First Day of School, 2011

For nine days straight we have had our two older grandchildren. That's not a complaint really. When they don't show up tomorrow, Joe and I will be lonely for sure. Saturday and Sunday we also had 18 month old Jack. It was a lot of fun. The only downside is that it reminds me of how old I am. My greatest achievements are that I can get up out of a chair while still holding Jack and that I can keep Kai and Quinn occupied for nine days in a row. It involved 9 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 18 snacks, two dinners; we made cupcakes, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies. There were trips to several libraries and sewing at the shop.

It's probably a good thing that school starts tomorrow for them. They have their school supplies and uniforms all set. I really wish my girls had worn uniforms; it would have made things so much easier and cheaper! Both girls had enough clothing to carpet their bedrooms three times over and sometimes did.

Not having to buy new school clothes still bothers Joe. He's retired but still on that school schedule somehow and looking forward to substitute teaching again this year. He takes a bag of candy with him to school when he subs and rewards the kids when they behave or get their work done. I tease him that he better be careful giving candy to little kids, but I used to do it when I taught seniors, too. There's something about tootsie rolls that motivates even twelfth graders. This summer we've actually had a few neighborhood kids drop by to see if Joe has any candy around and he received several crayon drawn thank you notes. Somehow he's still got the magic and I'm glad he still enjoys subbing.