Run Frank Run!

 I don't have to tell you how crazy my life is... But I'm going to.

Almost 3 weeks ago, we took on Leon's twin siblings.  Each 1.5 years old.  Well, one think she's 16.  Not sure when they'll go back to their mom.  It depends on events this week.  

Ryan is currently not working, so the timing is perfect and he is proving what a great dad he would be for more toddlers in the house.  He's doing a bulk of the caring of them.  I currently have my feet up and am working from my garage office, where it's quiet and I don't have kids climbing on me for attention or passing gas in my lap.

Today is the first day of school for Leon, so he's juggling the kids inside right now while Leon gets to work on his online classes.  Not a lot scheduled today but he does have a live lesson via zoom in a little while.  Hopefully the noise barrier won't be broken by the twins while he's on.

Here are his first day of school pics featuring a mask he made last semester and treasures.  

He holds it on by biting a bit of duct tape attached to the inside...

The kids and I rented a cabin a couple weeks ago and I'll tell you about that another time.

We're making new memories and creating a new life in memory of Robb.

He's always in my thoughts.

Oh, the reason for the Run Frank Run title.  The twins LOVE Frank the cat that lives here too.

To death...

Run Frank Run!

Lasts Before First

LAST day of Kindergarten!!!! *sob*

The Lilacs are in bloom so instead of the kids posing in front of the black eyed susans, ya get lilacs.

Since selfies are in bloom too, we've started a new tradition.  Selfies with Grandma on the last day of school!  I hope this is a tradition that continues...

Meri and I went and had lunch with him.  I'd sent a sack lunch with him that morning, but when we saw him coming down the hall without it, I whispered, Hey!  Didn't you forget your lunch? 

He whispered back, "They're having ice cream at lunch... shhh.."  hmmm.  School lunch trumps a homemade PB&J...  Instead he got a sack lunch from the school with an uncrustable PB&J. 

Afterwards, Meri took off but I worked from the corner of the kindergarten room while the kids sat on the rug and watched a movie.  The teacher was frantically trying to put together a very difficult puzzle that the kids had given up on and thrown back on a shelf.  I asked if that was a requirement for her to complete it before the movie got over or she'd have to repeat that grade.  She was not amused...

After school.  Leon was the caboose and here is him with his classmates as we walked down the hall for the last time in this grade.

And Leon with his BFF (as of yesterday) Liam.

AND as a quick flashback, here was the first day of school, clear back in August of 2017...

WHAAAA!!!!

There Will Be Tears

 The first day of Leon's kindergarten year. 

The first day of Meri's Senior year.

I was up at the crack of dawn, sitting for 30 minutes at the wrong venue before I found out the mother's were setting up elsewhere.  So I dashed over there and got assigned drink pouring duty. And apparently the Tigger/Pooh waffle iron was just too cute to use...  I'm batting a zero so far.

BUT I got some good shots of Meri and her friends at the Senior breakfast and got to talk to a few moms that had kids the same ages as mine.

Then all the Seniors gathered outside the high school for the class picture.  I scanned the kid's faces looking for my Meri and didn't see her at all.  So I called her.  

She was inside with some friends taking pictures there...

She and Perla were wearing crowns.  Don't you have all DAY for that??

So with her almost in tears for missing the BIG pic of the year and me for having missed her being in it, I got this one.  

Anyone know how to photo shop them into the big one?  sigh...

Then I hightailed it over to the elementary school, a whole 3 blocks away and got to see Leon sitting with his classmates before they headed back to the kindergarten room.

I'm sitting at my desk now about to melt into tears of all kinds.  It's going to be a rough day.

First Day Schooling

Let me just say right from the start... The back yard looks great!

Maddy started her first day of school yesterday.  Here are the first day photos that I have so far that I was able to glean off the live streaming of the chapel services.  It helps that Matthew has blond hair too when I attempt to find her...  

Maybe she'll send me an updated one...

Meri's first day is TODAY!!!  And here she is all bright eyed and bushy tailed, even after the evening before...

what a seg way...

Speaking of the evening before...

Meri mowed the back yard for me, late yesterday afternoon.  I told her that I'd close the gate for her since she had to get to marching band practice soon.  She wasn't feeling well and the fact that she stepped on my weed wacker the day before didn't help.  Her foot was bleedy and feeling swollen.  So I made her a B-Bop's burger, which is a chain in Central Iowa.  They use freshly packed burger patties and not frozen.  They are wonderful...  

So I made her one with bread.  Shaped the patty to be a bit bigger than the bread so it would shrink down appropriately, put on a slice of cheese, a couple slices of tomato, a few rings of fresh cut onion and their sauce, which I think tastes like mayo mixed with ketchup.  She really enjoyed it!  

A friend was having a crisis so she stayed later than she should have.  I texted her to take care of the dogs when she got home. And then again 10 minutes later when she didn't get home yet.  Then again 10 minutes after that...

FINALLY she got home and we heard the front door open and her taking the dogs out.  Whew... I could finally get some sleep now.  But suddenly I jerked awake remembering that I hadn't shut the gate like I said I would.

dang.

I pulled on a bathrobe and shoes and headed out where she was already looking around for the dogs.  The two trouble makers came in right away.  One is on a chain because he really IS a trouble maker and digs holes under the fence, but Ellie coming in immediately was a shocker...  Duke was on the run or hobble.  He's getting really old and is mostly deaf and has a hurt foot too.  Meri walked one way down the street and me the other, whisper shouting his name.  

