Two Weeks Into the School Year AAAAAAND........

All three kids are sick.  The mommy is feeling it come on too.  Max fought a cold and nasty sore throat Sunday and Monday.  He actually stayed home from school on Tuesday.  Not fun.  I was relieved when he was able to jump back in on Wednesday.  But that was short lived, because this morning I have both Clara and Ben home with raging sore throats and upset tummies.  As I sit typing this, I am acutely aware of my own sore throat.  Not fun.  I am thinking it will be a very, very quiet weekend around these parts.  Got to love the return to the germ pool, huh?  THIS is the part of back to school that I just hate!

In other news...Cooper has been keeping me busy.

What's that on his face you ask?  Those would be feathers.  Yes...feathers.  Note the excessively GUILTY look on his face.  Also note that he is is INSIDE and not outside.  It was a CRAZY monsoon weather day yesterday.  One of the biggest and fiercest storms I have seen sweep the desert...here is a shot of the action...

See the wind playing havoc with my swing?!  It was raining all kinds of sideways!  And the wind gusts were just insane.  After it was all said and done, I discovered this this morning...

 It's hard to tell in this picture but this cactus is sizeable.  It's nearly up to my shoulders!

And this little tree just couldn't stand up to the wind either.  It was even staked to a sizeable pole (which doesn't show up in this pic but is there).

Anyway.  I had to fix this this morning.  The tree is easy enough to set upright and all...but the cactus...that's a sticky situation!  (Get it?!  Sticky? Ha ha)  Anyway.  I had Clara helping me with a towel kind of made into a sling around the cactus while I attempted to get it back into the ground and tamp the dirt down around it when we heard a huge SMACK on the window.  I could immediately see where a bird had flown into the master bedroom window there on the porch in front of the swing.  But I DIDN'T see any bird.  So I ASSUMED it knocked itself silly and flew away.  This is actually a common occurence here in the desert.  Big windows reflect lots of blue sky and the birds just fly right into it.  More often than not they just fly away.   I finished untangling myself from the cactus and headed over to the porch where there were LOTS of feathers, a huge streak of blood...dragged across the patio...but NO BIRD.  I knew immediately what had happened.  To my dismay, the back door was open and I immediately shouted to the kids to get eyes on Cooper STAT!  It's an order that we are all too familiar with in our house!   Everyone jumped to their feet and started looking.  There was a trail of feathers leading through the house, so that gave us a hint and we set off running in that direction.  They led all the way back to the master bedroom, through it and into the master bath and into MY CLOSET.  There is a small vanity chair stored in the back corner of my closet and it is under this chair that MUCH mischief seems to take place at the paws of a certain puppy by the name of Cooper.  Ben dove under and brought out a feather covered Cooper...

And I knew what I was looking for was also bound to be under there.  Sure enough...upon investigation, I discovered the dove that Cooper was trying to hide with.  I quickly removed her and then set to cleaning up the mess.  There are feathers EVERYWHERE in my house right now.  This dog never lets life get boring.  He keeps us hopping.  Always!  He's a quick one, for sure!  After two sick kids, two felled tree/cacti, and a crazy goose (well, DOVE) chase...I think this Friday is starting to feel a lot like a Monday.

The mommy's throat is hurting and I feel a headache coming on.  I need some drugs...and something warm to drink.  And so...off I go.  Have a great weekend!  Life is NOT dull here in the desert!

