dependent

I started going back to a Bible study this year, and it began last week Tuesday.  I was looking forward to going again, but Levi did NOT want to go.  I really didn't think about it being a problem, but when it was time to go he kept saying that he didn't want to go, and he was really slow about getting in the van.  I tried to reassure him that Lauryn would be there (Amy's youngest, and they had just been over a few days before), but he was still feeling super shy and scared.  When we got there and saw Amy and Lauryn in the parking lot he wouldn't even look at them or talk to them.  He was very upset when it came to actually dropping him off at his room - he was crying and I literally had to drag/carry him into the room (and he's not a small boy...).  The teacher is great and said she was fine with me just leaving him like that and she would handle it (she had to hold him back from following me out the door).  When I went back to pick him up at the end he was in a much better mood, and the teacher said it just took him a few minutes and then he was fine.  I was very encouraged by that, but on the way home as we were talking he kept saying that he didn't want to go again.  So I was anxious to see how it would go this week.  The night before I mentioned to him that we'd be going to Bible Study the next day and he seemed okay with it (although, he has trouble keeping track of the difference between various activities).  But, that morning when I told him we were going he got upset about it and by the time we got to the church I was worried we were going to have a repeat of the week before (or worse!).  He was sucking his thumb in the car, so I held his hand the rest of the way.  In the parking lot he wouldn't talk to or look at Amy and Lauryn.  BUT, when we got back to his classroom he did so much better!  The other boys that were already there were excited to see him, and he had that shy/scared look on his face, but he walked right in the room and I left without a problem!  Yay!  Afterwards he was very proud of himself for doing so well going in, and his teacher mentioned to me how good he sat for story time, so he was proud of that, too.  I'm expecting big things next week.  :)

So yeah, around the first couple weeks of school I caught Levi several times trying to sneak sucking his thumb.  He's already doing better with it, so it must have just been the stress of starting a couple new things.  Phew.

Last Wednesday Jackson and I were able to visit with our friends Angie, Ian, and Wyatt.  Ian and Wyatt are 1 month older than Jackson, and it was just too cute to see the three of them together!

The other night my dad needed help picking up bales from the field behind our house and it turned into quite the event with lots of helpers!  :)  My dad drove the truck while my mom rode along and held Jackson.  Mike, I, Caleb, Logan, Levi, and two neighbor boys managed picking up the bales and getting them stacked in the trailer.  It went pretty well!  The neighbor boys are only 4th and 2nd grade, but they were "go-getters" and really kept at it.  Caleb and Logan did okay, helping some.  And there were a number of times that Levi was rolling a bale to the trailer and was determined to do it without any help.  So neat to see how hard he was trying and not giving up.

Yesterday I sold Jackson's infant car seat.  Hard to believe we're done with that already!  I've been thinking just the last couple days that he hardly looks like a baby anymore.  :(

finally

School has started...finally!!  We've had a pretty good first week.  Kids are tired (and so am I), and there have been a few small meltdowns (them, not me), but for the most part they are doing well.  School started for Caleb and Logan on Tuesday, and Levi had his first day of PreK on Wednesday.  SO STRANGE going out on Wednesday with just Jackson!  We ran a few errands, he took a decent nap, and we just hung out a little bit.  It's been a challenge trying to figure out when to fit in Jackson's naps with the school schedule - getting the other boys there in the morning is no problem, but afternoon pick-up really puts a damper on nap time.  Yesterday I was trying to quick get a batch of salsa canned before afternoon pickup and Jackson was getting tired and cranky, but there wasn't enough time to put him in his bed to nap, so I brought the stroller in and Levi walked him around to keep him content!

Caleb and Logan seem to have had a good first week!  They are enjoying being back with their friends, and Logan was telling me last night that he likes feeling bigger and older now that he's a first grader.  :)  And, they like having Aunt Emily as a teacher!  Levi was excited to go to PreK on Wednesday, but I think Caleb and Logan were way more excited for him.  :)  Last week at the open house, Levi was very shy and I had to pull him into the room, but thankfully drop-off went much better on his first day.  And, when I picked them up at the end of the day he had a big smile on his face and right away told me he had fun.

As long as Jackson doesn't wake up TOO early, our morning routine goes pretty well.  Yesterday he woke up at 6am, which cramped my style a bit, but there ended up being a 2 hour fog delay for school, so that helped.  :)  The other boys get up at 7am and seem to have enough time to have breakfast and get ready to go.  Logan struggles the most in the morning, so I've been trying to think of ways I can help things go better for him.

This week after Labor Day is one of Mike's most difficult weeks at work.  With the holiday the celery had an extra day to grow (and it was already looking big heading into the weekend), and then on the first day of school he was down several employees as they were taking their kids to school (and they didn't come in later).  So, that meant even longer days and a half day Saturday.

We had a beautiful day for our last Saturday at Harold & Kara's cottage last week!  Good close to the summer.  Mike got up on the wake surf board, went skiing and tubing, and I even went on a tube ride with Levi.  The day was definitely a challenge with Jackson, more so than at the beginning of the summer now that he's mobile.  I'm ready to be done taking him up there for a while now.  :)  A couple weeks ago when we had a rainy Saturday, Mike took the older boys up there after church on Sunday and I just stayed home with Jackson.

A couple funny things that Levi has said lately: I often have to point out to him that his shirt is backwards.  Many times he insists that it's not and then I point out the tag to him.  The other day when I told him his shirt was backwards he said, "How do you always know that??"  Mom's know everything Levi...  :)  This morning Logan was recounting his dream to us.  If you've had any conversations with Logan you know that he can go on...and on...and on...  (In fact, there's a meme I've seen on the internet that shows a skeleton sitting on a bench and it says something like, "What it's like waiting for your child to finish a story." and that absolutely applies here!)  Anyways, after he was several minutes into it, Levi just pipes in and says, "This is getting really long, Logan."  Nothing like telling it like it is!

Jackson is really getting around now, and keeping me on my toes.  He still scoots with his belly on the floor, but on our wood floors he's pretty fast.  I've seen him get up on his knees a couple times, so actual crawling probably isn't far away.  (I didn't encourage the scooting or anything, but now that he is mobile it would be easier if he just learned to walk!)  He is eating all sorts of table food now and loving most of it.  He loves my homemade pizza and zucchini bread, so he fits right in with his brothers!  :)  Today when Mike got home from work Jackson was playing nicely on the floor in the living room, but when he heard his daddy he started "shouting" for him and was making a beeline for the dining room.  Pretty stinkin' cute.