First 5

We survived the first five days of school, and it was quite the rollercoaster ride for all of us. Christian had the best time of everyone I believe. He rode the bus to school on Monday, went through orientation and told us everything about his day after school. He was so busy he didn’t even get to go to the bathroom. We ran back to the school to help him set up his locker shelves—not so easy—and then we picked up the other two. Read their blogs for information about that.

Christian gets on and off the bus himself. Grandma watched for a couple of days and now Christian is a pro. He gets picked up in the morning around 7 and gets dropped off around 3:30. He is the last to be picked up and the last to get dropped off, so he has a bit of a bus ride in the afternoon.

Christian loves changing classes and teachers on the hour. He hates the hot school. It was built in the 1960s and lacks air conditioning. Fans and windows help, but on days in the 90s, he says he is drenched in sweat. Poor guy!

All in all, Christian had a good first week.

Bigs/Littles

Christian’s school has a mentoring program and very soon he will get to meet his Big. Hopefully, they get along well because Christian could use some reassurance. I can sense the anxiety building in him every time we talk about the start of school. He is dreading all of the homework, but hopefully, it won’t be that bad. Keep your fingers crossed!

Christian’s youngest uncle got married this past weekend and is on his honeymoon now I believe. The kids and I did not go—too much traveling for them—but we did want to wish T.J. and his new wife, Morgan, all the best in the coming years. Thanks for taking time out to visit with the kids and hang out with them. They won’t forget the time spent wrestling with you and going to the pool. May you and Morgan have many wonderful years together!

Off to Kansas City

Huts is going to his brother’s wedding this weekend. One day up, one day there and one day back. Too much traveling for our kids, so we are staying home. We’re going to clean up the house and practice bike riding. Christian and Tori are also going to see the Smurfs movie with their aunt.

Just three more weekends and school begins. Christian gets an hour to take a tour of his new school and put away things in his locker the week before. There is also a picnic, a back-to-school night and some other things coming up.

The best part is the school has a mentor program, so Christian will pair up with an older student who will show him the ropes! That’s got to be good for Christian. He can be pretty shy.

Coming Along

Christian passed his swim class as well. He cannot swim as well as Tori, but he passed. It is harder for him because he is not as coordinated and has such long limbs.

We’re still working on the biking. He is fearful, very fearful of falling, which is holding him back. He doesn’t want us to let go, even though we can tell he is doing it.

Can he tie a shoe? Yes, and has he been reading that book I thought he was ignoring, yes! He is nearly done with the book now.

More Shopping

We’ve only been shopping for school stuff for about a week, but it seems like forever. We found polo shirts online last weekend, school supplies at Walmart on Monday, shoes Thursday night at Shoe Carnival and we’re off to Hobby Lobby for art supplies tonight and to a few stores for pants and shorts (uniforms). The kids are hanging in there, but they are sure to get tired of it all very soon. A few people have mentioned it being too early to shop, but there are only three weeks left and shelves are emptying fast.

Christian has a birthday party to go to this weekend. It is Ruben’s, and Matthew next door is also invited. For three hours, the guys will get to bowl. Lucky Ruben’s mom and grandparents with all of the kids he has probably invited. Fun, fun for them!

Not Ready, Never Ready

Unlike his sister, Christian is not ready to head back to school. He is going to a great school this year, but that hasn’t changed his opinion of school. We bought him a book he is supposed to read over the summer and he has yet to touch it. So, if he goes to school the first day and gets into trouble because he did not read a single book, he’ll have to deal with it. I keep telling this school is going to deal him more homework than ever, but as usual, he is going to have to see it to believe it. I can tell from the supply list there is a lot, A LOT, going on.

Christian tried his uniforms on last night. No go. Everything was too short. He looked rather funny, so it’s all new clothes for him. At least this year he gets to wear royal blue and gold if he wishes.

Funny, Funny Boy

Christian is a good kid, but occasionally, he falls apart and has a meltdown. This was the case on Saturday morning before a friend arrived for the weekend. Christian has seen a lot of this friend this summer and he wasn’t in the mood to see more of him, or so he thought. Eli heard his complaints and was all ready to let the friend know to play with him. I tried to distract Eli, but it was tough. The friend arrived, Eli started yammering, Christian broke down in tears and chaos ensued. Eventually, Christian got it together and had a great time with his friend. They played all weekend long up until the friend’s mother arrived late on Sunday night. There were very few fights, other than with Eli—he wants so badly to be a big kid. Christian went to bed happy and stayed home this morning to rest up. He promised Eli he would play with him tonight. That made Eli happy and he went off to the sitter’s without complaint.

Brownie Boy

The kids love brownies. It doesn't take them long to realize when they are baking. “I smell brownies,” Eli always says. The other day, I pulled a box out of the cabinet and sat it on the counter top. I was going to make them later. Christian saw the box and wanted to know if he could make them. And, make them he did. By the time Huts got down to the kitchen, Christian had most of the work done. He loves to cook and bake, and he is getting to the point where he can do many tasks on his own, including following the directions on the back of the box. He even put the pan in the oven himself this time. He took his time and was very careful, but he got the pan in. I don't think he is ready to deal with hot pans quite yet, but he will get there. He has a genuine interest in the culinary world, and sometimes I wonder if he will consider becoming a chef one day.

Habitual

Christian is very habitual. He has a routine and he does not like to deviate from it. Travis discovered this in St. Louis this weekend when he got Christian a sandwich from Subway. Christian likes the kids’ turkey and cheese, and we generally order it for him. He had no idea that he could get other types of bread or cheese and freaked when Travis started asking him about that. He kept telling Travis he had to go ask his dad. Amused, Travis told him they could figure this all out, and they did. But, apparently, the change in routine and the multiple questions threw him for a loop. His eyes were big as saucers, and the panic was setting in. Funny boy! We have told this story twice now, and Christian sees how silly he was acting.

They're Back!

We picked up the kids on Saturday, and they all said they had a great time. They came back with some nice stuff and some nice memories. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Lucy, Uncle Tony and everyone else. Christian came back a lot more relaxed. He is now wearing shorts again and asked for Pop-Tarts this morning instead of his usual cereal. He said he tried lots of different things at Grandma’s, and that’s good.

Of course, I got a lesson on what Legos go with what Legos in his room. I got quite a few wrong when I moved them around and added more shelves. He fixed them and he is very happy that he has more room for future Legos.