Smorgasbord...

This is it.  

The last of my catch up.

Until I get way behind again.

My life is too awesome, I have too many cool things to put up here.  Be jealous.

First: Stanford Football started up again.  We get a family pass every year and go to almost every single home game.  It is has been a fun family activity for many years now.

  

Second: Adell is in preschool.  I signed her up--and told her I was sending her to preschool--in June.  All summer long she cried, "I don't want to go to preschool.  If you take me to preschool will you stay with me the whole time?"  Some time in the spring Adell started having some heavy separation anxiety issues.  Where previously she would skip up to her friends front door, happy for a play date--she would start crying as we pulled into their driveways and beg me to stay.  Even with family, if I left for an evening out or dropped her off at her cousin's house she would cry.  It was heart breaking.  So, I expected the worst once preschool rolled around.  However, whatever separation anxiety she had in the spring and summer was gone by September.  She loves, loves, LOVES preschool.  She loves her teacher, Miss Carrie.  She loves Miss Carrie's house, she loves Miss Carrie's classroom, she loves her classmates.  I am so happy!  One day Miss Carrie took the kids out into her garden and they picked vegetables.  Adell helped me cut all the veggies for a super yummy lunch.  

Third:  I got one year older.  The kids gave me a special date with Will.  My friends threw me a little lunch party in the park...where Colter spread cupcake frosting all over me.  It was a wonderful birthday.

  

Fourth: We moved rooms and children around.  When we moved into this house we only had four children.  Clare and Adell shared a room, Lorien and Wyatt each had their own rooms.  Then we had another baby...but instead of moving the baby in with Wyatt right away we put the baby in a half bath.  (Who needs two and a 1/2 bathrooms--not us?)  The crib fit perfectly.  However, one day instead of taking his nap, Colter climbed out of his crib and onto the bathroom counter behind the crib.  I was horrified thinking about all the harm that could have come to him.  That very day we started moving kids and rooms.

See, the crib fits really well in this 1/2 bath.  See the baby up on the counter?  He had the water on...see the electrical outlet right next to the baby?  Shudder...

Now we have Colter and Wyatt in Lorien's old room.  Clare gets to have a turn having her own room in Wyatt's old room.  Lorien and Adell are in Clare and Adell's old room.  It has worked out just fine.  Sometimes the older kids are frustrated with having to share with the youngest kids but what are they going to do?  Most of the time all is well.  Adell likes to have sleepovers in Lorien's bunk and Wyatt is generous with his room space.

  

Fifth: the flue made it's way through out family in the third week of school.  Colter got it first, then Adell, then Clare and Wyatt, Lorien and I were the last ones to have it...Will escaped.

Sixth: the middle school had it's first dance.  I didn't want Lorien to go.  I convinced her to have her friends over for a movie night instead.  This is what it looks like when four 11 year olds hang out together.

Lots of interpersonal connections being made...lots.

They did put the screens down once Will got the ice cream bar set up...

Seventh: every other week I make Lorien sit still so I can blow dry and flat iron her hair.  The first time it took me a little over an hour.  The second time about 50 minutes.  I am down to 45 minutes now--I don't think I can shave any more time off with out shaving some of Lorien's hair off first.

I deserve a medal for patience.

     

Eighth: Grandma Claudia sent Adell a few packages of seeds this summer.  She planted them and patiently watched for plants to grow.  Here she is, proudly showing off the bean plants.

Ninth: Colter is so much stinkin' trouble.  I think I could put a post up a day with the troublesome things he does.  I cannot keep up.  He is getting bigger, smarter and better control of his physical self.  He knows how to pull a kitchen stool up to the table or kitchen drawers to wreak havoc.  

He is always exceedingly pleased with his accomplishments.  Rascal.  

Tenth: we have 100 thousand miles on our van.  We bought our van used and it only had 16 thousand miles on it.  Keep driving van!  The van ticked over to 100,000 while I was driving home from Wyatt's first soccer game of the season.

I was at a traffic light when I took this picture.  

That is it...ten things that have happened in the late summer early fall over here.  Congratulations on making it to the end of this post.  Now pay the toll and leave a comment.