Started this a week ago....

 {Please note the boys started school a week ago. That is when I started this post.  Today is actually Kate's first day but I am just getting around to finishing the post.}

Today (last Monday) is the first day of school for Will and Harry.  I seriously don't know how this happened.  This is the oldest photo I have of them on the blog on a 1st day of school.

This was August 2007.  Harry was going into 1st grade and Will was going into 4th grade.

This was this morning (last Monday)...




Will is a senior and Harry is a freshmen.







You can tell that they were totally thrilled about me taking photos.

I kind of wish I had taken more time because these are the last "back to school" photos I will have at home of Will.

So far, high school is going really well.  Will is starting his college applications and we are all hoping he knocks them out quickly so we can just enjoy this year.

Harry LOVES his new school.  He is fitting in well, making new friends and adjusting to the academic rigor. I can say that this is the happiest and most comfortable I have seen him in his own skin in years.  It's all good. Harry even went to the high school mixer dance this weekend and seemed to have a great time.

Will drives Harry each day and I think it has been really good for their relationship.  They used to be best friends when they were younger and then naturally drifted apart though the middle school years. I can see them becoming closer again and I am so thrilled about that.

This is Will and his best friend David first day of freshmen orientation.

And this is them first day of senior year.

They went from looking like boys to looking like men.

Kate started 3rd grade today. She had a tad more patience (literally a tad) for my picture taking.

(Please excuse all of our weeds.  We need to do some yard work but it's soooo HOT.)

She got the teacher she was hoping for and some of her friends are in her class.  Kate was super excited for 3rd grade.  She suddenly looks a lot older to me in these photos.  

Our summer FLEW by.  I really have no clue where it went.  We took a long family vacation that was incredible.  Will got his wisdom teeth removed.  Kate and Harry went to camp.  I hope to catch up on blogging.  I know I say that all the time but this year is so special (Will's senior year) that I really hope to be better about preserving some of our favorite memories.  I know I will be back very soon to blog about Kate's first gymnastics meet of the season and our vacation.

I hope your children are all having a great end of summer/back to school.

Firsts and crying in Target

So, today was the first day of school for Kate and Harry.  One of them was excited and one of them not so much.

Kate loves her new Lilly P monogrammed lunch box.
We wish they had a matching backpack:(


1st grade!!!

These uniform clothes are 2 years old.  Apparently Kate has not grown much:)  But I did get Kate a new accessory.  I have been looking for a miraculous medal for her for a long time.  I finally found a tiny one for her online and she loves it!  The chain needs to be shortened but she wanted to wear it today.  She said it will make her feel safe like Mary and Jesus were with her all day.  She knows God is always with her but reaching for her medal is a nice reminder at school I guess.  I need to get a photo of it.

This young man is in 7th grade now and I was asked by him NOT to post his pic on FB or Instagram. I complied but told him that I was posting on the blog because it is our family photo album:)

Kate was different this year.   She had strong opinions about what she wanted to wear on the first day of school and how she wanted her hair.  Also, she was ready for me to leave her in her classroom.  I wanted to linger a few minutes but she was ready for me to go....

She was saying, "Seriously. Mom?!"

Why do these kids need to grow up so fast?!  For the past few years Kate has worn the cutest red patent maryjanes to school.  They are my favorite shoes and they used to be hers too...

Well, this year we had a hard time finding them in her size (sold out).  Kate took this opportunity to get her first pair of Nike sneakers!!!  She has never wanted sneakers before but she said she wants to be like the BOYS! We did finally find the red maryjanes (they will arrive later today) and she agreed to wear them for one more year.  But she really preferred these black ones (above photos) and her Nikes (with foot liners NOT knee socks).  I know this is not a big deal...I just was not quite ready for her to develop these opinions in first grade.  She is so sweet and we do have very similar tastes but she is starting to like some of those clothes that the Disney channel girls wear. YUCK!



Click on photo for link.

