Returning "Home"

Finding a good daycare is a big deal to me. Finding one for most parents, is I guess. I received a call yesterday from our previous daycare lady who told me that she and her family are not going to move (the reason why we had to change). My heart sank. What do I do? We'd only been at the new daycare for a week, only to pull up this morning and Kennedy breaking into tears. Was it a sign? I tend to think so. Needless to say, after many tears, a knot in my stomach, and possible money gone that I cannot get back, we are returning "home." The three families who left our old daycare for the reason that she was moving are coming back. It was such a huge joy to bring my kids back into the familiar place, hear the laughter of the kids, and see their bodies relax. I followed my heart, brought over the pull-ups and headed straight to Deb's after I pulled my kids from the "new" one. Tears of joy filled my eyes as we walked back in, greeted by everyone and I just knew I had done the right thing. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief. We're home.

First day of school....

Little did I know how much of an impact the first day of school would have on me. As I anxiously awaited this day to greet my own new set of 23 students,

it dawned on me that Hayden was going to be venturing into his own "new territory." Kindergarten. We packed his Spiderman lunch box, put his school supplies in his backpack, filled out all the paperwork to send back to school today and we were ready! He was so excited, that yesterday he says to Kennedy, "Guess what, Kennedy, I get to go to Kindergarten tomorrow!!!" It was the cutest thing. Knowing Hayden was going to be riding the bus over to McDonald, where I teach, I sat in the teacher's lounge, barely able to eat my own lunch waiting for him to arrive on the bus. Which, by the way was one of the highlights of his day! The moment I saw him pull up, I lost it! My coworkers saw the tears in my eyes, and heard my choked up voice and they started tearing up as well, remembering those days when their children were just as small. Hayden greets me with a huge wave and smile as I walk out to meet him from the bus along with our principal, "Auntie Laurie." His territory was treaded upon, with courage and wonder. Anxious to go back tomorrow to play with his new friends!

Arizona pics!

I just finally received a CD from one of my best friends, Char. She got married in April in Arizona and I flew down there to help her celebrate for 5 days. It was such a good time. This pic is one of my favorites. We are hanging out the morning of her wedding, talking about Char's mom, memories, etc. Not to mention, we were drinking champagne. It was such a beautiful day and a wonderful time was had by all. The three in the picture with me are all from Arizona, with Char (the bride) being on the front left. The wedding, reception, and everything surrounding the wedding was just perfect!

Doggie Troubles....

For those of you who don't know, we have two adorable yellow labs, Bubba and Chloe. They are brother and sister, from the same litter and were given to me by my husband, Bryan as a surprise for Christmas one year.

Inching towards the 8 year mark, they are still as youthful as they were when they were puppies. Well, about a month ago, Hayden and I were throwing the ball back and forth while Chloe was chasing it. She started to limp after a while. She didn't whimper, whine, or anything. I thought maybe it was a hurt paw, no big deal. After about a month of on and off limping, Bryan and I finally decided we should do something. Long story short, she may have blown her miniscus (sp?) and it will require surgery to fix it. We've decided to go for it. After calling around for quotes, we have decided to take her to PAWS, a surgical center here for animals. They take payments - that was key for us right now - and we have her initial appointment tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed all goes well and this is fixable!

The Kindergarten Chaos

Well, all summer long, we've been patiently waiting to see if Hayden will be "allowed" to go to school with me for Kindergarten. Being a teacher, it'd be so convenient to just drive to work and have him stay with me in my classroom before he heads to his own class. Unfortunately, he didn't make it "in." I always tell myself that things truly do happen for a reason. He was admitted to go to Lena Whitmore Elementary (my former school! :-) ) And then in the afternoon he'd ride the bus over to my school and do the K Plus program there.

Of course, I was shocked and disappointed, but when I found out that he will be at my old stomping ground, I realized that this may be a good thing. He wouldn't be known as the "teacher's kid." And he could see his cousins on a daily basis who attend Lena. Lena and McDonald are both great schools, so we are fortunate that he gets to be in both places this year. We'll see how it goes. I'm hoping I keep myself composed on the first day of school since I will have to go teach my own set of kids that day! More to come....

Kennedy's First Haircut!!

Well, we did it! Kennedy had her first official haircut and it looks fantastic! Big brother Hayden went first, to show Kennedy how to sit in the chair. So, when it was her turn, she sat there like a champ and the hair cut was a success! Of course, we saved a few snippets of her baby locks to put in her scrapbook and I took a ton of pictures. For some reason, she had her lower lip stuck out for a big chunk of the haircut. Not like a pouty look, but just because. She definitely looks like a big girl now! She had about 3.5 inches taken off. That's a lot of hair for a two year old! Now, on to getting her big girl room done!!!

The end of an era...

Little Tykes t-ball officially ended for Hayden. He'll move on next summer (if he wants to) to the official t-ball. I'll be sitting on the sidelines hoping that all goes well with our little athlete! The season was a success, with only one line drive to an opponent's eye. Luckily, it wasn't Hayden who hit the ball! Who knows? Kennedy may play it next year for it's for 3-5 year olds... you never know.

