Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Firsts and Lasts

First year at middle school....





Last year at middle school....




First year being at school together in a few years...

Last year being at school together for a few years!

The first day of school was an overall success for everyone. Both girls woke up on time, had good hair, and stylish gear. There was a little bit of confusion when first and second lunch got switched, and the bus was in the wrong place after school, but other than that, it was a good day.
Now we just have to do it 179 more times until it is summer again!!

Friday, August 14, 2009

I tried harder today...

...and got to take pictures at Day 2 of orientation. (Maybe they were scared that I'd actually come when school was in session?!?)


Welcome to Ashley's locker. Have you met her? This is sooooo Ashley! (Morgan's friends had locker envy!) She needs to do some babysitting so she can get her disco ball and mirror next!


Ashley and her friend Sam in front of Ashley's locker...


...and down the hall in front of Sam's locker. Sam is our next door neighbor. She and Ashley have four classes together, and have plans to eat lunch together. I'm so glad she'll have a friend for this transition!!



Yesterday the 6th graders were the only ones allowed to come to orientation. Today the 7th and 8th graders were able to come. Morgan had fun seeing her friends, skipping in hallways, and comparing schedules.


School shopping is done and we are ready for a great first year of middle school for Ashley and last year of middle school for Morgan!!!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Life in the Whirlwind a.k.a. That's SOOO Nerdy

If you couldn't tell from the title, life hasn't settled down much for us over the summer. This has been without a doubt, the busiest--yet most fun--summer we've ever had. High School Musical was a tremendous opportunity for the girls, and someday I will post pictures...someday. Dave decided on and started work on his Master's Degree in Addictions Counseling. I have worked as a "stage mom", also as a committee member/curriculum designer on a board to form a new charter school, and also as a spokes model for my current school (I just said model to make me feel better about my nightmarish news story on the Fox 5 morning show), oh and not to forget being the stand-in R.S. Pres while Barbara was gone for a month (So glad she's home!!!). Now it is August 13th/"back to school" time, and I feel like we haven't even had a break yet!! Oh well, breaks are for sissies! (Or something like that??)

So, I've never really been a fan of those blog posts that tell you everything the author did in a day, but in an attempt to catch my breath and figure out where my time goes, I'm going to do just that. Feel free to stop reading. Also on my To-Do List (somewhere towards the bottom, I'm sure), is to make my next blog book. I would like to capture a few days of our whirlwind existence in writing so we can remember all of these things. As crazy as life is all the time, we feel so blessed with opportunities and are enjoying the kids so much! Oh yeah, and just in case you quit reading before the list, this post is also known as "That's soooo nerdy" because I feel like I've been told that sooooo many times this past week. (Not naming any names, Morgan and Ashley!) ♥


  • Woke up early, showered, did hair and make-up (Totally noteworthy!!!)
  • Drove Ashley and friend/neighbor, Sam, to middle school orientation
  • Stayed in the lunchroom as long as possible before new principal kicked out parents
  • Ran home, googled info about the Old School concert this weekend (Hello! Vanilla Ice!!!Also Sisqo, Rob Base, Jody Watley, Kool Moe Dee, Doug E. Fresh, Montel Jordan, C&C Music Factory ) Not worth $65.00!
  • Picked up Dave and went to the store to shop for necessities (deodorant, floss, etc)
  • Texted co-worker whom I pawned off not one, but two TV interviews today. (Awesome!! Good luck!!)
  • Helped Dave find the perfect box to mail Barbie Cruise Ship we sold on E-Bay (I was wrong about the size, Dave had to go back later and buy a bigger one! We probably made $4.00 on our sale by the time we were done.)
  • Scored 2 pairs of cute sandals at Back-to-School sale (What? I'm going back to school, too!)
  • Ate romantic lunch with Dave at McD's inside Wal-mart
  • Raced to middle school to pick up Ashley and Sam
  • Helped Ashley and Sam open lockers
  • Tried to take a picture of Ashley and Sam in front of Boxer mural at school. "Mom, that is sooooo nerdy." You'll have to use your imagination about how cute they looked.
  • Dropped off Ashley, Sam, and Dave at home
  • Raced to Presidency meeting
  • Visited three sisters
  • Came home and helped Ashley and Sam finish magnets they were making for their lockers (fuse beads and magnets)
  • Fixed a snack for Ashley, Morgan, and Sam
  • Gave orders to Morgan to get ready already and took Ashley and Sam to Target to buy necessities (Locker wallpaper and locker bead curtains)
  • Sent Sam home with her magnets
  • Talked with Morgan and Ashley about their plans and goals for next year
  • Helped Ashley stretch (Trying to get splits in time for cheer tryouts in September)
  • Watched Morgan's demonstration about stretching
  • Cooked dinner (Yes, you must cook Mac and Cheese. Gross food today, huh? We did have some grilled chicken and veggies with our Mac.)
  • Went upstairs and answered 50 billion emails. Yes! My master's focus has officially been changed from Elementary Reading to Curriculum and Instruction
  • Played a game of Mah Jong on the computer
  • Went downstairs and did dishes AND mopped the floor
  • Found Ashley asleep on couch. Walked her upstairs, took out her contacts, forced a toothbrush in her mouth, and put her to bed.
  • Went back downstairs. Cut open the 4 enormous surprise boxes from Everyday Math for new charter school
  • Organized the goods in the boxes
  • Hauled boxes out to overfilled garbage cans in the garage
  • Vacuumed mess made from cutting open boxes
  • Talked to Nicole on the phone a few times in the day, not really sure when
  • Relaxed in a nice bath with a Diet Coke
  • Started blogging about my crazy life
  • Stopped to confirm lunch date to hand over curriculum stuff to new charter school
  • Attempted to correct some of the curriculum proposals, thought better of that, printed out documents as is for tomorrow's lunch
  • Made plans with Morgan for tomorrow's open house and Carson-sitting
  • Returned to blogging, stopping only to rid my bed of the e-bay reject box
  • Dave just got home from work. Hopefully I'll be sleeping soon (HA!)
  • Just remembered the presentation I'm supposed have ready for my trip to Reno next week. Need to do my part of the PowerPoint and return to Linda YESTERDAY, and collect trinkets for our visual aid. I guess she'll have to wait another day for my contribution. That's okay. She knows how I roll.
  • Trying to be asleep by 11:00 (A far cry from my summer bedtime of 3:30 am!!!)

This is soooo nerdy. Goodnight!