FRUSTRATED

It is only the 6th day of the school year.  We are officially ONE week in today.  And this momma is feeling frustrated and aggravated with Clara's math class.  Shocker, right?  Considering how I myself totally suck at math and have never been a fan of the numbers game?  But no...THIS frustration is directed at the teaching.  And Obama.  And his cursed new Common Core standards.  This is the first year that the new curriculum is being taught in the Arizona schools.  I was warned this summer by her previous teacher that I could expect some bumps in the road.  That the gifted children, especially, would struggle with the new program.  The idea is that it is not enough to just learn the math concepts.  You have to be able to EXPLAIN them.  And not just put into words that the rule for, say example,
7 - (-4) =11, is that when you MINUS a negative number, the minus sign becomes a plus sign and you actually add them.   While CORRECT, it is no longer the RIGHT answer.  NO.  This very correct answer is now a wrong answer.  Clara's teacher told her that she needs to pretend she is explaining it to her MUCH younger sister so that she can understand it.  Clara has wracked her brain and she can't simplify it any further.  It's totally stressing her out.  And as her mom I'm thinking...not so much about how to simplify the answer...but rather...well, here's MY line of thinking.  For one...we don't actually HAVE a younger sibling.  And even if we did...because the imaginary sibling is YOUNGER she wouldn't be sitting in an ALGEBRA class because she'd be in her OWN class getting the appropriate foundation and background so that when the day came that she SHOULD be sitting in an algebra class and learning algebra concepts she would be able to grasp the perfectly correct and acceptable explanation that two minuses make a plus sign.  The end.  What can I say?  I'm a rebel that way.  I did try to be more responsible and I started researching ways to further simplify and explain what that concept means.  I sat through countless videos and tutorials, math raps (ugh) and dry explanations.  And here's what I discovered.  Pretty much NOTHING that will help her.  Nearly all of them arrive at the same correct conclusion that is now NOT the correct conclusion.  And I am officially more confused than ever and convinced this math stuff is a racket!  I have always just known what I know...what I was taught.  I was TAUGHT that two negatives make a positive.  It always WORKED in the equations exactly the way it was supposed to.  And that was that. Many, many years later I STILL know that two negatives make a positive.  But now...now I'm beyond confused and have no idea what I know anymore and am starting to suspect maybe I don't actually know anything?  Or maybe I do know it...but don't know I know it?  Or maybe I THINK I know it but don't actually know it or maybe only know parts of it or only know it to a certain degree?  I think, that in trying to help simplify this one math concept the first week of school, I may have, in actuality, wiped out SEVERAL years of my own math schooling.  I understand that the schools want the kids to learn to think differently.  I get it.  But you can't just undo 6 years of educational training and fix it by telling them to FIGURE IT OUT, which is what her teacher did.  Nice.  If you want them to think differently, you have to TEACH THEM TO THINK DIFFERENTLY.  Grrrrr.  I'm fired up this morning and ready to go have a little sit down with a math teacher.  I'm sad that all of this is going into place this year and messing with my girl and her confidence level.  It's so frustrating to be the parent on the sidelines who can't even really help her because WE don't know how to think that way.  I suspect it is going to be a long year and a rough ride on this common core train.  I hope this week is not an indicator of what is to come, but is simply a little bump in the road.  I don't want her to hate math and all it takes is one year with the wrong teacher to kill it for a kid.  Here's hoping this isn't the year of the math slayer.

Eleven

Eleven years ago today we were blessed with a baby girl.  Third times a charm, right?  We could NOT have imagined the adventures and joy and drama and fun and silliness and drama and tears and tickles and DRAMA we would come to experience in the presence of that little pink bundle!  I am so thankful every day for the gift of her.  For her sweet and gentle heart, her determination, her smile that lights up a room, her bubbly personality...for all of this and SO much more...I am thankful, thankful, thankful.   This girl has been such a blessing to our family.  She brings one exciting adventure after another to our lives and keeps me hopping!  Today, we celebrate her 11th birthday!  Where, oh where is the time going?!

 Is this girly cute, or what?!  LOVE her!!!!!

 Eleven years of being blessed with this smile....

 She melts my heart!!!!

 Cooper loves her too!!!!

He loves her a LOT!!!!!!!  Happy Birthday, Clarabelle!!!!!  We ALL love you!!!!

Because I'm Full of Surprises!!!

Try to contain your excitement...but I do believe this will be my THIRD post in almost as many days!  I thought I would share the events of this morning with you, as they are monumental in SO many ways.  For one...it's the first day of school in the desert.  It's a monumental day for SO many reasons!  For one...it's HIS LAST first day of school!

 That's right!  My big boy is a SENIOR this year!!!!!!  How in the world did that happen?!!!

Don't you remember him being this little just yesterday?! I feel like I've been time robbed!!!

