Update on Potty Training

After two days of staying home while consuming constant drinks and doing toilet runs every 5-15 minutes, both Ben and I were ready for some normalcy.  After drinking a regular beverage of water only as needed, we took a walk around the lake with success, made a trip to the auto repair place with no success and a trip to target with success over the next two days.  Our fourth day brought a trip to the gym and more success.  The rest of the week flew by as it was completely normal with an accident once a day (instead of the constant ones early on). 

The kid nailed this faster than Jack and Norah and completely surprised me in the best way.  I was so tense going into this new phase, but Ben has been a champ and we are so proud of him!

UNDERWEAR-school

That's right, we pumped Ben up as much as the other kids about starting school today.  He didn't love that his school was inside our house and not at the elementary school, but he did love the gallon of chocolate milk he drank and the cool Ninja Turtle underwear he wore all day.

Super Students

Not sure a taller more handsome 2nd grader could be found anywhere and we are so glad this guy is ours!

A more thoughtful and studios 4th grade beauty is impossible to imagine, we are so blessed to have her in our family.

No one is as energetic and adorable at the same time like this beaming kindergarten.  Norah is our sweet, tiny girl and always will be, even if she is in school ALL DAY!!!

Same School

After a lot of contemplation we decided public kindergarten would be the best option for Norah.  Ava was home schooled, Jack did private kindergarten and Norah is doing public school for kindergarten.  Each child is so different and as much as I'd like to have the same parenting path for each, they all have such special needs.

Norah is our social butterfly and having all her church and neighborhood friends go to a different school than her would prove to be too much for her.  The all day aspect of this path has been a challenge for her and us, but we feel like overall she is happy and was very excited to start going to Ava and Jack's school this year.

Jack was excited to be one grade higher, and missed his old teacher, but has been excited to start the school year and see his friends.

Ava is still in ISGT and managing a boy heavy classroom situation. She is a homebody and would have been happy to stay home longer, but was excited to be able to see her girl friends at lunch and recess.

This picture is so perfect, because it shows Ben chasing after the big kids as his does most days.  He cannot wait to be BIG!

Schultuete

Norah was probably the most excited about this tradition she has been missing out on for the past few years, but Jack and Ava were pretty pumped too.

Everybody got the usual outfit and book, but this year we decided to find a few things in Germany to include.  Ava got a Milka purse and a key chain with a teddy bear wearing a Munich t-shirt.  Jack got a 3-D panoramic diorama of Munich and a key chain with a skull and cross bones.  Norah got a hot pink bobble-head weaner dog and a heart key chain that said princess in German.

Ben scored a few coloring books, because he was going to school today too!

Nailed It

In the past, I have taken Ava to get a manicure the day she finds out who her teacher is.  Since this year Norah would be finding out as well, we decided to do a family ice cream run and opted for some homemade nail art instead. 

Norah chose love birds and Ava chose owls, which are not pictured.  I loved how we were able to so much time together on our last night before the big day.

Last Day of Summer

Around here we celebrate the last day of summer as much as the first day of school and for the occasion, our resident artist, Kyle, whipped up the masterpiece on the chalkboard to surprise the kids when they woke up this morning.  The detail is phenomenal, down to everyone's swim suit and hair color.  Ben gets a kick out of seeing himself in chalk wearing his swim vest and pointing at the sunset.

Family Fun

This trip was so fun, as usual, but it was also a great way of distracting everyone from the impending new school year.  We have annually missed the week before school since jumping on the public school wagon, and this year was no different.

We missed meet the teacher night and all the last minute jitters, and had an amazing time as a family here at the lake.

The water skiing that Kyle and I did and the tubing we did as a family was a great way to end the summer!

Under-Age

We kept telling Jack that it was illegal for him to drive the boat, but on our last we relented and let him drive it completely unassisted.  Ben joined in the fun on our last trip back to the beach.

No Tubing

We never were quite able to convince Ben that tubing was fun, but that wasn't a huge deal since he actually got in the water when the boat was stopped.  The Saturday before we left for the lake our whole family went swimming in the backyard and I actually got Ben to swim out to me from the step.  By the end of our afternoon swim he was swimming completely on his own while wearing his swim vest.  This was so huge for him, because last year he never got off the boat and floated around with us, making the trip tortuous for him.

This year he happily got in the water in between tubers and was happy as could be.  SO much fun to have all the kids in the water both at the beach near the rental and in the middle of Cedar Creek Lake.

Speed Boat

The last two times we have rented boats, they were either a deck boat or a pontoon boat.  The deck boat was perfect us, but more money than the motor boat was this year now that the boat rental place is under new ownership. 

Pulling the tube was a piece of cake, figuring out what speed to go while the less adventurous riders were on board was not.

Lake Life

When we asked the kids if they wanted to go to the beach or the lake this summer and they said the lake, Kyle and I were thrilled.  Not only is the drive 6.5 hours shorter, the accommodations are ten times nicer.  The owners of the Cedar Creek Lakehouse have been great to work with both times we have stayed here.  The house is immaculate, the decor is tasteful, the surroundings and yard are a kids paradise.  We all loved it here last summer and this summer did not disappoint.

Super Italian

 

During our trip to Lucca, we stopped at a street market inside the city walls and picked up a pair of sunglasses for each of the kids and a ravioli form pan for Kyle.  He has been itching to use it since we got home and tonight was his chance.

As legit as this is, it had a sharp learning curve attached that even master chef Kyle was baffled by.  In the end, the kids were in bed by the time the second batch of ravioli was cooked.  I was hungry and grumpy about waiting hours to eat, but the Italian sausage, kale and fontina cheese ravioli was completely amazing tasting!