Since so many people have asked over the years...Here is the link to the fabulous red mary janes we buy.  Yes, they are pricey but they last all year without one scratch. In the past I have tried cheaper ones (Target) and they scuff and fall apart in weeks. These do not so they are worth the price to me.  If they are out of stock, they re-stock quickly. I simply clean them with a damp paper towel once a week.  Kate says they are the most comfy shoes she has ever owned.  She has even worn them for PE the last 2 years.  I buy one pair a year for her and they are awesome!

Okay, and the crying in Target....  Well, yesterday I ran into our local Target for a flash drive and ear buds (honest to goodness school supplies...my how things have changed)!  We live near Rice University and I am guessing it was move in weekend because Target was flooded with new college students buying laundry detergent, storage bins and dorm chairs.  I saw some on their own and some with parents.  I looked at them (cause they were everywhere) and my eyes filled with tears.  And no I am not hormonal right now.

I got so sad.  In just 3 years, Dave and I will be in some Target somewhere stocking Will up on laundry detergent and storage bins.  And while, I want him to go to college and I want him to be an independent person, I will miss him so much.  I really like Will.  I enjoy talking to him and hanging out with him.  I love when he comes to me for advice.  99% of the time, I really like having him around.

It is funny because when my kids were toddlers, I really appreciated breaks from them. Let's face it toddlers are hard work. I loved when they went to pre-school but the older they get, the more I want them around.  I love the humans they have turned into and I like their company.  I am sure all Moms feel this way but it has really hit me lately.

Y'all if I am crying in Target just thinking of Will going to college in 3 years, what am I going to be like his senior year?  I know he will start to pull away in the next few years and they really soil the nest in the senior year but I am not ready for all this growing up my kids seem to be doing these days.

Catching up...

I have so much catching up to do on the bloggity blog.   Something really changed in me this summer though.  If you've been reading a long time, you have probably heard me say (write) that I don't love summer.  And in the past, that has been true to a certain extent.  But this summer was great.  The kids did not do a lot of structured activities.  Will worked a lot, hung out with friends, did water polo and went to CA for the Junior Olympics.  Harry did a few LAX camps and Camp Utopia.  Kate did one art camp and vacation Bible school.  That's it.  We spent a lot of time being lazy and having fun.

I realized something really important this summer.  Dave and I do a pretty good job at parts of the parenting/family thing (we make a lot of mistakes too).  Like we are good at setting limits and creating boundaries and teaching values. We are good at getting them to study and get the homework done and go to church. We are good at spending time with our kids and talking to them.  But you know what we have not been really good at for a long time?  JUST HAVING FUN! We are not spontaneous and we are not super laid back. We don't act silly or laugh as often as we should. This summer, I have been much more laid back and much more spontaneous and it worked for me.  Who knew?  I have always been such a planner at heart.  Who knew I could fly by the seat of my pants?!

I really want to write more about our Seaside beach trip and post more pics from that but I need to do this post first....

Well, Harry finally came back from camp.  It was a long 2 weeks for me and Kate (I think Will and Dave did just fine).

Kate was so excited to see her Habu!!!  He came home tired and with a sinus infection and cough but he had an awesome time!!!  And that kid he hung out with in every single photo that I thought was from Mississippi actually lives a few blocks away and goes to Harry's school!!  So happy about that.  He seems super nice.

Kate's gymnastics competition meets are quickly approaching and she is getting excited.  I am getting nervous...about her hair!  She needs a hairstyle that will not fall out during all 4 of her routines (floor, bar, bean and vault).  I think they lose points if their hair falls out.  Did anyone see that episode of Modern Family?!  Any tips from you experienced Dance/Gym Moms? I tell you all this just in case you notice some funky hairstyles on her:)

Last week, Kate and I spent a morning with her easy bake oven.  I am personally not a fan of the easy bake oven.  I'd rather teach Kate to cook and bake from scratch with real recipes in real appliances.  And as you've seen, we do that all the time.  She, however LOVES the easy bake.  So, easy bake it was.

Our easy bake packets were old and the consistency of the frosting was not good.  But Miss Kate loved her cake anyway!!! Yes, she is in Christmas Pajamas in August with a giant bun:) See, it is the new spontaneous, fun Kim! HA!

Last weekend, our good friends invited us to the beach for some fun family time before school started. This is an annual tradition although this year we could only go for the day.  It was such a nice and relaxing day...

