Back to School

The kids started school shortly the next week – 6^th Grade and 2^nd Grade. Even though they go to a K-8 school, this is Erin’s last year in elementary school. Next year, she will be considered junior high, and their class structure changes a little so it’s not their homeroom teacher teaching all the subjects.

 

This is also the first year they get out of school at the same time. Grades K-1 go to school until 3:00 but grades 2-8 don’t get out until 4:00. For the last two years, they went to a friend’s house after school until Rob or I could pick them up. This year, Erin has a house key and they let themselves in when the carpool drops them off.  I usually get home about a half hour after they do.

State Capitol

I took a day off the week before school started just to spend time with the kids and finish getting back-to-school stuff together. We had lunch with Rob and Chipotle and then the kids wanted to go to the state capitol. There’s a small museum inside, and Robbie really likes the memorabilia and replica of the USS Arizona.

 

You can go to the top floor and look down through the rotunda to the ground floor. Erin thinks it’s pretty cool, but Robbie kept his distance.

 

Erin's Birthday

For the kids’ birthdays, we let them each invite a friend to Big Surf like last year. Robbie invited our next-door neighbor Ziondric and Erin invited her best friend Rachel. This was only a couple of days after she broke her toe. She wore water shoes, which kept her splint in place. Aside from banging it a couple of times in the wave pool or on the slides, she did fine.

Since I’m in the Young Women’s organization at church, I went to girls’ camp this year. It was a three-day camp, and the last day was Erin’s birthday. On the way home, Rob called to say some friends had invited us to an AZ Rattlers game that night and did I want to go?  I got cleaned up and off we went! I had never been to an arena football game, but it was pretty fun. The kids really liked it.

Since I wasn’t able to make a cake, we picked up a cinnamon cake on our way home and we had it after church the next day. Erin is growing up fast!

Cow Appreciation Day

We went to Chik-Fil-A’s annual Cow Appreciation Day again. Always worth it because everyone who dresses up gets a free meal!  And it’s kinda fun.

Erin's Toe

Erin had an interesting month of July. One day when Rob and I were at work, she broke her toe! She’s a pretty level-headed kid, so when she called in tears we knew something was wrong. She had been chasing Robbie when he stopped abruptly and her foot smashed into his heel. She said her toe was bent sideways across the other toes and she had to grab it and move it back into place… she relocated her own toe!  Ugh. So Rob left work and took her to urgent care.

 

This was in the waiting room:

 

After an X-Ray, a splint, and a walking boot, she was good to go. She’s one tough kid! She only needed Tylenol a couple of times, and she got around on it pretty well.

Robbie's 7th Birthday

Robbie turned 7 this month! On his birthday, we went out to eat and opened some presents at home.

We had some family over for cake and ice cream that weekend.

 

It was a good birthday!

May Update

So I mentioned our morning routine was changing drastically since I got a new job in March. I’ve been working in Miami, AZ as a contract administrator for Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold. Since it’s a 1.5-hour commute one way, I have to leave by 5:00 every morning. It took a little getting used to, but it’s not so bad. Miami is my hometown, so it’s kind of fun to go back there every day. Plus they have the best Mexican food in the world!

Because my work day ends earlier, I actually get home earlier in the evening than I did when I was working in Mesa. Weeknights have always been hectic, so that’s been helpful.

Rob is now getting the kids up and ready and driving the carpool every morning. Their routine is pretty much the same as when I was doing it, except Erin does her own hair now and she also makes their lunches in the morning.

Erin did well at her piano recital. She played a duet of “Beauty and the Beast” with her friend Lily.

This was the first year both kids were eligible for Honors Night at school (it’s only for grades 1-8, so Robbie was too young last year). They both got trophies for Principal’s Honor Roll!