The kernel mishap...

Well, this weekend the kids and I drove up to CDA to watch Bryan play in a state softball tournament. On Friday, we got ready, packed up the car and headed out so we could spend some time with some close friends who we were staying with for the weekend. I thought I'd be a smart mom and pop some popcorn for the kids to take up to munch on along the way. Around Worley, Kennedy said something about her nose. I turned around to see what was going on, and she kept picking at one side. At that moment, the lightbulb went on. A kernel was in there. I abruptly pulled over, turned off the car and hurried to her side of the car. Sure enough, a kernel, left nostril. Thoughts were going through my head of an ER visit in CDA when we get into town to get this sucker dislodged. Luckily for me, I only tried to pick it out once, only to realize I was pushing it up a bit more. Hayden and I were trying to get her to blow out of that nostril... well, a two year old can't blow out of their noses yet, at least ours can't. So, she blew out of her mouth until she got red in the face. Finally, I managed to squeeze it out like a puzzle piece and immediately checked for more kernels around the carseat that she could get her hands onto. I only found a couple of kernel casings coming out of her nostrils that evening... all is well with the nose now.

School Shopping...

Our first official trip to go school shopping. It's a start and it'll be a tradition we hope to continue year after year. The family and I are heading up to Spokane to do some school shopping for Hayden before he starts the big kindergarten! (Of course, Kennedy will land some clothes as well!) Anyhow, we're planning on taking it easy, going down to Riverfront Park and feeding the geese. We can't miss out on the Merry-Go-Round that is there, of course! Spending the night at a hotel with swimming in order. It's going to be fun to go and gather some new things for the school year and spend time together as a family. Pictures will soon follow...

Going by fast...

It was been completely wonderful having dad, aka - Grandpa Dave here with us this week. The time has gone fast, but it's nice to not have to rush all conversations, trying to pack everything in. We've relaxed, finished up the swim lessons, hit 2 of Hayden's t-ball games, visited with old friends and we'll of course be going to the Farmer's Market in the morning. He has taken a load of pictures of the kids - I just need to get him to download them to me now! I believe the next time I see dad will be next April for the Kellogg family reunion in sunny Arizona although I wish it would be sooner. But the reunion - what an adventure that should be! 4 plane tickets, renting a car...oh boy, watch out!

Grandpa Dave is here!

Grandpa Dave came into town yesterday afternoon. The kids were excited as he rolled into town. In fact, Kennedy was so excited she couldn't go down for her nap until she got to see him! We've been busy playing, dad's been taking pictures and I'm sure that dad will need a vacation after his vacation in Idaho! Grandpa Dave is loving his visit and the kids have loved having him! Anyhow, more to come...

Daxter the fish...

Well, Daxter the fish made his way home today. I took the kids on some errands after our daily swim lessons. One stop was at the local pet store here in Moscow. I wasn't planning on bringing home a new pet, but that is exactly what we did! After asking the store clerk hundreds of questions, I decided to "take the plunge" so to speak. Beta fish are fairly easy (or at least that is what the clerk said!) and don't take a lot of care. I was thinking, "Whew!" for this is my first fish EVER! I had visions of the kids taking it out of it's bowl to pet it, showing it to their friends and so on. I also knew that this was the beginning of many toilet bowl funerals.

Hayden got the honor of picking out the fish. He wanted a red one, just like Lightning McQueen. So, the clerk picked out 5-6 healthy red ones for Hayden to choose from and Daxter was immediately named (I believe after a little one year old at daycare) and we brought him home with love and care. So far, he's enjoying his new surroundings and even greets us when we say hello!

Summer Heat Wave...

Ok, seriously, Moscow is never this hot for this long. This week it's going to be in the hundreds and we haven't even hit August yet, our usual hot month! Kids started swim lessons yesterday. I was a little skeptical having them be at the same time. One, because I would be in the water with Kennedy and two, because Hayden has never had swim lessons with out either Bry or I in the water with him. They are loving it! We'll be back next year, I'm sure. I'm just thankful the weather has been cooperating with us.

The Farmer's Market

Every Saturday from early May to mid-October the Moscow Farmer's Market goes on downtown. The kids and I enjoy venturing down there. Me, mainly to get my cheap and beautiful arrangement of fresh flowers. The kids, they await their fresh cinnamon rolls and to play on the play structure. This morning is no exception. Kennedy and I will go down and take on the crowds. We're hitting a few yardsales on our way to see if we can catch a couple of nice white pieces of furniture for her new "big girl" bedroom. Hayden is fishing today with daddy and Papa Rod on the St. Joe River, a beautiful place if you haven't been there. I'm off to get my fresh bouquet....

Just the beginning...

Well, this is a start, to say the least. Maybe something that will continue, and then again, maybe it won't. I wanted to begin this so that our out of town friends and family can read about the zany adventures of our life here in Idaho. Needless to say, it's peaceful, yet crazy all at the same time. I'm looking forward to this blog thing...and hoping that you and yours will enjoy my posts about my wonderful family!