Excuses

Holy cow it's been a month since I blogged last! I've got plenty of excuses, but I promise news is coming soon. The new job is going very well, I like it even more than I thought and am baffled/amazed/blessed every day that luck landed me the perfect job for a mom who really is happy being stay at home.

FFM is adjusting well to first grade. My return to work was the more difficult adjustment for him. While he's happy to be at school he also (we both) really enjoy our time together in the mornings and after school gets out. The first week of work was filled with special training and certification meetings and our schedule was so crazy that he often had to get rides to/from school with someone else. I think it finally sunk in this week that won't be the case anymore, and we're happily back in our school time routine and only ride with friends when it's a playdate day.

My official title - Health Asst.
When I work - 3 hours a day only on school days. If either F or I are sick I don't go in. This is a new position and our school has had the office staff running the school clinic for years so they handle things just fine without me. I'm there to ease their load, and they are always so appreciative when I get a project done.
What I do - manage student health records, dispense meds, and lots and lots of bandaids and ice packs.  Since that doesn't take up all of my time I assist the office staff or anybody that needs a hand that day. I don't see how I could ever get bored, it's a totally different job every single day. I'm not a nurse, but I did have to renew my CPR/AED/1st Aid. We have an actual nurse who is contracted through Children's Hospital, she covers several schools in our district so is there to answer questions and provide training and support, but she's not actually in the school to stick bandaids on boo boos.

When I took the job I was really excited to be able to work in our school with our wonderful staff but had some trepidation about dealing with sick and whiny kids all day (for a whole three hours). Turns out there really isn't any whining and it's incredibly fulfilling to fix up a hurt, sometimes crying, child and have them walk out smiling and waving. I'm learning who the actors are, who just likes to come in and visit, and who the serial minor-injury-must-have-bandaid for my microscopic cut kids are. I'm slowly getting to know more and more of the school staff, who all know who I am already since I had to stand up and get introduced at a staff meeting. So far everyone is so nice and seem to be happy working, which explains the good vibe Travis and I had when we picked this school.

First Day of School 2013 - 1st Grade

There was a lot less hoopla this year, but that did not dampen the spirits of our intrepid student. He's been counting down the days to endless recess and lunch with his friends. We do not request teachers at our school, but he had one in mind and was thrilled to learn he will have Mrs. Miller this year for first grade. She's a lovely calm and smiley lady who has been teaching for more than two decades. F's class is again heavy on the boys, guess Mrs. Miller just got lucky this year.

This summer was "skip hair cuts summer".
He's torn between getting spikes back and smooth, long hair.

Here's how things looked in 2012, 2011, and 2010.

New this year, I'm going to school, too! Mid-summer I got a phone call from F's principal asking if I'd be interested in a part time job. After a little (very little) negotiating we came to an agreement of hours and duties. I will only be at school on student days and during the school day so I won't have to work if F's not there (no daycare!). I'll be working with the front office staff, mainly organizing health records and putting bandaids on owies. I'll also work on anything else that comes my way, which many of you know is enticing and harmonious with my work style. I'll be working three hours a day, so about half the school day. I have met a LOT of Littleton Public School staff the last few days, and I'm excited that they are all SO unbelievably friendly and glad to see me. I am pleased to learn that this culture extends beyond our school throughout the system, all the way to HR and Security. Today was spent doing paperwork, tomorrow I'll see what the real work is all about.

Summer

It's a lot harder to post in the summer. The great outdoors beckons, FFM and I play a lot, read often, and generally poke around. We've been slowly doling out the bounty of birthday gifts he received so the fun lasts all summer. There's always a new Lego set under construction, outdoor toys to test out in the greenbelt, and new books to read. We go to the library a couple times a week, avoid the grocery store and pluck dinner from our garden instead, and we're both always up for a trip to the pool.

Last week F wrapped up a two week theater camp that gave him a little change of pace and me time to do a quick swipe over all the house to get the worse of the grime and to start (not finished yet!) a painting project.  The first week of camp they learned about stage direction, projection, and tips like to face the audience even if they are talking to the person next to them. The kids worked in small groups of about 4 and rewrote a traditional fairytale in their own words. They learned how to create and use storyboards, and at the end of the week there was a small performance.

The second week they spent more time on the BIG stage and learned more theater speak. I got a tour and was shown the house, pit, backstage, lighting tech, etc. Week two the kids broke into different small groups and wrote their OWN play from scratch. They were great! Good plots, interesting characters, and great DIY costumes. Friday brought the Final Performance. F's group performed "Good VS Evil" or as he puts it, "The Queen, The Kitty, and The Witch."

Synopsis:
The Princess falls ill and her mother, The Queen, sends off Magical Kitty Miracle to find the Magic Flower that will cure her. Kitty is intercepted by the Evil Queen who casts a spell on him, renames him Darkenss AND kidnaps the Princess! The Queen sends the Magical Dove and once the Dove saves the Kitty the two have enough power to defeat the Evil Queen and turn her to stone. In the meantime the Queen has found the magical flower, saves the Princess, and they all live happily ever after.
Guess who was the Kitty?
Video quality is poor, my phone camera struggled. I promise it's not too painful to watch, but the sound is bad.


P.S. I had no idea the magic bird was a dove until she told me. I was fully under the impression she was a magical crow.

Swim 2013

We just finished a crazy fun summer swim season. It was F's first, and he took to the pool like a fish to water. I won't lie, it thrills me that our kiddo enjoys one of my favorite sports, and the only one in which I was ever competitive. While he may look like his Dad, there's pool water flowing in his veins just like Mom.

He's surprisingly competitive (again, Mom more than Dad) and it was exciting for him to win (he won his heat several times). Those first hard won ribbons lit him up! He placed in nearly every event he swam in this summer and only got disqualified once (flutter kick during breaststroke).  Our team does a great job of organizing photos during all the meets and here are a few from the first two meets of the season. I'm already wishing for next summer!

Birthday Blowout

Given that our birthdays are only a few days apart, F and I usually take at least a whole week or two or four to celebrate.

F's 6th birthday party was a small affair. We talked about options and he choose Build-A-Bear. 6th birthday = six guests this year, and it was a really good time (a bigger hit than I expected).

Doing something funny with their hearts.
Everyone got two, one to keep and one to give special birthday wishes to FFM

spider-bear, police bear, cammo-bear, swimming kitty, ironman bear, police dog, and pink princess 

 We crashed the  Noodles restaurant next door for a bite to eat and for the serving of the cake (which came from Coldstone around the corner, easiest birthday party ever!). The Noodles staff were super helpful, even though we made a huge mess!

 F received a couple "experiences" gifts this year. The day after his birthday his Granny Annie had arranged to take him on a train trip and mine tour in the mountains about an hour west of us. F still has a freaky obsession with trains and was thrilled to get to spend the day riding one with Granny Annie and Eric.

 Blurry mine tour photo op

Another fun gift was the giant inflatable ball. There was much discussion and rock-paper-scissoring about whose turn it was to roll the ball.

endless giggles 

teamwork to get it back "uphill"

 F got his first giftcard this year, and it was for Barnes and Noble. It was a perfect gift for him, while we were choosing books he asked several times if these were his to keep. He's got a huge library of his own, but this is the first time he's been interested in picking out his own books. We've been doing it at the library for a while now, but of course those have to eventually be returned.

at the hairdresser enjoying his new book

 My birthday was as low key as it's been every year since F was born. A bunch of my aunties were in town so we had a fun family GNO. Dinner out with friends on my actual birthday left me feeling well celebrated!