Will and our friend having a chat.  Lovely seaweed in the background:(

Will took the kayak way out but it was too far for me to photograph him.
All the boys enjoyed kayaking a lot.

In fact, Dave recently purchased a decked out fishing kayak and all the equipment for our family to fish in the salt marshes!!!  I think we will be spending a lot of time at the beach this year.

And finally, Will started school this week.  He is a sophomore.  I wish he had a car this year but none has appeared so far.  He does drive to school (with Dave) in the mornings.
 I am not sure if I ever posted it but he got his license this summer!!!!





First day of school pics:)

Kate and Harry start on Monday so we are trying to soak up the last few laid back days of summer:)

First Day and Transitions

We are definitely experiencing some growing pains in our house.  Will started high school and while he loves it, it has been a BIG transition. He knew very few kids going into his new school and it is academically very rigorous. Some of the things they are doing his freshmen year are things I did in college (no kidding).  Luckily, he seems to be rising to the challenge and keeping up so far.

Today is the first day of school for Harry and Kate.  You might remember my concern about giving Kate an extra year of pre-school and then kindergarten as I have blogged about it over the past few years.  Well, we DID decide to give her the gift of an extra year of kindergarten.  She was not happy about our decision at first. She repeatedly told me she was going to be " SO embarrassed" in front of her friends.  I let her feel how she felt even though I told her it was nothing she did.  She is just "young."  I knew that the long term benefits of the extra year would FAR outweigh the short term costs of some embarrassment.

Kate is so sweet and carefree.  Aside from reading, she has very little interest in academics yet. She wants to paint and dance and pretend play.  Developmentally, she did not seem ready for 1st grade.  We are at a very advanced IB school.  The school is a great fit for Kate but you need to be really focused in 1st grade. And she was one of the youngest in her class last year.  Luckily, we had experience on our side as we gave Will an extra year way back in kinder too and it was the best decision. He is a summer birthday too. We can really see how much it benefitted him even though it was for somewhat different reasons.  I think it can be very hard to be a summer baby!

Well, this morning Kate told me she was SO GLAD that she was doing another year of kindergarten.  She specifically stated her excitement at treasure chest, free centers, recess and all the things that make kindergarten so special. She got one of her favorite teachers (the one she thinks smells like champagne--it's actually patchouli).  She is ready to be a leader this year and I think that will be so good for her!

Three children at three different schools in completely different parts of town (and they all start and end at the same time) sure can make life challenging.  So, we were very rushed taking first day photos.  And no one really wanted to take them....

Harry is starting middle school today.  Most of his friends will be going to the middle school just down the street.  But Harry applied and was accepted into a magnet program at a different school. It is really an accomplishment to get into this program and we have waffled back and forth whether to do it or not but he finally decided (like a few days ago) to rise to the challenge.  This year, he will have an introductory course of Chinese, Italian, Latin, Spanish, and French in addition to his Pre-Ap courses.  He is very nervous and none of his friends are in this program.  I know he will be fine but he has seemed very anxious and that is hard for me to watch.  He is usually so self assured.  I have been praying for him like crazy.

Harry is also really struggling with migraines.  All summer he has been getting about 2-3 per week and they are really bad. If you would not mind saying a few prayers, I would be so grateful.  We are headed back to the neurologist soon but there is little they can do for them at this age.

High School and prayers

Will started high school this week. I cannot believe it.  I cannot believe he is old enough (and really he could have gone last year--we allowed him an extra kindergarten year way back when) and I really cannot believe I am old enough!!!

He was very fortunate (and he works hard) in that he had his choice of schools to attend. Will was even awarded a partial academic scholarship to a private high school here based on high test scores.  In the end, he felt most at home at all all boys Jesuit college preparatory school.  I really hope he loves it.

So Will had two days of  freshmen orientation and on the first of those days, there was a welcome brunch for us Moms.  This school is all about parent involvement.  I think I had been to 4 or 5 lunches/brunches and dinners before the first day of school!!!

Me and my son.  He is really a lot bigger than me now! 

