Getting back into the swing of things has included working long hours, shuttling Pickle to school, helping the Boy with his homework, and keeping Baby C to some sort of schedule. We are also patiently waiting for our summer to end . . . August is always the hardest month because we're tired of the heat and ready for fall to begin! It has continually been near or above 110 until just this weekend where luckily we are staying under 100 degrees with the help of some intermittent storms.
Bubba has acclimated to his new school and he seems to love it. Yes, he has homework in the 1st grade and he and JP learned quickly that it must be done as soon as he gets home from school. The first night of school he had an assignment that did not get started until nearly bedtime . . . . Most of his homework has been answering simple questions about himself or drawing pictures so nothing too tough. There was one day with math homework that both he and JP deemed fun.
Unfortunately 1st graders are not allowed to ride their bikes to school so he has been walking the block and a 1/2 to and from school. There are a lot of kids in the neighborhood who walk so we feel it is pretty safe even though there was a report on the news last week about a girl almost being abducted on her way home from school. JP usually walks most of the way in the morning with him and then waits out front to see him make it home. We are going to try to work with the PTO and school to get the rule changed as I firmly believe riding his bike is safer since it will get him to and from school much faster!
Pickle has been loving school and we will probably soon increase her time from 3 days to 5 days a week. She comes home every day wiped out but she is having a lot of fun and making friends. I can already see a difference in her and think the structure is helping to mellow her out a little bit. We are also very excited that she is pretty much potty-trained. It was a very long process but a lot happened in her little life since we started working on it in March . . . . Packing up and driving around the country for 6 weeks makes it hard for 2 1/2 year old to focus on routine.
Baby C continues to be a superstar baby. She eats and sleeps and smiles and rolls and does all the things she is supposed to do at almost 4 months. Her latest discovery is her feet and she rarely lets go of them when she is awake! I can't believe we will begin with cereal next month. The time is flying by!
I am VERY busy at work and have been working a lot but am trying to maintain some balance by working from home in the mornings so I can be here to see the kids off to school and have a bit more time with C. I am also going to begin training to run a 1/2 marathon on November 7th . . . we'll see how long I can keep up the training before my body revolts! Running is rewarding but not good on my old joints.
JP is back on his bike this weekend after taking the last week off. He once again developed an ulcer on his cornea from wearing his contacts too much. The doctor has advised him to wear his contacts as little as possible to prevent ulcers from developing . . . . He will get new contacts in January as well so we can hopefully not have this problem again.
That's the latest from our house . . . please check back this week as I will have several posts that will include some pictures from our trip this summer.
I am sure you recognize the setting by now. Today was Bubba's turn to stand, back against the wall, and have a photo taken to commemorate another first day of school. Although the first day of kindergarten was a momentous occasion, today marked his first day at the big public school down the street. A place that was once just a daunting citadel of a building, barely leered at while playing on the playground, is now his new educational home for the next 6 years. 
