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!

Science Fair!

Its the two words that strike fear into the hearts of parents everywhere...'science fair'. Well, we successfully completed our first science fair project. In the grand tradition of science fairs, there was yelling, tears, someone (me) balled up in a corner - rocking and talking to herself. But in the end, I think we came up with a pretty awesome project!

The topic Clayton chose was "can magnets float?". I'll let him explain it to you:


This kid worked really hard and was involved every step of the way. I won't say that Justin and I didn't give (a lot of) help, but I'm proud of the way he worked hard to make sure it was done - and done right!

And now it's done. Only three more years until Noah has to do the science fair (unless we get lucky and they don't do that in Idaho - fingers crossed).

Straight A's!

**This is the last post I needed to get caught up on! Ha! Bring on Halloween!**

The boys had parent/teacher conferences earlier this week. I was really excited to go because I know how well my boys have been doing so far and was planning on hearing all sorts of great things about my little men. I was not disappointed!

Both of the boys teachers had nothing but positive things to say. I love hearing things like "so polite" and "well behaved". Of course we did discuss areas that they could each work on but it was mostly positive and I left the school beaming with pride for my boys.

When I came home we all celebrated their success so far in the 1st and 4th grades. We went out to dinner to celebrate. Love these smart, successful guys of mine.

We were all so excited and celebratory over the boys outstanding report cards that Josie really wanted to get in on the excitement too. So she made her own straight A's. This girl kills me (in the best way).

 So we celebrated her too.

Love these little people of mine and how hard they all work to do their best. I'm especially proud of the boys right now. They definitely earned those A's this quarter. Keep it up boys!

First Day of School!

Well, it happened. School started and I am still two posts behind. Oh well, I suppose you don't need to hear about our completely uneventful drive home from Vegas (though huge shout out to my dad for driving with us again - he apparently didn't have enough road trip fun the first time). The boys and I ran in a color run 5k the day after we got back to Indiana and I think I will probably still post about that at some point for two reasons: 1. It was the boys first 5k. 2. It was tons of fun. It will be a good post - but not a post for today.

Yesterday was the day we had all been simultaneously looking forward to and dreading. School started! I say looking forward to because it's another school year, it gets us back into our school year routine (which I love), and the boys always grow so much (physically and mentally) and it's really fun to see how far they come. I say dreading because I'm one of those moms who genuinely enjoys having my kids home. My boys are big helpers. They can unload the dishwasher, vacuum, read to the girls, etc., etc., etc. Aside from the fact that I think they're super cool people to hang out with, it really helps that they're such big helpers!

We began the school year with the boys' back to school nights. When we went to Noah's we were really excited to learn that his teacher was the one that Clayton had had for reading flex his first grade year. I LOVED her and secretly had wished that she was his homeroom teacher instead of just his reading group teacher. Clayton loved her too (Justin and I think she was his first crush). Anyway, I am super excited for Noah's first grade year. The next night we went to find out who Clayton's teacher was. He was really wishing and hoping for one teacher in particular. Like, REALLY hoping for her. I was prepared for some major tears when he didn't get her (because, let's face it, the odds weren't in his favor). However, he got the teacher he wanted! It was so fun for me to watch as the students filled into Mrs. Harmon's room. Clayton knew almost all of them! At one point, I heard two little girls say, "Oh no! Clayton is in our class!" and then giggle in that little girl way that they do when they secretly like a boy. Made me chuckle a little myself.

The night before school, we made sure backpacks and brand new supplies were ready to go. We had grocery shopped and gotten all the things we needed for awesome back-to-school lunches and snacks. The boys had even picked out what clothes they wanted to wear (which isn't really that cool since they wear uniforms, but still).

The morning of, we had the traditional chocolate chip pancake breakfast (which both boys were really excited about)!
(**No, Clayton isn't naked, he's just in that phase where he sleeps exclusively in underwear. Sigh.**)

This year we had applied to try to get the boys into an elementary school in a different district. It's a school that is literally blocks from our house, but because we're on the wrong side of the boundry, my boys aren't zoned for it. Long story short, they have too many 4th graders so we didn't get in. I was bummed about it because since the school is so close, my boys could have more time in the morning instead of being so rushed. However, this year Kennedy reversed their bus route! The boys are one of the last ones on and one of the first ones off! So, while going to Prairie Vista would have saved us a little more time, we found that we have about 15 extra minutes in the morning. I love it, we've been taking our time in the morning this week and it's so pleasant. Plus, we really do love Kennedy so now we get the best of both worlds!

While we were waiting for the bus, the boys posed for some pictures:

 Doesn't he look excited to be a first grader?

Clayton chose those colorful high top sneakers for his school shoes this year. They fit me and I covet them. I hope he's not too hard on them this year because I'm totally taking them once he's grown out of them (if they're not too trashed).

 Love this. So symbolic of their attitudes this year. Clayton, the big bad 4th grader. Noah, the super excited and enthusiastic 1st grader.

 Silly poses:

Clayton was trying to do one of those pictures where it looked like he was holding Noah in his hand.

 Noah didn't understand what was happening.

 Walking to the bus stop.

 Getting on the bus!

 And just like that, they were gone (and on time too, I might add).

