{ abduction }

Last night Jordan was abducted and replaced with this child...

Kindergarten Step Up Day

Story time with Mrs. Friend

First time on a bus.

A smile!

There is no other way to explain it.

{ help! }

 (this picture was taken back in June.  He put the bus necklace on on the way home.)

I keep reading blogs of moms who have been sending their kindergartners off to school for the first time and the kids wave and say "See ya, Mom!" and off they go to their classrooms. This is NOT one of those blogs. In June I took Jordan to his Kindergarten screening. It didn't go so well. I literally forced him into the car, and took him to the school while he was kicking, screaming, and spitting. Yes, spitting. I carried him into the school with no shoes (he kicked them off). He wasn't crying anymore at this point, just shaking uncontrollably and covering his face. It was really sad actually. Jordan is a really sweet boy and he doesn't throw temper tantrums...he's just terrified. Especially of going to school. Needless to say, we didn't finish the screening and I was told to bring him back at the end of summer. Today was the dreaded day.
Last night Jordan was given a blessing to help him (us) out today. I was pretty optimistic. I've been hyping up this day all summer, I even told him I'd postpone his last immunization booster if he'd do this. I actually thought he was going to surprise me and toughen up. Wishful thinking. It pretty much started the same as last time (yep, the shoes were even kicked off again) except he never stopped crying. I had to literally hold him because he kept trying to run for the door. Everyone was looking at me and my out of control child. A sweet teacher's aid asked me if it'd be okay if she just took Jordan and maybe he'd calm down if he was away from me. It took 2 teachers to hold Jordan while I crept off to the library for the orientation. My eyes were swelling with tears as I heard his screams get further down the hall. Fifteen minutes went by and I hadn't heard anything. Could he really be calmed down cooperating? I was almost feeling the sweet sense of relief when I felt a tap on the shoulder. The sweet teacher's aid was crouched behind me. "You should come out....He's not doing very well." I walked out to find Jordan sitting on a bench his eyes swollen from crying and hiccuping little silent sobs.
Later that day his teacher called me. She asked me if I'd like to bring Jordan back in to visit while there were no kids there. After bribing him with a new pair of shoes and a promise to play on the playground, Marcus, Tanner and I went to the school. Tanner LOVED the school. He wanted to start that very day! He didn't want to leave. This made Jordan feel a little more comfortable and he even perked up a little bit.
So tomorrow is Step Up day. I'm supposed to ride the bus with him and go to school with him. Why am I torturing him/me!? If I hold him back he'll start school with Tanner and I don't want to do that to him. Wish me luck!

{ he's ready }

Here's Caleb modeling his first-day-of-school outfit, and Tanner being Tanner. Crazy kids.

{ jackman, maine }

My dad has a creepy shack quaint little camp up in Jackman, Maine. It's seriously in the middle of nowhere. First you drive 4 hours north until you are completely void of any human civilization, then turn right onto a dirt logging road. Then you drive 15 MILES  on these logging roads taking lefts and rights and every which way until you run into this little camp in the middle of the woods. Jordan and Tanner were so excited to go fishing with Grampa until we pulled up next to this camp. Jordan started sobbing. When I explained to him that it was too far to go back home he begged me to sleep in the truck with him. He cried to whole night. Luckily on the way back from the the 2 hour trip to the general store he fell asleep and I was able to sneak him to the camp. I couldn't sleep at at all. I was so worried my dad would die in his sleep and I wouldn't know how to get out of that place. And the fact that a mouse was stuck in a drawer above my head trying to escape was a little unsettling as well. Oh and the bear claw marks on the side of the camp didn't help. All I can say is......thank goodness for xanax.
The next day was actually really fun. My dad and I took the boys fishing with their new poles. They each learned how to cast and they were casting and pulling in fish left and right. They loved it!

{ spring point harbor }

We went with Marcus to return his books to the campus store. The campus is beautiful. We took the boys down to the lighthouse and let them play around and took pictures.The boys liked watching the lobster boats.

{ come on down...}

For Enrichment Meeting at church on Wednesday night we had "The Price Is Right for Food Storage". It was so fun!! I was "Betty Barker", Marcie was "Rhonda Roddy", and Marjorie, our R.S President was the "beauty". We had the actual music, games, and prizes! We even had little commercials during the games to talk about Food Storage and ways to save. It was so funny to walk the girls "Come on down!" Especially Kim and Heather! Oh, and by the way, Marcie brought the money with my FACE on it! It was a riot!

{ camp reunion }

Last weekend we had our annual family reunion at camp on Crescent Lake. Like always, we had lobsters, clams, Tina's macaroni salad (yum!), lots of desserts, and of course Dad's fireworks! This year Cindy's oldest son , Travis, was visiting from Colorado and my little bro, Erik, was visiting from Utah. I wish my sister, Karinne, and her fam could've been there (boo.) But it was still a good time!

{ scouts }

Marcus is at school on Tuesday nights so the boys go to cubscouts with me ( I'm the wolf and bear den leader, even though Caleb is in Boy Scouts now!). Jordan and Tanner have so much fun at scouts! They want to be official scouts but they have to wait until they are 8. I guess they could be indepedent Tiger Scouts...but that's too much work! Here are some pictures from our annual Bottle Rocket Pack Meeting.

{ midsummer night's dream party }

My friend, Valerie, hosted a cute and fun Midsummer Night's Dream themed party. She had the most adorable make-and-takes for us! Maybe I can talk her into having a midfall night's dream and maybe even a midwinter's night dream party, eh?

{ thanks, peggy! }

This is what we did, while Peggy and her family were off camping last week!


Yup. We bombarded her pool (with permission of course!) And when we were all done we drove through the field (yes. we really did) and went home!

{ kiara's blessing }

My best friend, Shakira, and her hubby Tommy had their beautiful little girl blessed last Sunday. It was such a special day and Kiara was sooo adorable!