Not only is he a senior, he's a senior who can DRIVE!  So this year, instead of enjoying his intellectual banter each morning on the way to school,

He will be driving himself AND his brother to school.  Sniff, sniff.  I lose BOTH of their charming and witty company in the mornings.  This really is a good thing...I know it is.  But it was SO much harder than I thought it would be watching him drive off this morning.  I thought I'd be doing a happy dance, but mostly I just kicked into mommy worry overdrive.  Sigh. Here's Max's morning sidekick...

A sophomore.  Does this even seem possible?  I will miss this boy in the hours he is away at school.  He's a sweet one, this one.  He's thoughtful, polite, funny, always has a hug for his mom.  And is just generally a delight and easy to be around.  That high school is SO lucky to be getting him the greater chunk of his day. 

But alas...I wasn't left standing there all teary eyed in the driveway for too long because there was still a certain blondie who was BUSTING with excitement to leave and get started on HER monumental day...that's right...it HER first day of MIDDLE SCHOOL.  (Enter heart attack here)

She is BEYOND excited about this school year.  She's nervous and worried and over the moon happy and crazy excited all rolled up in one!  She can't wait to see who is in her classes, what the work will be like, if she will be able to find her way to all her classes on the huge campus and if she will make it to all her classes on time.  She has spent hours picking just the right outfit, making sure her nails are painted JUST RIGHT and picking out just the right shade of lip gloss (yes..it's her token "make up" this year).  She seemed SO grown up standing there this morning.  

Good grief!  She's off to school wearing make up and I'm still seeing her like this...

 Obviously, I need to get a grip this morning.  All this walking down memory lane is killing me!  My baby is NOT a baby anymore and she'd take offense to me thinking she is.  She's growing up to be quite the beautiful young lady.  I especially love this picture I snapped of her this morning...

So seriously beautiful.  And not babyish.  Sigh.  My heart hurt when I dropped her off at the middle school this morning.  A LOT.  I was ready to feel a total rush of excitement and freedom.  The urge to come home and clean and purge.  But I'm sitting here this morning missing her.  Missing all of them.  I feel like I have a rock in my stomach as I wonder how their morning is going.  Is she finding her classes.  Does she have friends in her classes?  Is she making any new friends?  Is everyone being nice to her?  Are her teachers nice?  I miss them all.  All the noise they bring.  And the mess.  And the chaos.  Did I mention they are messy?  I'm jealous of everyone who is getting to share their day with my children...talk about surprise?!  I don't think I've ever missed them as much as I miss them this morning.

 Seriously...with these sweet faces...what's not to miss?!  Life is good in the desert.  Changing.  Transitioning.  A good bit quieter today than it's been in a long time.  Happy first day of school!

Disappointment

Well...major disappointment in the desert today.  Clara, who could barely contain her excitement about getting her braces off this morning, got the bad news that she would NOT be able to have them removed today.  When they took her x-ray and measured her incoming two teeth, they realized that they have not yet created enough space for those teeth to drop in to.  And so...adjustments were made on the braces and she is scheduled to come back and reevaluate in 6 weeks.  The orthodontist says there is about an 80% chance they will come off at that next appointment...but I am not going to count on it.  The disappointment is simply too much to witness.  My sweet girl came home and cried for about an hour this morning.  She is so sad, and angry and upset and disappointed.  NOT the way she had hoped and planned for things to go.  She is devastated to be heading off to the first day of school with braces.  Sigh.  I assured her that she will most certainly NOT be the only girl there with braces.  But I don't think it made her feel any better.  She seems to have come to grips with it tonight.  Here's hoping our next appointment has a happier outcome.

Long time...well...you know!

All right.  Once again, I have been horribly remiss in getting any new news or pictures up on my blog.  Life has a way of getting incredibly busy around these parts here lately.  But never fear, because today I shall fill you in on everything that has happened SINCE the ballet recital!

The biggest part of why I haven't blogged is mostly that I wasn't home!  I was in California.  And it's a VERY busy and hectic life there!  Chasing those kids and making sure they are properly supervised and exercised takes a LOT of time and energy.  Here I am in action...

Man!  It takes it out of ya!  The sun. The sand.  The sound of the waves crashing up on the shore.  The kids keep busy too!  There's lots of this...

 And this...

 And oh yeah...THIS!!!  Man!  This view never gets old!