The girls and I missed them like crazy and tried to take our minds off their absence by going swimming. After school, we greeted our boys with homemade cookies and a glass of milk and talked about their days.

They both had a great first day of school and couldn't wait to go back. I know the novelty will wear off as the year progresses, but I think they both have phenomenal teachers and they are going to have an awesome year!

Happy back to school!

Now if someone would like to volunteer their services to come unload my dishwasher...

Happenings

Life has been just chugging along over here at Casa de Smith. A few exciting things, a few fun things, and a few mundane things. Here's what's been happening:

Clayton had been taking an acting class with the civic theater. At the end of the session they put on a play, "Fractured Fairy Tales". It was a completely random story with lots of characters thrown in. Clayton was Spiderman. It was pretty awesome. I do have some little video of his performance but I hesitate to add it because I was fighting with Sammie while filming so the video isn't great (Justin was working so we were trying to capture the performance for him).

He was amazing though. He had great comedic timing and had everyone laughing in all the right places. I was a proud mama watching him! He's going to be doing a camp later this month all about improv. I love that he's found something that he loves and is good at. Plus, I love going to his performances!

The boys had a spirit week at school last week. Tuesday was crazy hair day. Unfortunately, they'd both just gotten haircuts so there wasn't much we could do that was crazy other than spike and color. They loved it though!

Wednesday was favorite sports team day. The boys weren't 100% sure who the Portland Timbers were (until I told them) but these were the new shirts we'd brought them back from Oregon and they really wanted to wear them.

Thursday was pajama day. Who doesn't love the idea of going to school in your super comfy pajamas!?!

This awesome and crazy, messy baby turned 21 months. It's wild to me that she'll be 2 in just a few short months. Where does the time go?

She has reached the age where she loves to wear our shoes all around the house. I think it's written in some contract that all toddlers must go through this stage.

 She has started to assert her independence a bit more which is fun and frustrating at the same time (getting shoes on this kid is a battle). She has temper tantrums periodically but overall she's still a super sweet, super funny, super happy little girl. Love that she's mine!

A few weeks ago, Justin finished the railing on our deck. We put our deck furniture that we bought off Craigslist last fall out there and have been hanging out 'decking' almost every day. It's our new favorite room in the house.

The kindergarten classes at Noah's school have been learning about the rainforest. Therefore, my whole family has been learning about the rainforest. It's amazing to me the information Noah knows. He now also wants a chameleon. Good luck buddy.
The kindergarten had a 'rainforest open house' last week and we all got to go and see the projects he's been working on and the things he's been learning. It's impressive. Here's Noah and his teacher. We've loved Mrs. Helms. She was such a great teacher for Noah!

The boys still have one week of school left but, sadly, Noah's best friend moved to Arizona the day of the open house. They literally left the school with their moving truck. It was hard on Noah especially since his other best friend is moving at the end of this week. Here are the three boys together. They've been such good little friends!

I have been training for a 10k and finally ran the race last Saturday. I had a goal in my head that I wanted to run it in under an hour but my very best time was an hour and thirty seconds. No matter how hard I pushed I just couldn't break that hour mark. So my ultimate goal was to break an hour but my realistic goal was to be under an hour and two minutes (which would put me at a 10 minute mile average - which is pretty good for me).
The day of the race I got up and put on my Team Jen shirt (this is the magic shirt I ran my 5k in a few weeks ago when I had a new personal best of 27 minutes). This shirt is to show support for my friend Jen Roper and I love it. The back says, "I can do hard things". It's kind of become my new running mantra. Anyway, the day was humid but otherwise a pretty good day for a race. I wasn't feeling that great about the way I was running until I hit mile 5. I was getting pretty discouraged because I didn't feel that I was doing the pace I wanted but I ran by the mile marker and they'd set up a clock to let you know your time so far. The clock said 47 minutes! By this point I was dragging and my legs were really tired (no wonder - I was running at a faster pace than I'd ever run in training) but I was renewed with this news. It is seriously what got me to the end. When my final time was posted it was 58:55!! I was unbelievably happy with that. Plus, I finished 32nd in my age group out of 119 women. Not super stellar, but I was in the top half! Makes a girl feel pretty good so I'm going to keep up the training and try to do another half marathon in the fall. I can do hard things!

We took an afternoon to get some yard work done. Everyone pitched in.

 Love these hard working men!

These little ladies didn't have much attention span for the work we were doing (which was just fine since their 'help' wasn't really helpful anyway).

As Justin was finishing up, he had us come outside and see what he'd found. A next with three baby cardinal birds in one of the bushes by our garage! (We know they're cardinals because we've been stalking that bush now and we see the mama with the babies.) Justin was trimming the bush with hedgeclippers and almost took out these little babies! Thankfully he missed them by a narrow margin and they're safe and sound. Because of how close a call it was though, this nest is easily visible to us now and we've loved watching these little birds!

The kids don't want the birds to grow feathers and fly away, but I think I'll feel a little relief when they finally do! I've become very concerned about their well being since we've found them and have started checking on them several times just to make sure that they're all still alive and well!

I think we're all caught up now. Which is excellent timing because school gets out this week and we have some adventures planned! Yay!