First Day of School!

**Disclaimer - the next few posts will recount our first few weeks/months in Jerome. We were living in a hotel (which I'll write about at some point) but please note that every single picture in the hotel is going to look cluttered, messy, and crowded. That's because it was.**

Less than a week after arriving in Jerome, the kids started school! It was a little hectic because we were still living in the hotel but they were more than ready and excited to begin a new adventure. I am going to detour here and say that my kids have been incredible throughout this move. They have been so positive and optimistic about all the changes. Their attitudes made things easier on me for sure. These kids of mine, I tell you, they're the best.

But, back to the first day of school!
 

The night before school started we had our traditional "first outfit of the school year" fashion show.

I love Clayton's outfit (I'd seriously wear it if it was in my size)!

This is not Sammie's first outfit of school. She actually started the day after all the other kids, but she wanted to try on new clothes too. She's pretty cute.

Since there was no bus to ride, and we weren't in our home, our first day of school morning was a little different than usual. Breakfast from the hotel breakfast bar, everyone getting ready in the same room, loading everyone in the car to drop them off. It was a little hectic, but considering all the problems we've had with the bus over the past few years, I'm more than happy to drive them (we'll see if I still feel that way in a few years - but for now I don't mind it one bit).

They do school a little different out here. There are two K-3 elementary schools, 1 4th-5th grade school, 1 middle school (6-8), and then high school. So Clayton goes to a different school than Noah and Josie. I think there are pros and cons to this. They stagger their start times, which is nice (Clayton starts about 15 minutes earlier than Noah and Jo so drop off isn't a problem), but it'd be nice to only have to go to one school to see all my kids. I'm pretty happy with both of the schools though, so I can't really complain.
 

First day of school! Noah: 2nd grade, Clayton: 5th grade, Josie: kindergarten
Pretty stylish group, if you ask me! (And yes, that's a potty chair on the floor of my van. That's how I roll with a newly potty trained kid. Judge if you must, I ain't changin'!)

I can't believe this is Clayton's last year in elementary school. It seems like his grade school years just flew by! He has a great teacher this year though who lets me come into the classroom and help out once a week. It's nice being able to spend that time in Clayton's class since this is probably the last year I'll get that chance!
I wish this picture was better, but oh well.

Pootie started the second grade. As you can see, he started strong. He has a very loving teacher who is just the sweetest. He has taken that elementary school by storm and made a ton of friends. I predict he'll be running that place next year!

Josie started kindergarten! Crazy! I was worried about how she'd do academically (she wasn't quite as prepared as Clayton or Noah had been), but she's doing just fine. We struggle a bit with her teacher (she doesn't really let parents in the class to volunteer, which kills me because I want to be there for her) and she's had a few hard days, but we're working through it together and I'm hoping that we'll come out on the other side stronger for it.

Socially though, she's on fire! She makes friends left and right and is just so confident and sparkly! I love that she knows exactly who she is.

Noah and Josie go to the same school. I was interested to see how this would effect their relationship and I'm happy to report that I think they're closer for it! They have a lot of shared experiences that the rest of us don't and I think that's bonded them. They still fight a bit, but I'm slowly starting to see a more friendly relationship developing between these two! 

I thought it'd be fun to compare all my kindergartners:
Isn't Clayton the cutest and tiniest kindergartner you've ever seen! Oh my goodness! He's so adorable! I am having a hard time reconciling this sweet tiny face to the man-child that is currently living under my roof!

 Noah! Oh poor Pootie with his poor allergic reaction. Still though, he's changed so much!

Josie. Maybe it's because I'm remembering the boys smaller than they actually were (though Clayton was actually pretty young) or maybe it's the difference between boys and girls but she seems more grown up to me starting kindergarten than they did. I love her excited/nervous face here.

Josie only goes half day (she goes in the mornings). So after her first day, we got to celebrate with lunch at McDonalds with Justin (I adore his new schedule - things get so much better after residency!).

When everyone else got home, it was time for the traditional snack of cookies and milk while we discussed their first days. Everyone had a successful day!

The next day was Sammie's turn. I miss Woodard Preschool in South Bend, but we found her a pretty good little school. It's got a Christian based program so she learns a lot of Bible stories and a lot about Jesus. It's pretty cute. She was one excited little lady to go to school!

Again, I thought it'd be fun to compare her picture against all the other kids on their first day of preschool.
Cute little Clayton (those cheeks!):

 Oh Pootie (at the height of his pootie-ness):

 Gorgeous Jo:

Sammie goes to school from 8:30-12:30 three days a week. They feed her lunch and do a bunch of activities, so she's usually wiped when she gets home. She's adjusting better now, but she would crash so hard after school at first.