Like a lot of good THAT would do...  Since he can't hear us anyway...

For over 30 minutes, I wandered the street in my bathrobe in the pitch dark in some blocks.  Meri ended up driving all over looking for him.  I eventually gave up.  I figured that Duke would most likely be sleeping on the front porch in the morning or at least we'll have light then to search better.  I tried to explain that to Meri when she drove past again, but she was adamant that we find him tonight.  

YOU HAVE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL TOMORROW!!!!  Go get some sleep!  She finally relented but was going to go on one last run about the corn fields in case he wandered into them.  

He would so get lost in there as old as he is...

I walked back home in the dark wondering what recent photo I had of him that I could post on FB in the morning so my neighbors could keep lookout for him.

I've got some hearing loss too, so Duke isn't the only one.  But when I was within a block from home I suddenly heard a very creepy breathy whispery heh heh heh sound.  I stopped.  Did a complete 360, thinking that it was either Duke following me or some serial killer with emphysema.  

Neither.

The sound had stopped so I started walking again.  

Creepy breathy whispery heh heh heh again.

I stopped.  Coming out behind one of our cars was that dog...  He must have been running by the creek.  He was all sweaty and out of breath.  But of course, he's like that just walking from the laundry room to the kitchen... so who knows?

I called Meri and she had just pulled in but wasn't coming in.  Come ON girl!  So I went back outside and she was texting some friends in the car and sobbing.  I'm sure she had probably been crying as she drove around.

What a way to start your first day back!

So I had to wake her up this morning.  

TOO early...  She'll get the hang of this school thing again soon.

First day of revelations.

First day of school for both my girls.  

Unfortunately I didn't get them in front of the black eyed susans...  I will remedy that for Meri this evening.  SO WHAT if it's not just before she left the house!!!  It'll be an end of the first day photo.

And THIS one of Maddy is actually from the back to school party on Friday night.  She's having a ball as a mini-mini-mama RA.  I had to live vicariously through Facebook for her first day of school.  I hope someone snaps a photo of her today too!  You hear that sweetie?

As usual the weekend was a blur.  We've been working on the house, getting ready for the appraisal this week.  Refinancing, not moving.  It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate that you don't want anyone else to see...

Why is it accumulating???!  Maybe because we feel like someone will want it someday and we just don't know what to do with it...   It brings up more questions than that actually...  Like, When will I get a craft/sewing room back to store my fabric stash in?  Why won't people take things with them when they move out?  Why won't people move out?  Will they ever ask where this item is?  Do you think I can get away with being ruthless?  Etc.  

I'm tired of being the hoarders store house...  But things are going to change!!!  

Not before Wednesday, but I have a dream.

Primus dies schola!

That means the "First Day of School" in Latin. Makes you feel smart to know that now, doesn't it? Educated almost?! Yeah - I did a Google translate on it...
Today was the first day of school. I almost felt like I was starting back to school as I prepared for the day and Meri helped me with morning chores. Took the girls pictures just before Maddy left and then finished breakfast. Drove Meri to school for the first day only!

Last night we got them new tennis shoes and a few new clothing items, some of which they're wearing. Wear something Mom made for the first day of school? no way! But no problem... I know they've got mom-made pencil bags and fanny packs in their bags.
Do you like Meri's new bookbag? Quite snazzy! and she still owes me a bit of cash for it because it cost more than the limit I'd put on them. But it will definitely stand out in a hall full of backpacks strewn every which way.Also her new look? She used chalk in her hair for the coloring and put on some glitter eye shadow before I knew she was going to do that. It's on a bit thick.. I just hope it doesn't flake down into her eyes during the day... Watery eyes are always attractive, huh?
We had a quick prayer before we all went our separate ways. Doesn't hurt to ask God to watch over these kids for the new school year!

I did love having them home over the summer, but it will be nice to spend more lunch time sewing rather than making sure they all get a decent lunch or woken up. And I'll just grab a quick salad before heading back to work.

Parent's meetings start already tonight! This year is starting out hopping!

1st day of school blues...

Well - they're gone. The house is quiet until my son wakes up. Maddy left early with Robb so she could help greet freshmen with balloons and hugs (I think... she wasn't too clear on the 2nd part). She's on the student council and got to give a mini speech on their orientation night Monday.

So Meri stayed with me and I made her her favorite breakfast and a 1/2 cappuccino, because that international foods coffee stuff is expensive! Tomorrow she'll have to make her own breakfast again like she has for the last 2 years. She's an excellent cook!

THEN she started getting melancholy...

"I think I'll stay home with you."

"Today's not a good day to start 5th grade!"

"It's a new building! I'm going to get lost! I don't know where to go!"

But it was all said with her grinning at me behind her massive lock of hair that was hanging over her left eye. (SOOO Violet from the Incredibles, that one...) I think she wanted to see if I'd fall for her nervousness. She's only been talking wistfully about going back to school since the middle of July!

Um yeah... Sorry! You're going. Unless of course you want to see your mom thrown in jail for not obeying the law... Ain't gonna happen chicky!
Since the girls were leaving at different times today, we took the 1st day of school pics last night with the sun glaring in their eyes. Meri is wearing a different top today tho. I thought a sweater top might be too much for August.

She left me a note in the car as I drove her over to the middle school. My baby is going to miss me!!!

Kudos to you teachers out there! You guys are so brave to be dealing with 5th grade mood swings!