Update: Only Not Really

It's been a while since I've posted, and I'm not sure why the post famine, except life is busy. Much busier now that the boys are back in school. That may seem backward, but it's true. Isaac only goes half day and I have to take him, so we have the hour of frenzy getting Will out the door in the morning and on the bus. Clean house, clean mommy, then it's time to frantically get Isaac out the door. We load up, drop him off, and maybe run a couple of errands while they are both gone. It's amazing how fast 2 hours goes by. Then it's time to get them--and then that is when the day really gets nuts. I'm sure other moms can back me up on this. Those couple of hours after school when kids are whiny and tired and hungry, and dinner has to be made and homework complete are pretty much ridiculous. So, there it is, an update. That's what we've been doing. More to come, when life settles down.

Isaac and Jo on a beautiful late summer day

Josie has been working on a little sitting up action. Pretty good, cutie pie.

Healthy Eating

Ever since Will started school, he has been very cautious about eating healthy foods. Instead of chips with his sandwich he'll ask for carrot sticks and grapes. Isaac is completely opposite. All junk. All the time. He has no interest in healthy foods. If you ask him his favorite food, he proudly replies, "junk." As you can see in the pictures that follow, he was started early on this diet, and he has really clung to it.

Will often asks if something is healthy before he eats it, or which is the healthiest of two options. The other night they were eating pancakes for dinner, and I asked Will if he wanted syrup or sugar (don't scrunch your nose at the idea of sugar on pancakes, it is delicious). Will asked which is healthier. Toughy. Umm...well.... I started to say. But before I could answer Will piped in and said, "I'll have syrup. It comes from trees so maybe that makes it kind of like a vegetable." Boy is he going to be confused when he learns that sugar comes from plants, but that is neither here nor there. I laughed to myself and gave him syrup.

This morning after breakfast, while Isaac eagerly awaited the time to pass so that we could get to school, Isaac told me that now that he is in school he will only have syrup on his pancakes, so he too could be healthier. It's important to be healthy for learning. Only syrup.

Baby steps.

First Day

Isaac's first day of K-4
Will's First day of 1st Grade

I have made a new resolution with my approach to motherhood. I value Josh's work outside of the home. He does a ton. That really is an understatement. I know that he is working hard for us, and so I want to be sure that I'm doing everything I can to maximize my time while at my work place. My goal is that from the time the kids wake up in the morning until they are tucked into bed at night that I will be working for the betterment of my family. That means no blogging, or hulu watching, or checking emails until after they are all asleep at 8:30. Here it is, day one, of my new job, and I'm already making an exception. The thoughts for the blog are here now and probably will be gone at 8:30, so I thought I'd better jump on it.

That said, school started!! HOORAY! This summer was long. For all of us. The boys were ready for this day. I was such a proud mama as Will confidently lined up for school without me there with him, and told me to have a good day as he got out of the car. Isaac asked all morning if it was time to go to school yet. He got himself dressed and his shoes on without being asked. Brushed his teeth, and even asked me to comb his hair. Anyone, who is even a little familiar with Isaac knows this is not only rare, but has never happened before. Ever. This is the same kid who likes to be "the king of naked day" and not get dressed. (For anyone wondering if we have naked day at our house, the answer is absolutely not! This is Isaac's own thing and quite frankly, he is the only one who celebrates it, much to the rest of our dismay.)

Finger's crossed that they have a great first day.

I like dropping my kids off at school. Not just for what seems like the obvious reason of the few hours of quiet that follows, but because I like to see other parents dropping their kids off. It seems like you hear so many sad stories of abuse, and families breaking apart, so much so that it is a little deflating, but I like to go to school in the morning and see loving parents drop off their kids with a kiss and a hug, just trying to do the best that they can for their kids. I know that I don't know the circumstances in their homes, and I don't need or want to know, but what is obvious in that moment is that their kids are loved, and that makes me happy.