for a giggle

Overheard from the backseat

as we were picking Lacie up from school...

Andrea: "I just can't believe Lacie is going to Clifton now!"
Lacie: "Yeah, I'm a [Clifton] Caterpillar now!"
Andrea: "You're getting to be so grown up. I'm so proud of you. You're not my little sister anymore... you're my BIG little sister."


-- says the Kindergartner.

First Day!!

Here we are, again! Another year, another start of school.

Can you believe this was just 1 year ago?!


Today - sooo much more "grown-up"


Andrea w/ her new teacher, Ms Sommers


Andrea wasted no time finding a seat and getting started on her drawing. I practically had to shout her name to get her to look up and say 'good-bye' when I left!



This year's new addition...

LACIE-LOO!


I can't be-lieve she's already starting school! Crazy.


At least her teachers had fair warning. :)


Yes, yes, I know I'm the hovering parent - much less ready for my kids to go to school than my kids are to leave! I realize I have nothing to worry about - Andrea LOVES school. She asked if she could live at school last year. And she's literally the model student. Plus she's brilliant AND way advanced, so she's already leaps and bounds ahead of everyone in the class. Being the oldest doesn't hurt.
Lacie, on the other hand, is another story. The kid is a medical miracle for starters. She had to be a fighter from the beginning just to survive. That said, we already know she'll have more obstacles in her learning and development. But she'll sure give them a run for their money! Her quirky looks, crafty cunning and loving nature make you want to beat your head against the wall, then melt when she gives you a huge hug and says how great you are.
So good luck, teachers!
I say that with half of me wanting to laugh, "haha suckers!" and the other half of me glaring, "if you do anything to hurt my kid..."
This year should be interesting, if nothing else!

My Boys

Seriously! Aren't they adorable?!



Okay, maybe "manly" is a more flattering description. But really, you can't honestly say Mark looks even close to his age. No fair!

PTAaaargh!

I spent all of last year trying to disband the PTA at the pre-school Andrea attended.
That didn't work out so well.
...
This year I'm PTA President.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

While I won't go so far as to call PTA as a whole lame, unnecessary and pointless, I will say that having a PTA at a 1-yr pre-school is pretty ineffective. Especially if that pre-school happens to be the first introduction to the public school system for most of the parents. Who largely don't speak English. And generally don't have a clue about what's going on in the first place. And have their 4-yr olds translating for them. Which is super since, as we all know, 4-yr olds understand everything. And can relay everything with perfect accuracy.

The city of Irving has the most diverse population of all of North Texas. Clifton Pre-school (in Irving) has more than 53 nationalities represented. FIFTY-THREE.
So you can imagine how signing up parents for the PTA would be a whole lot of fun! Know what's even more fun? Meetings! Yay!

So how do I take down this organization?
One suggestion I got last year was to spike the punch at class parties, but I'd rather not go to jail. And I have a sneaky suspicion that might actually get MORE parental involvement...

Any ideas?

Fun in Spring

No, not the season. I wish! Spring, TX is now the home to the lovely Thiele family. We got in a short visit before school started and hated to leave! Their home is GORGEOUS! No kidding. Stunning. Functional. Beautiful. Spacious. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. And of course they got an absolute steal of a deal. Go Thieles! We're so happy for them, and even happier we get to enjoy the fruits of their labors! haha
I meant to get pics of their gorgeous abode, but somehow only took pics of people. Hmmm. Oh well! We had a great time, and can't wait to go back!


COUSIN TIME!




We get a little crazy around family...




Playing in the fountains / dying of the heat ...



Thank you, Thieles!!

Because I can't sleep...

The other night Andrea asked me, "Mom, what is the secret to falling asleep? How do you do it?"
I fear I have passed along my horrible insomnia genes to my poor kiddos. How lame. I hate not being able to sleep.
Tonight I'm attempting to be "productive" while I'm not-sleeping. So I'm on laundry load #5, mastered 4-suit Spider Solitaire, worked a bit on my brass arrangement of O Holy Night, watched 2 episodes of Without a Trace, planned out some meals, put away groceries, cleaned up the bathroom, killed approx. 200 ants, and threw the food out that they had invaded.
Don't applaud. It's more than I've done all week.
Seriously.

But now I'm a wee tired out, so this post is going to be the 'random picture update' post.
Ready?


1. Lock & Lock

My new ally in my war against ants. Tonight I watched in glee as ants literally swarmed the container, but could not penetrate the air-tight seal to reach my yummy chocolate wafers. Woo-ha-ha! Take that, ants!



2. Hyrum isn't always the most photogenic




3. We love friends.

My kids were thrilled to host some friends overnight when the a/c at their house went out. (I was happy, too; just not in the picture)



4. Lacie still falls asleep in strange, uncomfortable-looking places




5. Mark is a great Daddy




6. Andrea is growing up way too fast...




7. ...but she is still best friends with Lacie...




8. ... who loves to be naked.




9. Hyrum makes a cute duck.




10. Mark is a hottie




11. Nothing says CUTE like pig-tails with big, pink bows.

My house smells like BLEACH.

This morning Mark woke me up by asking,
"Do you want me to show you what I caught or just get rid of it?"

Hmmm.
Apparently having a hole in your garage wall into your pantry is the equivalent of laying out a Welcome mat.
We've been waging a war against ants all year. Betty Crocker and Nabisco have been the main casualties. I'd cry every time I had to throw out another box of Oreos, but it got personal when I found them in my make-up.
For a while there I thought they'd prevail. It seemed no amount of spray or bug bombing would deter the little pests. So I switched to playing defense and started purchasing air-tight containers. Not a small endeavor, by the way. Or cheap. At one point I considered just switching us all to a permanent diet of Taco Bell. But my kids don't like burritos.
Anyhoo,
the air-tight containers seemed to do the trick. That is, for the ants, anyway. Then a couple of weeks ago I noticed droppings. Aargh! and GROSS! I hate mice (said in my whinniest voice). So we got some traps, loaded them with Peanut Butter and waited. Mark said he heard the traps go off about an hour later, but nothing was there. So he got out the rat trap. Unfortunately, that is what we caught.
Can I just say I am sooooo incredibly creeped out by that?! I don't care how cute Pixar's Ratatouille was. SICK. Sick. Sick. Sick.
Enter the bleach. Lots of bleach.

So I wasn't too surprised at the bleach fumes later this morning.

Oh yeah, the critter Mark caught? A possum.