I was nervous about the time I'd have to fix Josie's hair every morning before school. I usually don't fix the boy's hair for school and I was afraid that we'd be late every day because of the time it'd take to fix her hair (because it is so, so long). But it hasn't been bad. We've discovered a few go to styles that we've made work for us (like this fancy braid that I'm so proud of).

Once the kids started school I felt a lot more settled here (even though we were still in the hotel). It gave us some routine and stability that I was desperately craving (and I think they were too). It's so weird to me that all of my kids go to school now. It's a whole new chapter in parenting. I'm starting to think about the next chapter of my life and it's like uncharted territory. Kind of scary, kind of sad, but kind of new and exciting too.

I love these kids and am so proud of how well they've adjusted to this new life. They jumped in head first and have really thrived in this new environment. Watching them out here makes me certain that this is the place for us. I can't wait to see how much they grow this year!

And I'm back!

You probably thought I fell off the face of the earth. Well, I didn't. I just moved and have been trying to get settled. But now that we're here in Idaho and relatively unpacked and settled, I'm back at it! So, let's rewind a little, shall we?

We'll start with Ten...the celebration!
We were in Utah for Clayton's birthday this year. They have a tiny little holiday on the 24th every year for the state of Utah. Not as cool or as important as Clayton's birthday, but an additional celebration nonetheless!

Good morning birthday boy!

Who's excited to be 10??

A little birthday breakfast (ah, tradition).

Then some birthday parade action.

Oh, yeah, I had to throw this in there. Sammie got hold of some black acrylic paint. She just wanted a bit of the spotlight on Clayton's big day.

My family waiting for the big town parade to start.

Me and my man at the parade.

After the parade there was a little fair with activities and games. Face painting was a big hit.

Josie got to realize her lifelong dream of becoming a cheetah.

Opening some birthday gifts (he doesn't look happy about it at all, does he)!

 

Birthday cake!

It was a big day to celebrate a big birthday. I wish I could remember the details a little better (that's what I get for waiting three months to blog about it) but this I do know, we really got to celebrate our favorite ten year old. He's such a good kid and such a light in my life and I don't know what I'd do without him and his optimistic, happy attitude. Love you Clayton, I'm so glad we got to take the time out of our big move/vacation to really celebrate you. You deserve it!

Double Digits!

Ten years ago, I was a brand new mom. Snuggling my perfect, cute, chubby 8lb baby boy. I had no idea what to expect from motherhood, but I knew that I loved this sweet new baby of mine. I knew that no matter what life threw at us, we'd tackle it as a family. I knew that, from that moment on, nothing was ever going to be more important to me than that kid (and his subsequent siblings).

I remember his birth. I remember being induced. It was a social induction because I was 40 weeks and sort of an annoying patient (ha!). I think my doc induced me just to be rid of me (not really, he was a great doctor). We got a call at 7a.m. asking if we could come in an hour to start the process. We went.

I was already dialated to a 3 and I got the mother of all epidurals shortly after being admitted. I never felt a single contraction! Since I didn't know what to expect, I thought this was awesome! (Hindsight has taught me that this was, in fact, NOT awesome - pain free is cool, but the recovery was horrible!) 

I labored comfortably for several hours. Chatting with Justin, my sisters, and my mom (all our family had come to wait for the birth of this first son/grandchild/nephew). At one point, a nurse came to me saying he was in distress and I needed to wear an oxygen mask. Again, I was naive and didn't see this as a potential problem. I was just too excited to finally meet my baby!

Progress was happening at a pretty good rate. When I was dialated to a 5, Justin went to the waiting room to update our families, leaving me alone with my mom. The nurse came in to check me again (about 5 minutes after I'd been declared a 5). And pronounced me complete (a 10 - ready to have this baby). What!?! A 5 to a 10 in 5 minutes. No one was expecting that! 

It seemed awesome to be ready to go ( I was still as numb as can be) but suddenly nurses were descending from everywhere. Surrounding me and talking very fast to each other. I was scared and I could tell my mom was too. About this time, Justin showed back up. My doctor wasn't there yet. The nurses gave me a shot to stop my contractions (because every contraction was causing more and more distress). They were starting to prep me for an emergency c-section (scary) when my doctor walked into the room. Dr. Paul is a linebacker of a man. Tall and broad and nothing like you would picture an OB to look like. But when he walked in, I remember feeling instantly calmed. I knew it'd all be okay because he was there.

