices were Emily Climbs, 13 Treasures, The rise and fall of Mount Majestic, and to paint a portrait of a bird.

We found that balance was more difficult for others!!!

We had haircuts, school supply shopping (just a little cuz I know we're going to have to go back for more shortly.  Teachers always have more that they need the first day of school.)

Gene and I moved down the computer from upstairs....the contractor we chose to redo the bathroom (well, get it functional and recarpet can't fit us in until Oct. 29th!  So, we are doing a little bit each week ).  We were rained out of the pool this week...but, are not complaining because the weather is so much cooler. 

One deck down...2 to go

We had a nice day with friends (so sad I forgot to take pictures!) at the YMCA pool. Bob, Cheryl, Adam and Kari came from N.Carolina to visit before Kari heads off to college.

Jacob wanted to be in the pictures....ended up only his fingers were in the photo!  The girls did not plan it, but all of them were wearing hot pink!  So, I had to get a picture of that. We grilled dinner and played games late into the night.  Lots of laughs and stories told by Bob and Gene that I had not heard before about their trip to Canada alone when Bob was 16.  One of which included  being "pulled over" by a Canadian Royal Mounty....and Gene said he didn't know the speed limit was in kmph instead of mph. Purple hazing, fireworks off a deck, Muffler exploding in the middle of traffic on a bridge in Chicago.  Next time I need to record the conversation because there is no way I'll remember all this craziness. 

While we have the yellow trash bin, we decided to take one of the decks down.  It was in such sad shape.  We haven't even gone out there except to practice our fire escapes from our bedrooms!  It was really dangerous.

It was only nailed down.  The boards were warped and broken.

We had some happy helpers for a few minutes.

The best part was hitting the boards up from underneath....with the SLEDGEHAMMER!!!

We got our school schedules/teachers in the mail.  Everyone is happy with what they were assigned. Jacob got the same teacher that Emily had last year. Emily got the teacher she wanted.   Tara was placed in the honors Soc. Studies class because she did so well on the TCAP test....no one told us til yesterday.  She will take choir this year instead of art (that she took last year).  She wanted to take band, but you have to choose an instrument in  6th grade-one year too late.  Oh well.  We will see if they are still this happy about things in 2 weeks!