School has started

Just a short update.

The Princess started school (1st grade) on Wednesday and is loving it.

The Prince starts next Thursday and we went to his open house last night.

I will be subbing as needed at the church school and there is a possibility that I will be offered the church secretary position.

Fishing Guy and I start as Youth Leaders tonight for a Tailgate Party between the JV and Varsity High School Football games. We have our first teaching night next Wednesday.

It is likely that I will be taking a break from blogging. If you have any reason to get in touch with me, feel free to email.

The Last Week

Fishing Guy had a 3 day weekend (Friday-Sunday) last week.

Saturday, we had our first youth leader's meeting, which went well. I'm excited for the things we have planned. We went to a friend's house for dinner that night. Sunday was church. Fishing Guy mentioned after we got home that he was tired of everyone making such a fuss when he comes. I told him to come more often and that wouldn't happen.

Monday, I have no idea what we did right now. The last couple of days have made up for that though.

Tuesday, I watched 2 boys, in addition to my 2, all day, while the men went fishing. Fishing Guy brought home 2 Coho's though. It was also my Mom's birthday!

Wednesday, I tried to get some little projects done around the house. I finally figured out how I burned the last photo CD on this new computer and got the vacation photos burned for my mom. I also spent a couple of hours working on the class information for a scrapbooking class I'm going to start teaching at church. The only local scrapbook store closed last fall and no one else has opened up, so I don't feel like I'm stepping on any toes. I have about 5 people interested in just a couple of days.

Wednesday evening, another friend brought over 2 of their kids for the night, while they headed to the hospital to have their fourth baby. Baby Girl* was born at 6:54 yesterday morning. It was a night that reminded me why I'm very happy not to be starting over with an infant.

*Baby Girl still didn't have a definite name by afternoon. No rush with the 4th I guess. :o)

We spent yesterday morning watching cartoons, watching it rain and snacking. It was our last Thursday playgroup, so we went swimming at the pool and then we all (3 moms and 10 kids) went out for frozen yogurt. I took everyone up to the hospital after that to see the new addition to the family and take Dad home for a shower and a nap. I got home about 6:15 pm and Fishing Guy was still at work. He came home to see the kids at 8 pm and then went back in for I don't know how long. I was asleep when he came home and was still asleep when he went back this morning.

Today, I have to go to Costco and shop for the food for the church's End of Summer Party (tomorrow). I also have to pick up some wood for the fire, since the forecast is for temps in the 50*'s and it's rained for 20-some days straight. Oh Joy.

The Princess also finds out who her teacher is today and the class lists should be posted. School starts in 5 days and she is so excited. It's going to be harder on me to have her gone for 7 hours a day. The Prince starts Kindergarten the next Thursday.

I best get moving if I'm going to get out of the house in time.

That Hurt

The kids had their immunizations yesterday and in true form, they managed to surprise me again. We have been talking about these stupid shots for a year with The Princess because she is so worried about them. She heard the word shot and was in tears, hollering about not wanting them. So I stalled. I stalled until yesterday was the last day before the registration and I had no choice.

I made the appointment for 10 am and the kids were pumped up. The Prince knew he had 3 shots and we had worked out a plan for them. I thought that The Princess only had one and we were prepared for one, BUT we got to the office and checked in and the nice nurses told me they had to do another PPD this year. Seems the private school isn't considered part of the school district and the guidelines for new students are for the school district. Gah.

So now I have a pile of screaming goo at my feet, upon hearing that I lied to her and she's saying over and over that she will only do ONE shot. Nice. All the prep work down the toilet in one sentence.

The Prince meanwhile is playing calmly with his toys and telling me that he's just fine with his 3 shots. With a grin.

I tried to knit and that was a joke. The needles went back in the bag and I ended up with The Princess on my lap, very close to tears and we hadn't even been out of the waiting room yet.

After a couple of millennia, the nurse calls us back and we do height and weight measurements without fuss. The Princess wanted to be first for shots, so she didn't have to be scared anymore, so she came in first and The Prince waited in the waiting room.

We (2 nurses and myself) got her in the room, closed the door and she freaked out, full on with the kicking and screaming and crying. I finally sent her back out to the waiting room to calm down and The Prince came in.

We told him getting the shots in his leg would hurt less, so he pulled his pants down a bit, hopped up on my lap and we sang our ABC's while they did all 3 shots. Not a sob or a tear. He picked an airplane out of the prize chest and went to tell The Princess about his toy.