Dr. Paul had them stop prepping me for a section (bless him) and told me to try and push. Two problems: I wasn't having contractions anymore and I was COMPLETELY numb from the waist down. So, pushing was doing nothing. Dr. Paul grabbed the vacuum extractor, stuck it on the top of Clayton's head and gave one huge tug. Game over. Baby was out. I tore pretty bad from that, but I didn't even care because my baby was out and I was c-section free!

 

This all took place in the course of about 10-15 minutes (from the time Justin left to inform our families to the time Dr. Paul yanked Clayton out). Clayton was born at just after 2 in the afternoon. My boy was perfect. I was a mom, Justin was a dad, and our lives would never be the same again.

And now here we are, ten years later. The years seem to be speeding by. How is it possible that I have a tween on my hands! That this sweet baby boy:

And this chubby toddler:

And this adorable kindergartner:

Has become this good young man?:

Ten things I love about Clayton:

1. He's dependable and steady. I can always count on him. Always.

2. He wants to do what's right. If he gets in trouble, he asks what he did wrong so he can fix it. 

3. He's a fantastic big brother. He loves his siblings and looks out for them. He shares and helps and tries to make them happy - even if he has to give up something of his own to do it. 

4. He's a great singer. He sings all the time. I love to listen to him when he doesn't think anyone is listening.

5. He's likeable. He loves people and tries to make the people around him happy. Because of this, most people really like Clayton. He's easy and enjoyable to be around.

6. He's a rule follower. He loves to know the rules whenever we go somewhere and he likes to follow them. He's not a troublemaker. This gives me so much peace of mind - especially with middle school right around the corner. I'm a lot less worried about him than I might otherwise be.

7. He's honest. I trust him completely. He doesn't lie, and since he's a rule follower, he rarely has anything to lie about. Even when it gets him in trouble, he tells the truth. 

8. He loves everyone. No matter age, race, disability, gender, whatever. This is one of my very favorite traits of his. He has the unique ability to see a person for who they are on the inside and love them for that. In this, I try to be like him. He's taught me soooo much about love, empathy, compassion, kindness, and service. I love how Christlike he is.

9. He's sweet. He always has a kind word or deed for me when I need it most. 

10. He's smart. So very, very smart. He absorbs things quickly (especially when the subject interests him) and can recall random facts easily. It won't be too long before he outsmarts me (in some subjects he already does)!

So happy birthday Clayton. I miss your sweet baby smell, your chubby toddler hands, and your toothless little grin, but it's hard to mourn those losses when I see the young man you're becoming. A young man that I not only love, but genuinely like and enjoy spending time with. You taught me to be a mother and, even though we've had (and will continue to have) some rough times, I think this has created in us a bond that will never be broken. You are loved and treasured beyond words. I am thankful every day that I get to be your mother. No mother was ever more fortunate. Happy decade son. I love you!

Pinewood Derby!

Last month was the Pinewood Derby. It was an event that we'd all been looking forward to since last year. When we (and by "we" I mostly mean Justin) learned from our mistakes and were trying for a better place than last year. (Not that we weren't thrilled with our third place, but there was definite room for improvement.)

It all started when my dad came out a few months ago while Justin and I house hunted in Idaho. He helped Clayton shape and sand his car. I will admit, it was pretty cool looking and REALLY smooth. Then Justin helped him finish it off with paint, wheel alignment, and weight. All my boys worked really hard on this car and it was impressive.

The day of the race was exciting. The boys were cheering for their own cars (and each others - I have to say I love how positive the whole experience is in our ward, the boys really support each other - win or lose). There were adults and kids running around, eating, watching the races. Pretty exciting stuff.

My boy holding his car.

Love this one of Noah. He was so excited to be there as well. He couldn't stop talking about how excited he is to make a Pinewood Derby car himself next year.

Josie and Sammie were mostly there for the food (no surprise).

Pootie!

If you look at the track, that's Clayton's car in the lead.

When all was said and done, we ended up with a second place finish! As always, Clayton acted like it was the grand prize. He was so proud of himself and his car. I love this kid and his positive attitude!

Of course Noah had to sneak in there for a picture with the victorious car. He was so proud of Clayton and talked for weeks afterward about his own car next year (he even made a couple Pinewood Derby cars of his own out of old granola bar boxes). This kid, he makes me laugh.

Afterward we went to Steak n Shake for a celebratory dinner.

And Urban Swirl for more celebrating!

So proud of these two. Love them both.

This kid. He melts my heart for sure. Last year he was third place, this year he was second, next year he's gunning for first (though Noah has a few thoughts about that). Watch out Jerome, the Smith boys are coming for you next year!