I also got a little time in with honey!

While on vacation in California this summer, our big boy had a birthday!  We had a great time celebrating 17 exciting (and sometimes frustrating) years with Max!  Here he is with his summer time posse...

We've known all of these kids for years now and they are part of our summer time family.  It's so nice that Max has such a great group of friends away from home to share his big celebrations with!  His cake of choice this year was actually PIE!  We had turtle pie and key lime pie and oreo cookie pie and caramel sea salt pie.  OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!  What a yummy celebration!!!  Turning 17 brought on some big changes in our house.  For one....

Max came home in this!  We bought a car.  For him to BORROW.  So long as his grades stay up and he adheres to a clearly outlined set of rules.  It's not a fancy set of wheels...but it IS a set of wheels.  Max is now the proud driver of a 2001 Ford Focus hatchback.  It has 154,000 miles on it, faded paint, black rims on the tires and fairly gimpy power windows that sound like they might die any minute!  But he loves it and it will serve his purposes nicely for this upcoming school year.    He proudly drove it all the way home (with mom in the front seat) from California.

Considering the new addition to our vehicle fleet, and my newly turned 17 year old, that launched our next big life event.....

HellOOOOOOO driver's license!  That's right!  He's officially legal and can drive ALL BY HIMSELF!   I'm proud of him and thought this might be a milestone we'd never see with this one!  He too is excited and is enjoying getting himself out and around to the places he needs to be!

As though we haven't had enough milestones here lately...I also had to register Max for his SENIOR YEAR!!!!!  My oh my!  Where has the time gone?!  I cannot believe I have a SENIOR in high school. Seriously!  Can you?  I mean...someone as young and vivacious and practically a baby herself?  Having a SENIOR in HIGH SCHOOL???!!!  It's some kind of crazy time warp phenomenon, huh?

But the crazy huge life events do NOT stop there.  NOPE.  Feast your eyes on THIS...

This is my girl picking up her schedule for MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!  Talk about where did the time go?!  WHOA!!!!!  And shut the front door!  I think this is the craziest life event of all!!!!  Girlfriend had a BLAST at schedule pickup.  She was SO excited to see friends she hasn't seen all summer and compare schedules to see who had classes with who...

She was over the moon to be assigned her VERY FIRST LOCKER and couldn't wait to try out the combination and get that baby open!

Of course...wouldn't you know...her lock was not cooperative and could not be opened by ANYONE! She was a bit dismayed, but the locker problem was reported to the maintenance people and they assured her that they would work on it and HOPEFULLY it will open for her tomorrow when we go for orientation to meet her teachers and find her classrooms!  She is SO hoping that she will get to keep THAT particular locker because it's a TOP locker and on the very end and uber easy to find....so here's hoping!!!!

All in all it was a CRAZY exciting day for her exploring the middle school and all the new opportunities waiting for her.  Although...she DID find one thing that she was NOT at all excited about.  It comes in the form of ...

the worlds UGLIEST and worst fitting P.E. uniform EVER!!!!  It absolutely SWALLOWS her!  She got the smallest size available and is still swimming in it!  On the bright side...they will all look ugly together.  AND, it has given me a fresh perspective on the PE uniform that I was issued in high school. In hindsight, now that I see this one...that green and gold get up just wasn't all that bad!    Here's to hoping that THIS is the worst thing that ever happens in the sixth grade!

On that note...you are all officially caught up!  Never fear...there is plenty of excitement coming up!  This week we have back to school orientation at the middle school.  Clara gets her braces off (she can BARELY contain her excitement!!!!!!).  And school starts on Thursday.  I have the rest of this week to sort through my VERY mixed feelings about sending my first baby off to his senior year of high school. In his own car.  Without me in the car!  And about sending my baby girl off to the crazy world of middle school.  Sniff, sniff!!!!  I don't know how all of this got here so fast.  Seems like just yesterday they were babies with the biggest decisions in life being what story we would read at nap time and how in the world to keep up with keeping all the toys organized and out from under foot so we didn't break our necks!  Well...here's to the ever changing excitement of life!  Stay tuned!  I'm sure there's a whole new bag of crazy just around the corner for us!