Surving the first week of school

School started last week and I am just now getting around to posting some pictures. Of course the good mother that I am, I forgot my camera on the first day so I have a picture of them getting off the bus on the first day. Thanks to a friend who has a son in Lexi's class I do have a couple pictures of her. The kids seem to like their classes and teachers. Bailee is Vice President of the student council this year. Raden still likes to find his friends on the playground and either play star wars or run from the girls chasing them, and Lexi is loving school and is doing better adjusting than I had hoped. It is pretty quiet around here now and is taking some adjusting on my part too - Jadie seems to be trying to make up for the quiet by turning into quite an energetic little girl. Here's to a new year!

Traditions are ...

I grew up with a lot of family traditions. Besides some of the  holiday ones ( some of which I hold very close to my heart and will continue to have with my own family) one that came to mind was eating Cheetos at my Grammie and Grandpa's house when ever we went over there to swim in the summer time. I doubt that was thought of as a tradition at the time - but it turned into one. I dont know if it was because we didn't have Cheetos at home or if good memories sometimes turn into traditions but for whatever reason that was something I will always remember. I dont think I realized how much family traditions would mean to me. Until I started thinking about what family traditions I wanted my kids to remember and cherish. I've had lots of ideas, and some have actually even come pretty close to what I had pictured in my mind. Others flopped horribly - but maybe those will become memories too.


I think we started one  tonight that will stick around. I wanted to do something special with my kids the night before school started.  Lexi especially is really nervous since she is starting kindergarten. On a whim we decided to have dinner by candlelight. Bailee also thought listening to some music would be cool too.

If you  notice, we are eating on paper plates. Dinner was spaghetti with bottled sauce and canned fruit - which is actually pretty good considering Jared is working and I just dont cook if he isnt home. And it wasnt perfect - Bailee spilled her plate of spaghetti in the silverware drawer after some sauce burned her hand -    one of the candles we ended up having to blow out early because the wax was dripping all over the table, Raden refused to put sauce on his noodles, Jadie wouldnt sit on her own seat and we had to close the shutters to make it dark enough for the full candle effect -  But it was a good time. It was suggested during dinner that we eat spaghetti the night before school every year and when someone was finished with their dinner they got to blow out one of  the candles. We might not keep that last one, it got a little crazy.

So to finish the title - (and please excuse my limited vocabulary - reading "Goodnight Moon"  for the past 11 years had sapped any big words I once knew)


Traditions are .... planned, unplanned, grand, small, near perfect or flopped moments that need to be grasped onto and cherished.


Now -  I need to go find a way to toughen up so I'm not a crybaby tomorrow when we take them to school.