My Newest Decorating...

is for preschool! We are all ready to go. The back yard is clean, the pictures are printed and laminated, and my calendar is all ready! Lots of toys and puzzles to start each day. The mats are waiting for kids - although it was a little tricky fitting all 10 in my living room. Keep an eye on my other blog to see what we're doing each day!

Preschool!

I have a new blog for my preschool kids. Feel free to check it out and see what we're up to!
http://seepreschool.blogspot.com/
Okay, so seriously, I thought today was fantastic. We had a meet the teacher day for all of my new preschool students. I had 10 kids, 10 parents, and a bunch of siblings in my house. A little chaotic, but it was fun! I feel so "in my element" when I am in charge, and when the kids are having a great time. I have 10 kids in my class - which is a lot! - but I am thrilled to be teaching again.
Preschool officially starts on Tuesday, Sept. 2nd at 9 am. I have a lot to do before then - but I can't wait!

For my birthday...

Around the beginning of every school year, I start fielding the question
"What do you want for your birthday?"
And every year - I have no idea. I guess I am at that stage in my life that if I want/need a new something, I assess the money stuff and either get it or not. SO ... for those interested, this is the best I can do for my birthday list.

• Peace on Earth, Good Will toward men. (doesn't everyone want this?)
• My husband to actually read my blog. :)
• a pedicure - always a good thing.
• 10 hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep.
• my kids to go all 24 hours of my birthday without whining, hitting each other, or complaining.
• someone to come in and mop my floors - I really don't like to do it, but it looks really good when it is finished!
• all the boxes (the last of the boxes) in my bedroom to be unpacked AND PUT AWAY!!!
• a nice dinner at a fine dining establishment (No Antlers hanging from the walls.)
• a new pair of shoes - my brown Mudd shoes are about worn out, and I love them. I have been looking for the same style, but to no avail.
• a good friend with which to hang out. I miss all of the great friends I had in Phoenix.

So that's it. I know all of those aren't easy to come up with, so I will gladly accept e-cards on September 8th. I will be 32. (No foolin'.)

The First Day of School

Here is a picture of Ben on his first day of first grade. (I apologize about the quality - it's from my phone - of course, in my hurry to get him and the girls out the door - I couldn't find the camera!) His teacher's name is Mrs. April May. (heehee) There are 3 kids in his class that had Star Wars Clone Wars backpacks - just like Ben's. He met a boy named Alex this morning who was wearing an Indiana Jones t-shirt. Ben was wearing his Nintendo "Know your Enemies" shirt with Bowser, Koopa Troopas, and Gumbas on it, and they sparked up a complete conversation about Nintendo games that they have played. I'm glad that he made a friend. I know he is a pretty friendly, easy-going kid; but I always worry. I just want him to have friends, and a good time. I think he's excited to be back at school. :)

Al's New 'Do

After many moons of food in her hair, endless tangles, and battles too numerous to mention, Al got her hair cut. We went to Emily, Luke's mom, and she did a great job. Here is the before picture: And here is the final result:
I think she likes it, and I know she'll love not having knots every morning.

We miss this...

I miss Phoenix. I miss the familiarity - it's nice to know where to go to get whatever you want, or at least who to call to find what you want. (I was looking for carpet squares for preschool yesterday. One call to Heidi and I found them with no problems!) I miss the lack of humidity! But most of all, I miss our friends. At least we get to visit! Here is Audrey and Grant: Two cute red-headed kids, totally not related, less than a month apart. Adorable. P.S. I made this quilt for him!

Here's Alex and Malia. They haven't seen each other in two months and they picked up like it was yesterday. I love it. What beautiful little girls! We miss you guys!

Our big plans

Happy Olympics Day! It's 8/8/08. It's sad, but I remember clearly 8/8/88...

This weekend, we are headed to Phoenix for a week. Grandma's going to fly here, shop for a little while. Then, Grandma, the kids and I will pile into the van and drive on Sunday. I have plans to stop by Heather's new house, and maybe say hi to Rebekah too. It really depends on how rotten the kids are being in the back of the car! We are excited to get to Grandma's and swim! We know that we are going to go to IKEA this week, and stop by our old house to check on the landscaping - I may have some work to do. Aaron will join us at the end of the week. He and I are going to go to the Mesa Temple as members of the military are not allowed to go to Juarez right now. Then, we are going to try to take Ben to see the new Star Wars movie.

WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!

The Good with the Bad...

The Good... This is Alanna and Blake - they are Audrey's friends. We had an impromptu dinner party on Sunday night with the other interns. We ate BBQ, talked, laughed at the babies, and let Ben and Alex run crazy with their friend, Luke. Lots of fun.

More good. These are the roses that were growing on the rose bush in my front yard. Aren't they beautiful? I have several rose bushes in my yard, and they are all blooming.

BAD. This came in the mail today. Yep, it's me. I didn't stop enough before turning right on red. The worst part - Aaron was on call that morning, and I was just trying to get the kids to church on time - ALL BY MYSELF. We got in during the opening song. It's $75 - which is much cheaper than Aaron's last ticket - so we'll live. Still stinks.

Tagged

How To Play This Game of Tag!
Post these rules on your blog.
List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 facts about yourself.
Tag 3 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

3 Joys
The Ocean
Ice Cream
Watching a child catch on to something they didn't get before

3 Fears
Losing one of my children
Bugs in my hair
Not being there when I need to be

3 Goals
To get all of our stuff put away - FINALLY
Start preschool here - with me as the teacher!
Slowly develop a more sophistacated wardrobe - I've been watching "What Not to Wear" too much

3 Obsessions/Collections
I am totally loving this blog thing!!! I check it everyday -without fail. SUPER Fun!
I have a collection of postcards from around the world. Going somewhere cool? Send me a postcard!
Building a bigger block tower than Ben... :)

3 Facts About Me
I love ladybugs. I keep one with me all the time.
I am planning our 10th Anniversary celebration. It will consist of a cruise, and NO CHILDREN. We have not yet celebrated our 9th anniversary...
I just got a new phone with an El Paso area code. If you want the number, send me an email. :)

I tag Steph, Sissy, and Nana!