Will and his best friend, David have never gone to the same school.  They have been friends since they were 5 months old and they have stayed in touch as they lived all over the world.  FINALLY,  they get to go to school together....

David's family have been our very close friends for 15 years.  He is a great kid...awesome student, compassionate and a fabulous baseball player.

I caught this one as Kate was hugging her Willie goodbye yesterday:)

And these last shots are from today which was the first official day of school.

They do not wear coats and ties everyday but it was a holy day of obligation today and they wear them on mass days.  It was fun to see all the young men dressed up today when I picked Will up. Some of the guys even had very stylish bow ties on!

I am excited to see what kinds of things Will does in high school.
 I know he is interested in debate, swimming, and running track.

And the first dance is this weekend at the all girl school next door!


I feel extremely blessed and grateful to have 3 pretty healthy kiddos who lead very normal lives. It breaks my heart to know that there are so many children out there suffering.  Please join me in praying for these children specifically....

  I ask you to keep in your prayers these two families who really need prayers for their darling kiddos.



Please continue to pray for cutie pie Evangeline (above) as she is having pre-surgical tests (MRI and angiogram).  Her surgery is next week. I will keep y'all posted.  It was because of all the signatures on the petition and all of the prayers that she is even able to have this particular surgery...so thank you!!!




{Ivy Joy}

Please also pray for this family. Ivy has been home for 6 months and continues to have very serious health issues. You can read about this little angel, Ivy here.  Mary (her Mom) is very specific in what she is asking for people to pray for so please go read the post.

Thanks y'all.

First Day

It was a BIG day yesterday.  It was Dave's first day at a new job.

Kate was so funny.  She told Dave he looked "SO handsome!" And she told me that she liked Daddy's "black jeans."  He usually wears khakis to work but he had black wool pants on and she called them black jeans:)

 It was Will's first day as an 8th grader (and the beginning of the longest he has ever been at one school due to moves etc).  He is big man on campus this year as next year he moves to high school.

Will get braces on his top teeth tomorrow so his smile will not look like this for a while.

Harry is also big man on campus this year as it is his final year in elementary school.  He began 5th grade with an awesome teacher and many of his best buddies in his class.  He goes to an International Baccalaureate school and he will do a big exhibition project this year too.

And of course, Kate had her first day of kindergarten.  And of course, I had to document it all....

 

from her sleepy bed head having Daddy's pancakes for breakfast....

 (when I went in to wake Kate at 6:40, she was already sitting up in bed and she said, " Mama, today is a very special day!"  Then she looked outside and said, "It might be dark outside on my way to kindergarten, Mama.")

to brushing her teeth...



Don't you just LOVE those red patent mary janes?  I do.

Will and Harry did NOT approve of Kate's clothes.
They have a uniform code but it is somewhat flexible.















The boys and Kate were SO sick of my camera that they were not very cooperative.  And Harry was MORTIFIED that I was actually bringing it to school....





This is the only year Kate will EVER go to school with one of her brothers.  Sniff Sniff.

Posing with the bronze statue outside of the school.  Unbeknownst to me this is kind of a first day tradition.  The boys never did it though:)

Kate and her new teacher.  They have the same birthday!

A reluctant hug goodbye...



I know Kate is so happy that her brother is right upstairs.

When I picked Kate up, she immediately blurted out,  "I LOVE KINDERGARTEN, MAMA!!!!"




She showed me the fish picture she made and I had to take a photo with my phone.

And then we went to the cafeteria to get Harry.  This cute little boy (he was Asian too) came up and sat snugly next to Kate and told me he loved her.  He was SO cute.  He took Kate by the hand and marched her right over to meet his Mom and he told his Mom he loved her too.  He followed Kate around for a while just completely enamored with her.  I took their photo with my I-phone but will not post it for privacy reasons.  It just made me laugh so hard.

We went out with some other families for milkshakes after school. it was a great long day for everyone but an exhausting one too.  Dave got home way later than usual and Harry and I are feeling kinda sick.

{I did really well.  I got a bit teary but I did not full out sob.  I did miss my little buddy but my friends swooped in and kept me busy.  I even went out to lunch with a friend!}