Ants in my pants

A couple of weeks ago I found a big old army of ants on my garbage cans outside.   We haven't had an ant problem "yet" so, I just figured I'd call the pest people and have them come on out.... They did. A few days later, they were in my house! In my boys bathroom, next day, family room, next day, laundry room.... I figured this problem was not going to move  on by itself....so I finally called the pest guy AGAIN.

He came, put out bate.. I thought the problem was gone until today.  Nts moved to jaxons room, where they were crawling all over a swim suit, on their way to 5 empty pudding containers under his bed.
 Problem #1 millions of ants
Problem#2 secret food horder who ate all the pudding, and stuffed it under the bed.
Problem#3 jaxon took the swim trunks, and up them BACK IN  HIS DRAWER where all of his clean clothes are now covered in ants.

I hate ants.
Ants are hard to get rid of.
Ants may push me to the loony bin.
I want to go to bed and not get out.

Oy.

Back to School

The kids are back to school, Jaxon started last Wednesday at his old school. . . He seemed okay with going back. As long as everyone else was going back too. (He went to some summer school, and did NOT like that at all!) He is always a ham for the camera... 

 We get normal, 

 Tired of Posing

 Wait, LIKING posing. 

 REALLY liking posing. 

 Now I've done it. Taken ONE too many pictures. 

 I shoulda known....

 Abigail and Wade got into a Charter School. They teach a Classical Education. I am super excited about it. Because they are a great school, and I love the concept of Classical education. 

how hilarious is Wade's face?

 And I'm not going to lie, I like the uniforms. Abby got harassed mercilessly last year for the clothes she wore. I am just happy to have that out of the equation now! We can focus on school. HURRAY! Shirts must be tucked in for the boys, belts on, and no slouchy pants or hairdos. . .

 Wade walked into his classroom with the most sense of purpose I have ever seen in a 5 year old. He walked straight to his seat. Assessed the situation, saw that most people were coloring and went straight to work.

Like he was writing the code for the newest form of nuclear fusion. I'm serious. I didn't get a BYE MOM! Or a tear or a nothin'. This kid just went to work like it was his mission in life. Now that I think about it, maybe it IS his mission in life. He loves school, school loves him. I see a great blending of two very smart grandfathers here.....Pretty much, is options are limitless.  

Abby, being in 6th grade, would NOT let me walk her to class. Even on her first day, so, I walked myself there and took pics from the doorway. She is in the back of the room, emptying her backpack... Now that we have been in school for a week, I am realizing the blessing this school is for her. It is perfect for her. She is acting more confident in her abilities, and seems more focused and sure, and I love it. 

This is one of the things I love about their new school. The teacher in this pic was talking to them about how to form a straight line, how to shake hands, and greet a teacher. Administrators from the school stand all over in the morning and greet the students with a handshake. A student is expected to return the shake and say 'good-morning', and look that person in the eye. They care about respect, and they believe the having it, is the right way to live your life. . . . me too. 

 I have no idea where she gets her attitude from. None. 

heaven help me. 

 Kaylie went to school too. She is at Ms. Michelle's, where Wade went to preschool last year. I am not going to lie, Ms. Michelle's is NOT close to my house. However, after Wade finished preschool last year, I decided that Ms. Michelle was the best darn Preschool teacher any of my kids had ever had, and I wasn't going to lose her. Although I had told her that I was going to be putting Kaylie somewhere closer to me, I totally changed my mind in the middle of the summer and decided to put her in. SOMEHOW we got back in, and doesn't she just look ready for school. Uhhh huhhh. She's ready for sure. 

So far, so good!

Endzone Dance

I went up to my room tonight, after I had packed up all the school supplies that have been sitting on my counter and cluttering it for a couple of weeks now, and I felt like spiking a football and doing the football dance!!! I DID IT! I FINISHED YET ANOTHER SUMMER!

Actually, for the first time since I can remember having kids in school, summer wasn't all that bad. Actually, it was kind of enjoyable. My kids love going to the beach, and so do I, so, that makes for some fun. They were involved in a few activities, so many actually, that I was kind of sick of running around all the time. The only thing I DIDN'T like about summer this year was patrolling the television. It didn't matter if I said they could watch it or not, someone was always trying to sneak it in. Or watching it when I was gone, etc. I need to vamp a new plan for next summer where I don't have to be such a watch dog on the TV.

Jaxon and Abby started Piano this summer which has been such a blessing. Abby has just blossomed with it. I actually kind of liked that she had a year long break. She knew just enough about the piano that when she started back up with it, she felt confident and enjoyed what she was doing. Now she is putting together songs that I just never thought I would hear her play, and it makes my heart sing for sticking with it, even though she took a year off. Taking a year off was not intentional, I couldn't find a piano teacher! But now, I am pleased as punch that I persisted and she is doing it, and doing it well. LOVE IT.

