Mom?

I've got some veggies from the garden for you!

Translation:  We finally dug up the volunteer onions from the weed pit.

Rotten Week

Along with all the normal exhausted crabbiness that goes along with the first week of school we had a rotten week in general.  Jeremy was moved from the position he'd had for almost 11 years to Assistant Service Manager at a sister store 25 minutes from our house.  The reasons he was given do not need to be expanded upon on my blog.  Suffice to say we are gratefully accepting prayers as we adjust to the many changes this brings.  Secondly, our black cat disappeared.  He's been gone a week now so we have no delusions that he'll be coming back.  The black one is always the first to go.  And last, and the most stupid, I hurt my foot.  I was trying to contain the two still living cats in their cat house with a paving stone so we could eat outside unmolested and it turns out Tiger is strong enough to push a paver over.  Onto my flip-flop wearing foot.  I came closer to passing out than I almost ever have in my life (except for right after Samuel was born, that time was closer).  Thankfully it turns out not to be that bad (apparently I'm a wuss!).  Just a bruise and a slow momma for a couple of days.  I told you I hate August!

First Day of School

Everyone took pictures pretty cooperatively!

Samuel 6th, Thomas 5th, Julia 2nd, Philip Kindergarten!

After 3rd (or is it 4th?) I don't make them get in the room pictures anymore.  So I just have the mostly happy 2nd grader

 and a happy Kindergartener in their desks.

And now I'm left with these two

I wasn't too emotional over Philip heading off to Kindergarten but maybe it just hasn't hit me yet.
I'll miss everyone later today I'm sure!

End of Summer Fun

We had a waterfight/hangout day with Jeremy's family on Sunday.  The bottom right picture of Philip may be the best picture of the summer.

 

On Tuesday we had Family Fun Day and went to the little zoo in the morning

and the pool in the afternoon.  It was the last day of the pool.  It's already drained today, we saw it empty this morning.  :(

Meant to get Julia jumping in.  Instead got her splash and Aliza jumping!

Here she is.

Philip has mastered flipping.  I have a video but whether or not our internet will stay on without dropping long enough to upload the video is the question.  I'll try, but I'm not hopeful.  Even after three repair visits and some phone calls, out internet drops every 5 minutes sometimes.  It's frustrating.  (I know, 1st world problem.)

Ooh, it worked!

August

I hate August for so many reasons.
1.  Thanks to tuition and school supplies and new shoes and new uniform stuff it's always a tight money month. (Not that I'd want my kids anywhere but a Catholic school just saying- it makes it tight.)
2.  School supplies.  I used to LOVE the back to school sales.  All those brand new supplies just waiting to be used.  Now it's buying what seems like a ridiculous amount of stuff off complicated, very specific lists for four kids not to mention labeling everything later.  Got it done though.

3.  It's hot and the pool closes the day school starts.
4.  Thirty million things to quick get done before school starts. 
5.  Summer is over and school starts. 

More than any other time of the year, August makes me feel like I am tangibly feeling time slip away.  Birthdays and the new calendar year don't bother me but August gets me every time.  No matter what I always feel like we didn't enjoy each other enough over the summer. That I didn't play enough.  That I yelled and punished and forced chores too much.  Then it's the first day of school and I watch my babies grow up before my eyes as they put on their uniforms and join the line of now-taller kids in the next higher grade and walk away.  My heart breaks every year.  It's too much for one month.  I will never be able to love August.

Our House- In the Middle of L Street!

My old college roommate Robyn hosted an L street reunion this weekend.  (Six of us over 3 years lived together on L street about seven blocks down from a house full of guys where Jeremy lived.) I  don't think we've ever done an official reunion with both houses before.  It was so fun!   All four of us girls who aren't now nuns were able to come and two of the boys as well.  Fr. Lee was supposed to join us from the boys' house too but he didn't end up making it.  Since most of us still see each other fairly often I decided I needed to do a couple of L-streety things to make it a little bit more special.  I dug out my all time favorite Newman shirt to wear and made Jeremy wear my second favorite.  I made Hamburger Helper for the pot luck (which was darn good eating in our college days) and made a Joyce (Newman's rectory cook) specialty dessert, Rocky Road Brownies or, as Joyce affectionately called them, Rot Your Teeth Out Brownies. Best of all I brought out the college pictures- such a hoot to look at!  Since I was in college pre-digital camera I'm pretty sure I took more pictures this July than I did in all of college but that's okay they're still super fun to look at, especially with old friends.

Robyn, me, Jessica and Stephanie (sheesh, that old college shirt makes me look frumpy)

 

Jeremy, Robyn, Adam, me, Jessica, Stephanie

 

All together we have 23 kids and two on the way.  We didn't even attempt a picture of them.  These are all the T(h)eresa Roses with Julia Rose.  Apparently the night we made the pact to name a daughter Teresa Rose I was only awake when we chose Rose as the middle name and the other girls didn't realize I was sleeping when they picked Teresa so they didn't tell me that part. :)

I would go relive a college week in a heartbeat.  We had so much fun together-then and now!  Love you L street girls!  ...And you too boys.  I have to say that.  I married one of them.  ;)

Fair Time!

Oh fair time.  Tons of exhausting fun and the unofficial end to summer.  It's a love/hate relationship for me. 
This was the first year we did any contests.  One point on the hate side of the relationship.  Lots of hurry up and wait time.  Thomas did the BB gun competition.   Most.boring.spectator.sport.ever.  Especially with 5 kids in tow to "watch."  All you can see is the kids aiming because BBs are little.  But Thomas enjoys shooting, earned a red and was happy.  Both big boys did tractor driving.  Which started an hour late and had so many kids it took two hours to get through them all.   More interesting to watch though and God was loving me extra that day because Chad came unexpectedly early to pick up Addy so I didn't have her to keep happy for a whole afternoon at the fair.  Thomas didn't hit anything on the course but drove very slowly which ended up counting against him.  We thought time was just for tie breakers but that was incorrect.  He ended up with a blue.  Samuel hit the barrel and a flag but went faster and did very well on the safety test so he ended up with a purple!  Both boys also did bike riding which was shortly after tractor driving. (Only ten kids riding total so it only took an hour, thank you Jesus!)  Thomas earned a red and Samuel a blue.  Some of the obstacles were hard!

The parade was Thursday as usual.  Score a point for the love side of the relationship.  We watched at the front of the route and then hopped on the John Deere float.  I missed Greta as usual. 

Friday we went to see the exhibits and ride the rides (A point for hate because of the amount of overexcited kid-control necessary, a point for love because well, it's the fair and it's fun).  Both Samuel and Thomas got purples on their robots and were chosen to go to the state fair.  Samuel got Best of Lot in Lego creations over in open class.  And after teasing Raleen about beating her in the cookie contest all year, I did manage to get a blue ribbon on my chocolate chip cookies.  However Raleen made ginormous Buffalo chip cookies (that were delicious) and won Best of Lot again this year!  Next year I'm making double size Chocolate, chocolate chip cookies with crushed peppermints on top, maybe that'll beat her streak!  :)

 

We ran into Julia's friend Maddie at the carnival so she was very happy to get to ride rides with her.  And I was happy to let her go on the Ferris Wheel with Maddie instead of me!  Samuel and Philip went on the Ferris Wheel together also.

 

And add a point for the hate side of the relationship because now the fair is over and that means we have only a week and a half of summer left.  Boo.