Super STAR

Today our little guy was named one of Monroe Elementary School's STAR students. Over the past month he has been very determined to get this award and this morning he woke up feeling confident - "Mom, I know I'm going to get star student."

 

Oh, buddy, I love how you work so hard to get what you want.

 

 

  Students! Thinking! (and) Acting! Responsibly!

 

 

He was so very proud of his accomplishment. And we were, too.

 

 

Considering the chaos that has become a part of our daily routine, it is incredible that this child can remain so focused for 6 hours of every day. It gives me hope because maybe it means we have done something right with this kid.

 

Not feeling as confident about the other two.

 

She will only call us by our first names and, at 3 1/2, refuses to sleep through the night.

He went for a joy ride in the grocery cart at Sprouts last week. If it weren't for the elderly man who was repeatedly honking his horn to get my attention, I wouldn't have noticed my nine month old speeding swiftly away from me and through the parking lot at a steady pace.

 



 

Oh buddy, I am so sorry. It's not your fault that with every child I birth a little part of my brain dies.

 

 

 

 



Tuesdays

Life slows down for us on Tuesdays. It's the one day in our week that is usually unscheduled, giving me a chance to reconnect with this 3 1/2 year old, middle child.

 

 Last Tuesday we made pumpkin scones,

 



 while Trotro made a mess.

 

 

 

This week she helped me prep the potatoes for dinner.



 

 

She loves to help. :)

 

I love this sweet, imaginative girl who makes me laugh and constantly surprises me. For whatever reason, we sometimes exhaust each other. I'm feeling grateful for these mornings with no rushing, no distractions, and little agenda. I love it when we allow ourselves to have all the time we need.



LA County Fair

Ok, now that we're all caught up on summer, we can start on my favorite season of the year - fall! One of my fall favorites is visiting the LA County Fair. Jeff is not such a big fan and was happy to miss out on the fun this year. I have a feeling that sometime soon, my kids will not be super into this either. (I won't even go into the trauma that was the petting zoo, except to say I don't understand how these are my children. And I really don't understand how it is that Courtney's child could spend all day feeding goats.) Anyway, despite some tough moments, we had a really fun time and ended the day with some wonderful fair treats - the stuff we look forward to all year! I guess turkey legs and caramel apples are all the proof I need that these are truly my children.

 

 

 

Summer Shower

We finally got a little break from the heat with an afternoon (well, half an hour) of rain. Took us awhile to get outside, though. Even though it was still 85 degrees out, my kids were convinced they needed coats and boots. I was happy in my Rainbows.

 



Playing Pretend

Who doesn't love fort-building and playing dress up?

 

 

Feelin' Crafty

Because we were stuck indoors, we also spent a lot of time crafting this summer. Zeker loves to create. Olive is more of a mess maker/performance artist. I can definitely appreciate all forms of art, especially if it's keeping them busy.