I finally enrolled Jaxon as well. If you think you have a child who complains about something just ask if you can come hang out with Jaxon for a day. It DOES NOT MATTER that his job has been to empty the dishwasher every single day for the past two years. Every time I tell him to do it you would think that he has just been sentenced to a life term in prison. There is whining and complaining and huffing and puffing. I have become so immune to it that it doesn't even bug me anymore when he does it. (However, it drives me INSANE when my other kids do it) But I just expect it from him. #Autism. Ugh. I was hesitant to put him in piano because it would be yet ANOTHER thing I have to badger him to do. However, I have found out that if I ask him to practice ANY OTHER TIME OF DAY THAN RIGHT BEFORE BED, he wines, he moans, he runs away after only playing one song. But, if he practices RIGHT before bed, he just sits and plays all of his songs with absolutely NO complaining. I would think with him being tired that it would just be a million times worse. I am thankful for small miracles like this. I mean, I am lucky that A- I tried to get him to practice at a different time (it was a total fluke) and B- That I even NOTICED that he did such a better job! I am so grateful. Such a small mercy from Heavenly Father.

Wade starts Kindergarten tomorrow, and I am so excited for him! I am not sure if I will cry. I never have with the other kids. Maybe I will for him because I have such a soft spot for him, but on the other side, I am so excited for him to get to put his brain to use all day long because I have the BIGGEST battle with him, and wasting time. However, he LOVES to learn, so, I am happy that challenge will be placed with his teacher for a time.

Work has already started a full swing, and I had no fewer than 6 calls on Friday for fundraisers. Some of them for next week even! I am not sure yet how I will be all places and do all things, but I find that a way always comes together. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to make a difference with our business, but sometimes it takes a toll on my little family. Luckily, everyone seems to take it in stride. I am sure there will be lots of family memories of "going with mom in the trailer to do a fundraiser." Abby got her taste last week when I took her out in 100 degree weather and we baked 15 pizzas in a a trailer, with three ovens going,  with no air conditioning! I am not gonna lie, I was just as miserable as she was, but of course, I couldn't show it. MAN, it was hot.

So I sit here in my mostly clean house, waiting for tomorrow when my kids are going to wake up and leave the house and it will STAY mostly clean!!! I can't wait for that moment. But I am blessed with 4 great kids. Sometimes I look around the table and I cannot believe that I gave birth to every single one of them. Fed them everyday, changed diapers, nursed them through all sorts of sicknesses, and kept them alive for all of these days. It really is a miracle. So far, I have spent 4045 days being a mother. Can you believe that? I sincerely can't. I think that we have a selective memory because after that many days it just seems like it would be an impossible task. There were times in my life where I wasn't sure if I would have the privilege of being called "Mom" in this life, but I am so grateful that I am. So grateful that I have made it this far, and so grateful for the fantastic kids that I have.

Wade

This is something that I just HAD to post. It know it has been all summer. ALL SUMMER, I never thought I would drift off so horribly. But, I can't help it. Having 4 kids in summer activities is juuuuuuuuuuust enough to be too much for me. And now, since school is starting, I am filling that time with work. But because my main motivation for blogging is keeping a record for my children, I MUST write about Wade.

He is touted as the Golden Child in our family. He is smart, cute, funny. He whistles, knows how to read (he hasn't started kindergarten yet), and he pretty much taught himself. He is smart as a whip, and remembers EVERYTHING you tell him, which is why I have to record these few stories for posterity.

Peter was taking Wade to football practice and the back seat was full. He decided to just let him sit up front for the short drive rather than unload all the boxes from his car. Wade was giddy with excitement stating the obvious fact, "I've NEVER been able to ride in the FRONT before!" Peter explained to him that was because there are airbags in the front seat, and if they go off, they could hurt him. Wade paused and asked, "What are airbags?"  Peter took to youtube for an instructional video and let Wade watch this.



Pretty intense and all. Wade got to practice, had football practice and when he returned to  Peter's car, got in veeeeeeeeeeeery cautiously, and after getting in, leaned waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over to the side over the arm rest almost all the way into Peter's side. When Peter asked what he was doing, he said, "I don't want the air shoots to hit me!" I didn't know all of this had taken place until the next day when Wade waltzed into the  kitchen and said, "Mom, will air shoots kill me?"

Wade has had a slight fascination with death lately, and I had NO IDEA what air shoots are. To be honest, we really discourage any kind of talk of guns and killing people in our house. I guess I just never want to plant that seed.. Anyway, I asked HIM what air shoots were and he said, YOU KNOW! The THINGS IN THE CAR!!!! I said, AIR BAGS? And he said YEAH!!!!

He was obviously traumatized, and I casually said they wouldn't hurt him, and later told Peter the story and he related to me the conversation he had with Wade. Wade is STILL concerned about it everyday, and today he was looking all over my car for the airbag insignia's and kept asking me where they all are. He is HORRIFIED by them.

Wade could be crippled for the rest of his life by irrational fears. If you don't remember this one, you definitely need to watch it again..   It's just a small glimmer of when his irrational fears started...