9.9.13

'Tis the Season

During the short time in between our Georgia and beach trips this summer . . . which reminds me now that I never posted our beach pictures . . . my sweet friend Marissa took some photographs of Mason, Hannah Kate and Ellie.  How can you not just eat them up with a spoon?!

In the midst of all the craziness of a new school year, a new routine, a crazy busy schedule, a 3rd grader, a kindergartner and an almost 14-month old on the run, I sort of "forgot" that it's nearly my favorite time of year.  You know . . . the weather gets a lil cooler (okay, so maybe that happens somewhere north of here), the leaves are those gorgeous shades of gold and orange and red and yellow (well, that happens somewhere else, too), the boots and leggings come back out (now that does happen here), pumpkins dot the doorsteps, the kitchen smells of cinnamon and spice goodness . . . But I've come to the conclusion that I probably don't have a favorite season anymore.  As long as I'm with these three little ones, it's my favorite day!

So, yes, I suppose we've settled into our "new normal" for this school year.  Mondays and Wednesdays are pretty much the same.  Ellie and I sit in the carpool line for 45 minutes waiting on the big ones (because if I don't get at the beginning of the line, I can hardly make it to Baton Rouge on time for Mason's therapy appointments).  If we arrive early enough, we play on the playground for a bit, and we try to do as much homework as possible.  On Mondays Mason has speech and educational therapies, and on Wednesdays he has occupational and educational therapies.  We don't get home until after 6:00, and we still have to eat, finish homework and take baths.  So by the time we do that, it's bedtime or later.  Ellie and I sit in carpool again on Tuesdays, but we take Hannah Kate to dance.  It's more of the same.  We don't get home until after 6:00, and you know what happens from there.  So Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are long, busy days.  I am so very proud of all three for being so patient and understanding and maintaining a positive attitude.

Speaking of Mason, I am so proud of him!  He is off to a great start in 3rd grade!  He's absolutely loving math right now, especially since they've begun multiplication.  Another favorite is PE.  He does such a great job watching out for his little sister at school.  He always lets me know each day when he saw her and what she was doing.

Mason is currently making a lot of progress in reading.  It's slow, but it's progress.  I can tell such a big difference from this time last year.  There are still some things we have got to work on.  I just can't say enough about his therapists.  They really are our friends on this journey.  All three of them work so well with Mason and his personality and his interests.  And Mason's teacher this year is one of the best we could've asked for.  We're simply taking it day-by-day, but I'm so excited to see how much he is going to grow this year, how much he is going to learn this year.

And this is my favorite picture of Mason . . . melt my heart!

This is Mason's personality perfectly!  At this point, Marissa was shooting Ellie's one-year pictures.  We were so busy trying to get Ellie to respond that we really weren't paying attention to the two big kids.  We turned around and found this one hanging upside down in a tree so she took a quick picture of him.  Silly boy!

And my big girl . . . well, saying that she loves kindergarten is most definitely an understatement!  Let's see . . . she wants to go to school on Saturdays, she didn't care for the Labor Day holiday, everything at school is "awesome" and her usual Sunday afternoon comment is, "I can't wait until tomorrow!"  One day I'll stop asking why.  I get the same answer every week . . . "because I get to go to school!"  The only thing she complains about is homework.  And not because she has homework but because she doesn't have enough homework!  Yes, you read that correctly.  I'm sure a good Momma would "make up" some additional homework to supplement.  I am not that Momma!

I just love this picture because you can see those sweet freckles on her beautiful, fair-skinned face.  I miss this girl by my side everyday.  But just seeing her enthusiasm for each new day, her joy with new discoveries, her passion to learn new things makes it easier.  Just a little. 

Somewhere along the way, somehow, she grew up.  I can not believe she is almost six years old!  She and I are so alike in so many ways.  She is a perfectionist, loves to dress up, likes pretty things, sings in the shower and when I'm blow drying her hair, eats salads and vegetables.

This girl.

And this one!

Ellie was not the most cooperative baby for her 1-year pictures.  As a matter of fact, she was in a pretty bad mood compared to her usual self.  At the time, she wasn't quite walking yet, but she was standing and steady on her feet.  She absolutely refused to stand at all for any of her pictures.  And it wasn't too long before the tears came.  But Marissa did such a great job, as usual.

Not only is Ellie walking now but she's doing a pretty good job at running, especially when she has something she isn't supposed to have and then it becomes a game of chase. She's a rather picky eater.  I can always count on her to eat breakfast, but there are some days she doesn't eat anything else.  It seems like she's going to be a lot like her brother in that regard.  She's a really good sleeper.  She sleeps all night, and she takes two-, three- and sometimes four-hour naps.  It's hard to do that though on therapy and dance days.  She's smitten with her big brother and is learning how to play with her big sister.  Or, rather, big sister is learning how to play with her.  Hannah Kate recently changed her mind about wanting to share a bedroom with Ellie and even began keeping the door to her room closed so Ellie can't go in there.  Well, Hannah Kate doesn't know it, but Ellie played in her room all morning today!  

Ellie's favorite toys are those that play music and baby dolls.  She carries dolls around, she pushes them in the stroller.  She also likes to have a purse on her arm.  She loves shoes, especially my shoes or Mason's or Hannah Kate's.

And here are the tears.  You can just barely see those two tiny bottom teeth.  She still has four teeth, two on the top and two on the bottom.

These are three of my most favorite people ever!  The blessing that they are to me is indescribable!

 Oh.  And one more thing.  It's that time of year again!  

Two Thursdays ago was the first college football games of the season.  The North Carolina-South Carolina game was on while we were eating supper.  The conversation went something like this:

Mason: Which team do you want to win, Dad?
Seth: South Carolina.
Mason: Why?
Seth: Because they're in the SEC.  But they're gonna play Momma's team in a couple of weeks.
Mason (in between a mouthful of whatever it was we were eating for supper and in the most obnoxious voice ever): YOU MEAN THE WEANIE DOGS?!?
Hannah Kate (can hardly stand herself and belts out immediately on the heels of Mason): YOU MEAN THE POODLE DOGS?!?

And then the three littlest ones (because Seth knows better) are doubling over in raucous hysterics.  I guess Ellie couldn't help herself because Mason and Hannah Kate were being so ridiculous.  Yeah, you know they had to hear that somewhere.  And I have a feeling I know where.

I guess we'll just see what happens on September 28 when we play the kitty cats!

'Tis the season!