{1st day}

The obligatory 1st day pictures. Their expressions crack me up. From fake smiles to laughing. The boys are too much & Presley was a riot! I asked her if I could take her picture. She says "yeah. sure momma!" & then hops on the front step & turns her back to me. sassy pants! She thought she was pretty funny. We are so lucky that parsley's little friend who lives just across the street is in the same Pre-K program as Presley. They were a comfort to each other & held hands as they walked to their very first day of school! The big boys acted like old pros & Maddox refused to admit he was nervous, but his face said it all as he walked in a line to his kindergarten class. I was so so glad my Mother was here to assist me in all the running around the first day brings. Her excitement for the children really helped the children feel confident & thrilled to get back in the classroom. Maddox came home exhausted & told his Omah that he had a "hard day." because it was so long. But they all were happy & ready to take on the school year when they arrived home. Presley even announced she was "proud of myself" I definitely worried about that baby girl, but she did it! They all did! 

Here are our Pre-k, kinder, 2nd & 4th graders! 

The S family is taking over!  watch out H.O.E.! 

{Eve of the 1st day}

Our 6th Back to school dinner. 

The traditional meal of Spaghetti & meatballs with Garlic rolls & salad.

Sparkling cider for toasts & the yearly character challenge. 

We challenged Tre to plan ahead. He is a hard worker & we really want him to keep the end in mind. He has big dreams & if he wants to get there he needs to plan for tomorrow. Britton tends to spend much time alone. He enjoys it. Playing games alone, reading alone, playing legos alone. We challenged him to be a friend to someone who needs a friend. We hope it will encourage him to look around & notice the other children near him, & hopefully he will step outside his comfort zone a bit. Maddox really needed this challenge. The boy is a bit sassy, & talks over others frequently. we want him to listen 1st & think & then respond or act. We are working hard on that one. He just has a lot to say! This is Presley's very 1st challenge. It was hard to think of one for our sweet & sour birdy. In the end we hope learning to be with others 3 hours a school day will help her learn to be calm even in moments where her words are struggling or someone is not understanding her. Calm responses would be a wonderful development. Its hard to believe we have 4 little students now! Rod gave the children their yearly back to school father's blessings. Presley decided she was done mid blessing & hopped off her seat & ran off giggling! Oh well...its the thought that counts right? 

Heres to a great 2014-2015 school year! 

{proud}

Our good friend Bonnie moved away leaving us without a stylist for Presley. Tomorrow is meet the teacher night & Presley was in need of something for her curls. We went after naps leaving the 4 boys with our favorite sister duo, the Johnsons. The salon is for children & they pampered presley with coloring pages, cupcakes, lemonade & they painted her nails while waiting for her appointment. I love watching her see & try new things. She wears her feeling & thoughts on her face. I could see her little mind working, taking it all in. The music, the pink lighting, the dress ups. Her expression was somewhere between nervousness & excitement. We do not get much time alone, just us girls. The entire time we were out she kept saying "girl time momma?" She watched frozen & rode in a pink barbie car while getting her baby ends chopped off to give her inherited head of curls a lift. Then her hair was braided & a new butterfly clip was placed on her head where a big bow usually sits. She liked the little sparkling butterfly, but requested the big bow to be returned to its rightful spot while I buckled her into her seat.  I stopped to get her a soft serve ice cream cone on the way home. She was very pleased with all the big girl things she did today. Lately when she does something that is "big girl" she will say "Mommy so proud of me!" I am so proud of her. She was late to potty train & late to speak, but Ill tell ya...she has picked up momentum & I am in fact VERY VERY PROUD of her! Her brothers are too. They have been handing out high fives & extra hugs when she succeeds at just about anything. I wish rod could have seen Presley before bed tonight. She was acting so grown up & looking extra sweet with her cute hair cut! I think I am down to just 1 baby. Presley is ditching babyish things left & right these days. I cannot believe she starts school in less than a a week! unreal!