Girls Day Out (and One Boy)

We had a WONDERFUL road trip to Argyle. Grandma Shell, Aunt Neesey, Archer, Shelly and I all crammed into Grandma's car and took off on a weekend adventure.

First Stop: Apple Picking at the Elegant Farmer
I'll put some pictures up later, but the couple hours we spent there were entertaining and will definitely be remembered.

Next Stop: Leah's Bridal Shower
There were about 40 women there and about 10 babies Shelly's age or younger. Babies everywhere!! While the girls were at the party, Archer rode the tractor with Farmer Tim hauling manure. For TWO HOURS Archer rode, and Farmer Tim later reported to me that Archer didn't stop talking the entire time! The kid is not shy, and when he has a captive audience there's no telling what stories you'll hear.

Party Time: Grandpa Shorty's House
Six boys, one girl, and seven adults can go through pizza pretty quickly...
By some miracle there were no injuries, no children fell down the stairs or broke anything. Seriously - a miracle. They were running up and dow the stairs, around in circles, wrestling, throwing balls at each other. The whole time Shelly just tried to keep up and every time she got half way up the stairs the boys came down and she started the long journey back down. Up and down and up again.

Bed Time: Tim & Penny's House
Denise and I took over Jessie's room and once the kids got settled we fell asleep pretty quickly. Archer wanted to sleep on the floor, this caused a big dilema for Shelly. She REALLY wanted to sleep next to her brother, but also really wanted to sleep with Denise and I in bed. She laid down next to him on the floor, cuddled up and arranged the blankets just the right way, laid there for about two seconds and then got up, came over to the bed and crawled between Denise and I. She laid down, cuddled up and arranged the blankets just the right way, laid there for two seconds and then got up, got off the bed...

Story to be continued...

In a Jar

I don't know if anyone remembers this post...

"What would you keep in a jar?" I would keep buttons, baby socks, change (don't we all do that?), and I'd like to start keeping dollar bills in a jar to save for a rainy day.

(You can find the rest here http://archerandshelly.blogspot.com/2007/05/jars.html)

Anyway, today I found out Shelly's answer to that question. She had an empty pickle jar (cleaned, washed, ready to play with) and I sat her down at the table to eat supper. She also had 5 bows in her hair (1 is never enough). Add to that the pieces of meatloaf I had cut up for her, and the small fork that fit perfectly inside the jar, and you have Shelly's answer to the above question. Shelly would keep 4 bows, 8 pieces of meatloaf, and 1 small fork in a pickle jar.

Paperwork

I had NO IDEA how much paperwork would be coming home with Archer on a DAILY basis. What in the world?????

He brings home fundraiser stuff, articles, fundraiser stuff, class picture order forms, fundraiser stuff, book order forms, fundraiser stuff, calendars, fundraiser stuff... How much money have we given to the school district through our property taxes since we've lived in this house? NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE! They want us to buy books, collect box tops, sell stuff, bake stuff, and to top it all off... volunteer at the events where they're selling what we baked!

I know this is all part of having a kid in school. But I thought we'd get involved gradually. Like ramp up the fundraising and baking and volunteering requests starting out with just a little bit his first year of school and a little more and more as he gets older. Apparently I was very mistaken - they're gonna grab us right out of the gates and now, I realize, they've got a captive audience for the next 14 years. Why not exploit the opportunity and squeeze every bit of time and money out of us that they can?

All right. I'm sounding awfully unhappy about it. The teachers seem great so far. I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed. So far Archer has learned a song about how to walk in the hallway (look at the person in front of you, keep your hands behind your back), a song about saying hello and goodbye, and a song about cleaning up. And I've learned - now is the time to know my limits and start saying no to requests from the PTA that will just put me over the top.

Happy School Year Everyone!

PS - If anyone would like to purchase pizza, cookie dough, gift wrap, tote bags, wreaths, magazine subscriptions, candy, Christmas ornaments, candles, flower bulbs, soup mix, pie...

Well, you know where to find us. Just call us before September 29th!

And... We're Off!

We're on our way down the path of a new adventure, a new routine, a whole new world. Archer's had art and music class, been the kitchen helper to clean up after snack time, ridden the bus to and from school. He seems to like it so far. And like all the other adventures we face in life, I know there will be hard times, fun times, things we'd rather forget and things we'll remember forever. We'll count on God to keep us always going in the right direction. Here we come!

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
Proverbs 4:25-27

The First Day...

Tomorrow Archer starts his first day of school. He will ride the school bus. We will send him out into the world for the first time, without family. I'm terrified for him. I'm anxious for him, nervous, I had to go to parent orientation today and I felt like it was MY first day of school.

Remember that feeling, on the last day of summer vacation? You were excited to go back but nervous too. When I was done with school I thought I'd never have to feel that again. Well, as usual, I was wrong. Its my turn to feel it for my son. He hasn't said that he's nervous or scared, why should he? We've been telling him nothing but great things. He doesn't have any reason to be nervous, he has no idea what's in store. And so this innocent boy of ours will step onto the school bus tomorrow morning at 7:45 and ride to school, get out and make his way into his classroom to meet new kids and teachers. On his own. Without me.

There are so many things going through my head right now, how I don't want kids to be mean to him, I don't want him to be intimidated, I want him to have lots of friends and lots of fun. I hope this beginning of this part of his life is a good one, he'll spend the next 14 years (at least, maybe more!) in school, talking about school, trying to get through school, maybe trying to get out of school. Today is pretty low key, we're just hanging out at home, doing our usual stuff. I keep looking at him wondering if he's ready. Of course he's ready. Am I? This little boy who seems so grown up to me suddenly seems too young to leave our house and learn more independence. He's too young to go out into the world without me. He's so ready for it.