Kindergarten Rocks - 2nd Day

I am so glad Brooklyn was ready for her 2nd day of school...all of it's fabulousness had not gone away in one night's shut eye...what a difference two years makes because I remember her standing over my bed in the middle of the night after the 2nd day of preschool. As I was slowly opening one eye she started crying and telling me she WAS NOT going back to school next time...EVER.

This 2nd day happened to rock and she had the style to prove it!

Love you my little ROCKSTAR!

Back To School - Fabulous First Day

This was a first for our family...the two girls would be starting school on the same day. With Brooklyn, preschool always started the week after K's school started. Usually I am left on the first day of school with my little baking helper like last year...

But this year when there is a new Kindergartner in the house, this is how our day began...

She cracked me up...she loved her sign so much she kept putting it up each time 

I went to take her picture

Sad to say but the earliest we had been in the car since the end of school in May 

silly 4th grader - love it! 

he doesn't know what he is about to be missing - his playmates!


We dropped off K first since B's was going to Kindergarten at her old school
and it doesn't start until 8:30am.

heading into her first day of 4th grade - pose in tow of course

photography tip of the day from a very amateur photographer...

DON'T snap the picture of your sweet Kindergartner in FRONT of the graffiti!

Honestly, we live in a nice neighborhood

LOVE her classroom! She was practically doing cartwheels over her seat pocket, her cubby and all of the fun resources surrounding the room. And I was doing cartwheels because there are 18 kids and TWO teachers!! Plus they get specials every day with a class at a play gym across the street, art, science, social studies, cooking, Spanish and music and they take field trips once a month. This girl was more than ready and showed no sign of hesitation whatsoever...so proud of my big girl!

So what did Carter and I do with our first day down to just the two of us...

we went to the park with this motley crew...our "babies" all three of them the third child

After all the jumping, tree climbing and playing and of course coffee talk with us moms (two of us who had first day Kindergartners) Carter and I headed home to do what we do best on the first day of school...

Carter and I jumped in the car early to head to B's school to get in line to be able to get a first peek into her room and see for ourselves how she looked. I couldn't wait to find out how her first day was...when I asked her, she paused for a minute and said, "my first day was FABULOUS mom!" 

We headed straight to K's school to meet her at the bike racks and get the same anticipated update from our big fourth grader...she loved it too. Welcome relief from where we left off last year. She adores her teacher and the cool news from 4th grade is they get to switch teachers for science and math and she LOVED both of them. She has a ton of friends in her class and the only thing different about her day was that, "they changed the tables in the cafeteria mom." "They made them round and they only fit 8 people...they did it so we would learn to talk or "communicate" better mom." Kinda funny but I get it because kids are leaning less and less on face to face communication these days with all of this technology. It was funny because she got it and she knows this mama of hers when I get on my soap box about communication and face to face time...the old school face to face time that is!

 celebratory cupcakes was the special of the day in The Studdert Kitchen

Now the question was with them both starting school on the same day, WHO gets to choose the dinner of the night? :-) Well because it was Brooklyn's 1st day of Kinder she got to choose on that 1st day - of course she chose Chicken and Dumplings but she laughed at what she used to call it back when "she was little and in preschool - mom I can't believe I called it Chickening & Dumplings!" K got to have the special dinner of her choice the night before - of course Tacos. 

As a mom yo know everyday isn't going to be bliss at school, you know there will be kids who aren't as nice and times they get in trouble or face some challenges with assignments but the days your kids come home with a smile and say it's been a great day and why means more to a mama than anything. 

Here's to an even MORE fabulous 2nd, 3rd & 4th day to my all time favorite 

Kindergartner & 4th Grader! Love always, mom

The Night Before Kindergarten

We read the book (thanks Nonie), the backpack is sitting out by the door, packed and ready to go. The new shoes are unlaced waiting for the anxious and excited 5 year old to jump inside and head to her 1st day of Kindergarten. She is ready...I already knew that but just to be sure she announced the other day, " I CAN'T wait for Kindergarten so I can have my OWN space and some space from Carter!" True story! She did hug me tighter tonight and I did stay longer to rub her back, her request every single night. I am excited for her but I also know this is it...she now starts to spend more of her day with other friends and teachers than she does at home and that season that closes with her eyes waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow ends and that's what's so hard for this mama! I love the season of them home, close by, walking to the park, choosing our days and how we fill them and now they are being chosen for us. I love her company and watching her create. I looked forward to our Mondays and Fridays last year knowing she would be joining Carter and me on whatever adventures we came up with for the day.

