Better Late than Never?

How's that for a cliche blog title? But I can't think of anything better when I'm almost three months behind. :)

Soooo....Without further adieu, I'm just jumping right in with some fall-time updates on our little family of five, soon to be SIX! We have had a few busy months, full of fun and activity...family time, school time, and LOTS of "get-things-done-around-the-house-before-the-baby-comes" time!!

Today I decided that blogging is going to look different for me for a while...there is so much I want to document for my own sake, even if it is "old news" to the rest of the world. :) So, I'm going to begin hosting my own "Flashback Fridays", where I cover old news in no particular order. And, then I have given myself permission to cover current happenings on all the other days. So, this Flashback Friday blog will focus on our "Back to School" fun, since that's an easy one to cover. :)

All three of our girls are enjoying some version of "school time" this year, although they all look very different. It has been a great year so far, and even though it's busy, it feels so good to have a schedule and to watch each girl growing so much!

Kendyll:

Second Grade

Last spring, Kendyll "connected" with a second grade teacher who was on the playground at the same time she was every day. Each afternoon, we would hear the rundown of school events, and it usually included telling us something that this teacher said to her. This teacher oozes sweetness and Kendyll was hoping and praying all summer that she would receive "the call" from Mrs. Thaxton. (Providence does a fun thing where the teacher calls the student to reveal the big news...that they will be in their class that year.) Anyway, "the call" came while we were out and about, and out of the four wonderful teachers she could have had, we fortunately had the sweetest message ever from Mrs. T, sharing her enthusiasm about having Kendyll in class! What a HUGE answered prayer for our little seven year old. She was giddy the whole day she found out, and really hasn't stopped being giddy ever since. Here she is with her sweet teacher on the first day of school:
This year has been fun for Kendyll so far, since it's not QUITE as demanding as first grade was. Now, we all know, it's just because it's still "review mode" from last year. But, I'm just letting her enjoy herself for as long as possible, thinking she has a firm grasp on this second-grade thing. :) The first day of school, I asked her "How was it?", expecting to get the usual 30 minute download that Kendyll is so good at. But, this year, all I got was "It's good. It's just like first grade, really." WHAT?! You're supposed to tell me every detail of your entire day like usual! (Don't worry...she's back to her old self and I now hear it all. :)

We are still enjoying our school schedule at Providence as well, where Kendyll gets to come home at noon on MWF, and 2:45 on T/Th. I still get strange looks when I try to explain this to other people, but I can't tell you how much I love having my big girl with me for those extra afternoons. She is such a joy to me and it's always fun to get to eat lunch with her, have her play with her sisters more, and watch her relax on her "short days", as she calls them, and spend time just being a little girl. For example, today, she has made a fingerprint art book, a shoebox house for her pet stuffed bunny, and "played ponies" with her sister.

So, all that to say...she is enjoying her year, both in and out of school, and I'm spending most of my time staring at her, wondering where my baby girl went! Here are a few pics from her first morning of second grade:

My girls are such creatures of habit, and wanted a picture with me in this exact spot on their first day (where we apparently took them last year...) So funny!

Of course, Abby Kate's picture in that spot turned out horrible, since she was looking at the wall, but Carlie took some pictures all by herself of us outside! She was so proud that her photography made the blog. :)
And, Daddy made it for one shot...I don't know why he's not in more? I guess he's the camera man most of the time on "first days". I love this picture because you can see how alike these two are looking, especially with that Mandeville chin. :)

Carlie:

Enrichment Two

This year, Carlie is in school two days a week at Providence in a class called Enrichment Two. This is a transitional kindergarten year for those children who have late summer birthdays like Carlie does. At the end of this school year, we will decide to either go on to another year of Enrichment , or begin first grade. Right now, I'm leaning toward keeping her in the kindergarten program another year...but my mind changes every week. So, I'll keep you posted on that! :)

