Happy New School Year!

an autumn update
I love this time of year. It feels like a new year with so many new beginnings and changes. Most significantly, school started Aug 24. Our lazy loafing turned into rigorous routine.


We were worried for Landen because his new teacher Ms. Galligher came in last minute and Landen was the only peer mentor. We are sad that Ella Grace didn't return. She went back to Westminster, where her little brother is. Ms. Galligher has now added at least one more mentor. Unlike last year, Landen has class on Wednesdays, so he is taking a full load of preschool, doing good & helping too.

Seiler is in first grade now. We love his teacher Mrs. King. Alexandra was going to be in Mrs. King's class too, but her family decided to go to the new Catholic School Holy Trinity near our house on Highway 90 last minute. Three of Seiler's friends from Kindergarten are in his class this year: Buddy, Tyler and Marcus. Tyler and Marcus are in this picture taken on February 28, 2008, Seiler's 6th birthday:



Now that Seiler is in first grade, he can start Cub Scouts. I am so excited. When I was a Girl Scout I was jealous of the Boy Scouts because they got to go camping so much more often. This is my chance to be involved in Boy Scouts and go camping. I have never camped in South Carolina before, but our first camp out is Sept 18. I still need to collect a tent, sleeping bags & an air mattress.

Cub Scout meetings are on Monday, so I needed to move gymnastics to Wednesdays. I like it better already. Over the summer, Seiler and Landen were in class with boys better than them plus the really advanced boys. We tried a 2 hour class all through August, and it was tough, but they did it. I can really see their improvement. We recently bought a trampoline ~ my childhood dream come true. Too bad I'm too heavy and stiff to have fun on it. Landen taught me how to do a seat drop. Seiler has started hand stands and flips on it. I try to keep it in the afternoon shade of a big maple tree so they can spend a few minutes on it after school without burning up. In this new Wednesday class, which is back to only one hour, Seiler and Landen are a little better than the other boys. I truly enjoy watching them practice and throw them a thumbs up whenever they glance at me after doing well. I think they like being in an all-boy class with a male coach.

The ideal schedule for me is to drop off the boys at school and then exercise. Ray set us up with NMB Aquatic and Fitness Center memberships. I love being out at 7:30 in the morning. All the grumpy people are still sleeping, leaving most places mostly empty. Everyone I see at that time are smiling and saying hi. One trainer helped me fill out a card of weights and reps, and alternating routines and times. I gained a lot of necessary information and am ready to get back into it on Tuesday. I feel so incredibly out of shape, that just a little work can burn my muscles and leave me tired and happy. I think I need to work on endurance so I can stay active with the boys. They never seem to run out of energy. When they get tired, instead of becoming lethargic like they should, they go wild, completely bonkers. That's why I insist they go to bed at 7 pm. I will not mind when they turn into lazy teenagers and sleep a lot.

I love the cooling weather this time of year. It's almost cool enough to keep the windows open at night. Not quite enough though. Not like the cabin. This is also hurricane season, so we need to check the Weather Channel often. Hurricanes still give me anxiety, but I'm not afraid. If it's going to be a big one, we will know well in advance and we have our evacuation plan ~ to the cabin.

Speaking of the cabin, Ray is there right now with his dad and friend Kevin and brother Kevin building stairs. This has been his plan for over a year now. By building the stairs, the downstairs will become included in the square-footage of the house. It wasn't before because the downstairs was a separate unit. He says the shingles and outer walls are finished. We will have to finish the interior of the stairwell next time we go. I just want to paint it yellow.

Speaking of paint, while Ray was gone I decided to surprise him by painting part of the kitchen "Apple-a-Day" red. It's only the top two thirds of the long wall & the little corner. I love it. Hopefully it will draw attention away from the ugly cupboards opposite it. I need Ray to apply a white chair rail and vertical paneling under that. Then it will look better. Still, I love to paint. Color speaks to me. When Ray finishes the den, I will paint it brown. I have yet to select the shade.

On top of the new rad paint, the Halloween decorations pop. Specifically, a white skeleton. I love Halloween. I am a little disappointed that it is on Saturday this year because all the activities will be crammed into one night. I bought a bunch of costumes last year 75% off, and now the boys are trying them all on. Landen likes the blue ninja costume he wore last year as well as a knight shield he has now. Seiler likes last years costume too, but even more the Scary movie black robe with a white mask that features a heart on a tube that will allow him to pump fake blood into the mask. I am insisting he save the blood effect for Halloween. Now he wants to watch Scary Movie & Scream. I don't know what to do about that, but we are watching a lot of Phantom of the Opera, which I adore! Seiler says it's annoying how I sing along, but I hope they will eventually sing along with me.

Speaking of music, I decided to make a mix cd of our favorite kid songs to give to their peers on their birthday. Our most recent acquisition is Spongebob's Greatest Hits. I love to hear Seiler and Landen sing along!! Both sing and dance, but Landen does it with swagger.