I told her tonight I was so excited for her to start Kindergarten and she was going to do AWESOME and learn so many fun things. What I didn't tell her was that I was going to miss finding her tape EVERYWHERE in the house, I would miss her recycled food boxes turned treasure boxes that she  creates and give to each of us throughout the days...I will miss her various stores and what she comes up to sell this time (just this morning before church she came up with a store, set it up, invited Carter who of course "bought" out her store to which she turns to us and says, excuse me is someone going to pay for this little boy's stuff or what?"). I will miss our time that we always took after putting Carter down for a nap to play a game, read books, color or play Barbies. Just the two of us, the time that we would have to find and take advantage of, the time, even with just a little bit goes SO VERY far with this middle child - the meat of our family!

I think it's hard too because I have the perspective of watching my oldest start 4th grade tomorrow! Really??? So I do know that it feels like just the other day that I was taking her to Kindergarten and here she sleeps soundly waiting for her new march down the 4th grade hallway tomorrow. The hallway that isn't filled with camera snapping mama's anymore taking pictures of teacher and daughter. So I have the perspective of not just knowing how fast it goes but actually living how fast it goes! And I have the shoe pictures to prove it...

August 2008

August 2012

Their feet have grown, their legs have grown and their hearts have grown in the short four years and I am the luckiest girl in the world that God chose me to be their mom.

Kennedy & Brooklyn - you are capable of ANYTHING and I love watching you learn and figure that out. I am so proud of your thoughtfulness, your love for God, the kindness you share and the friend you are to others. Just know you aren't supposed to know everything yet and it's ok when you don't know something...you will learn and figure it out, that I have no doubt. And it's like I always tell you...don't ever forget - mama always loves you!

Ok now that the tears the tears are out of the way, Bring on School!!!

Our Own Classroom

As we were taking this picture we looked up and realized we could quite literally fill up an entire classroom with this crew!

Today we had our traditional back to school breakfast and swim party that turned into an all day event. No one wanted to leave, no one wanted to go home. The kids were all having fun, the food was a plenty and us moms were enjoying the beautiful cooler day sipping some coffee and catching up with EVERYTHING. So thankful for these friends in my life and so thankful for the friendships my kids have now! Funny to think 7 years ago when we all met we each only had ONE child. 

A Day for Goodbye's

This past Friday our girls held their traditional Goodbye Summer Party. There's no other way to say good-bye to summer than with swimming, water balloon fights, snow cones and friends. And you bet Carter is right in the mix of all these girls.

 Braden, London, K & Brynn

 Important work these feet have to do - filling up water balloons

 Miss Raya - hands down is always camera ready 

 Love this little guy 

 Strategizing meeting

Nothing like a good snow cone - Tiger's Blood was the popular flavor choice

After the goodbye summer party was cleaned up we had to say a not so fun good-bye to our babysitter. I know the kids didn't want her to go but it is Tim and me who were left with the biggest loss!!! It honestly took us a LONG time to find a sitter we all adored, a sitter we trusted and one who loved our kids so much and wanted to be here. Lindsey was super dependable and that is hard to find nowadays. We have loved getting to know her the last three years and seeing her graduate and move on to bigger things. Although we know we are on her first stop when she comes back home for Christmas. Already lining up dates! 

Right as Lindsey was about to leave Carter runs out of the room and disappears. He comes running back with his beloved Finn McMissile car from Lightning McQueen 2 - he LOVES this car. He runs straight to Lindsey and gives her the car telling her he wants her to take Finn with her to college! It was the sweetest thing ever - and Lindsey knows how Carter loves his cars!

Funny story: I was getting Carter up from his nap and told him Lindsey was on her way over to say goodbye because she was leaving for college. He said college mama...does Jesus live in college? No Carter, Jesus is in heaven (and your heart bud). Well, Mom does Nonie live in college? Nope buddy Nonie lives in AZ. OK mom just Lindsey going to college.