For now, she is also enjoying a great year of being a year older and being more familiar with Providence and "the routine"...she has another amazing teacher, who already has her talking more about school than ever before!....and she still gets to spend lots of time at home with me too. We have "Mommy School", as Carlie has named it, on Thursdays, which is our special day with none of her sisters around, where we can have concentrated time together. She LOVES this day, and cries when it's over. Literally. I guess I never realized how little time I spend with just my middle child...and it has been a huge blessing to have that time with her. She talks more than I ever hear her talk, and about the most random subjects! For example, yesterday we covered every bad dream she had ever had, why we should "live to worship God" (that was her exact question), and how panda bears climb trees...all before 10:30 a.m. This is so not like Carlie, and I'm enjoying it so much. In between conversations, we really do get some school work done too. :)

Here is Carlie on her big first day. She insisted on getting to wear a headband, so I gave in. When I picked her up and she looked completely disheveled, I quickly decided that I wasn't ready to give up her cute bows. It helped that her teacher asked her where her big cute bow was, and told her how much she loved her hairbows. So, Carlie was ready to put the bow back in for the next day. Thank you, Mrs. B. for helping me out on that one!

There were of course some sister pictures taken, but minus the biggest sister, unfortunately. She was already hard at work in class, but I do love seeing these two together. Could they look any more alike?!

Abby Kate:

Sunshine School with Mrs. Amy!

Abby Kate's school was an indefinite decision until the very last minute. I signed her up last spring, because I knew she would love it, and I knew how great Sunshine School was from teaching there for so many years. But, sending my two year old without me being there teaching seemed silly...and expensive! But, I'm so glad we went ahead with it, because she is LOVING being in school for two days a week. I love hearing all about her day in her two-year-old language, and love that she has a teacher who is so creative and fun. Apparently, Abby Kate's favorite parts about school is her daily job (which she takes very seriously), being the table-wiper and chair-pusher (apparently she adopted this job the first day, and has kept at it ever since), singing in chapel, and reading stories. She does a great job on her napmat, and is getting the hang of being a school girl.

My favorite thing right now is her prayers, which she insists on saying at every meal, even if it's "not her turn". After a list of the "usual thank-you's", she says "Carlie great day school, Kendyll great day school, Abby Tate great day school, Daddy great day work"....and then she just looks at me, not knowing really how to describe what I do. :) She is at such a cute age and--although she is by far the busiest two year old I have ever raised---she keeps us laughing (and me screaming some days too!)

But, even when I'm most frustrated with her and her spunkiness, I look at this face, and I can't keep from smiling...I love her first day of school picture where she is SO proud to be the school girl of the family.

So, there is my first nutshell of an update on our fall fun. It feels good to be back!

OH!! Almost forgot baby Jacobs!! He is growing healthy and strong as well, and he ALMOST has a completed "boy room" in our house too! I'll show pictures soon, but here is the only sneak peek you get for now. It's chocolate brown, blue, and red. This is what I finally did a couple of weeks ago...

Yes, those are initials on his bedding that is still being made. My mom and I decided to sew his bedding, and we had reached a standstill in the sewing progression because I wanted his initials on the bumper pad...but there was one problem. We hadn't decided on his name yet! So, I informed Mark that I was getting initials monogrammed based on a couple of names we liked, and we would just have to decide what it would be later. It was really funny, actually. The fact that he had initials way before he had a name sums up the indecisiveness I've had this entire pregnancy.

But, judging from the fact that Mark has now told his entire team at work the baby's "name", and Kendyll has told her whole school his "name", and Abby Kate calls my tummy this "name" every day, means that I guess he is named at this point. Although Mommy was last to agree and still has her reservations about the name...I do like it. And, I will commit to it, just like I have eventually committed to the last three kids that my husband has named. :) I'll be back with more on the name...for now, you'll have to guess!! (unless you've already had the name conversation with me, and then you already know more than you want to about the name predicament...sorry!)