When I peek back into the waiting room, The Princess is now wrapped in a little fleece blanket, holding 3 toys for a buffer and looks worse than when I sent her out of the room. We get her in the room again and it's full on war. I had most of her controlled, but at the first poke she kicked and knocked the shot out of her leg and onto the floor. Thank goodness the needle didn't break in her leg! The nurse had to go get another one ready and then we tried again.

By this time, she's yelling about 3 shots and how she's already done one and that we're hurting her. The nurse was back in a flash with a new shot and they jabbed her quickly. The PPD was the last one and we managed to hold her still for 6 seconds while the other nurse got it done.

The kicker is that less than 2 minutes after all of this, The Princess is back to her normal self. Laughing and being adorable. Showing off the little bunny the nurse drew around the PPD site. So cute in fact, that the nurse brought out her 6 week old baby to show us.

We go back Friday to check the PPD bump a.k.a. Pet the Bunny.

The Princess has already asked me if she gets to dig in the prize chest for that...

Week in Review

Thanks to Snapper's comment this morning, I realized it had been a week since I updated. How does that happen??

Last week:

I spent the morning Wednesday catching up on the laundry and cleaning up the downstairs. I was down to two baskets when we headed out for a short playdate in the afternoon.

Thursday, Fishing Guy had the day off and I headed down to help a woman from church that just had a baby. She is actually from Estonia and is still adjusting to living in the U.S. I put together the crib, vacuumed the living room, did a few dishes for them and got to hold the baby for a little bit. The baby is very sweet and very small - about 6 pounds going home weight. Even after the cuteness, I do not feel any urge to have more kids. Whew!

When I got home, we got ready for playgroup and were heading out the door when Trooper pulled up. He was in town to testify in one of his cases. We chatted for a while, I took the kids (late) to playgroup and came home to cook dinner. Trooper and Fishing Guy were playing video games - just like old times.

Friday, one of The Princess' friends from school came over for a playdate. They got here at 10 am and she went home at 2 pm. Thankfully, she's not any trouble or I would have lost my mind. The Prince is really feeling out of the loop because he doesn't have his own playdates yet. I'm working on that and I know as soon as school starts, he'll have a class full of kids he wants to play with.

Saturday was pretty relaxing. I did more house stuff and we hired our first sitter for the evening. Fishing Guy and I had a dinner to attend for his work and since we don't have trusted neighbors anymore, we had to hire a sitter. I'm proud to say I managed fine and the kids had a blast!

Sunday was church in the morning and I didn't really do much in the afternoon. I chatted on the phone and watched some TV. I didn't get very much sleep, so I was pretty out of it. Fishing Guy took the kids in the evening to clean out his truck and I went for a walk while there was a break in the rain.

Yesterday it was NOT raining so we headed out on a short bike ride at 11 am to the school playground and it turned into a marathon 5 mile trek around half of the valley. We were about to head home from the school when a good friend and her kids pulled up. They were out on a bike ride too and asked if we wanted to join them. The kids were excited and we headed off. We made it back to our house about 2:30 pm and I made lunch for everyone. The kids played until 4 pm and they headed home. My behind is quite upset with me today and I'm actually glad it's raining again because that means I won't have to bike anywhere today.

So for today, I have a baby shower to attend tonight. I'm in charge of the games again, so that is painless. The kids will stay home with Dad.

I have to call the Dr. and get The Princess in for her last shot before school starts. She is scared to death because of last year's 5 shot ambush, but it's got to be done. I have to register her on Thursday to go to public school (first grade) and I'm freaked out about it. It's such a long day for them - 7 hours and I know nothing about the school because they don't share much information with parents. Totally frustrating.

The Prince will be heading off to Kindergarten this fall too, but at the church school with a 3 hour day and an environment I am very comfortable with. Oh well, I'll get through it.

I better call the Dr. now if I have any hope of getting her in this week.

Goodbye July

I can't believe it's already August...

It's still raining and so I plan to distract myself today by updating my photo CD's, catching up on emails and playing Diner Dash. I've been wanting to start a new book and I need to finish the dishcloth I'm working on.

I might even help with the design of a baby announcement for a friend.

If I still have time, I guess I better do the laundry and pick up a few things around the house.

Happy Tuesday!