August 2012

Welcome back family and friends.  The school year is in full swing here at the Douglas house!  Our big guy started Kindergarten this month!  He actually was sick the first two days but made it on Wednesday the 15th.  I had a chance to exercise my ‘Crazy Mom Muscle’ this month… So we went to meet his teacher a few days before school started.  Fortunately he played chess with the Montgomery school team last year so I have access to and know parents with older kids.  When I saw these parents at orientation, they asked “Which teacher did Jackson get?”  When I responded, (lets call her) “Ms. G,” every one of them said “ugggh.”  Not a good start.  I felt sick immediately.  Upon demanding details, I learned that Ms. G has a rep for being disorganized, lazy, and unable to challenge advanced students “basically riding out her contract.” Wonderful. They hadn’t finished their sentence before I was marching to the Principals office.  I said a silent prayer and asked Dr. Silvers if Jackson could please be switched, not just to any other teacher, but one of 3 that I had heard great things about (and before the first day, so he wouldn’t be confused).  Long story short, he was changed the next day!  Thank you Lord.

There are things he loves about school:  chocolate milk, the school bus, playing soccer and basketball every day at recess, being in the ‘Jaguar' reading group, and using his code to buy school lunches.

What we (I) don’t like is how the teacher is not warm and fuzzy—this is KINDERGARTEN!  Jackson doesn’t dislike his teacher, but he doesn’t like her yet either.  Almost every day he says (just once), I don’t want to go to school, which breaks my heart because he loved school last year.  (look how sad he looks above—in class, he is trying not to cry :(.  And the 22-1 student teacher ratio is less than ideal.  He has said a couple of times “Why do you send me to school if I don’t learn anything??”  Sigh…We’ll see how long we last in the public school system, a.k.a. how soon can we afford private school.  Hopefully the picture is not so bleak next month.

Then there is Taylor who for $200 a month gets 4 days of preschool in a loving environment with 2 teachers and 14 kids, and a lead teacher who got a Master’s in education from Vanderbilt to boot.  So she is doing great.

And Mr. Grant is as lovable and squeezable as ever.  On his 7 month birthday  he took a solo trip down the driveway in his stroller.  The daredevil was not even buckled in and upon hitting the bottom of the driveway proceeded to flip out of the stroller landing face first on the concrete, with his stroller landing on top of him.  I joke now, but it was terrible then.  I couldn’t get to him fast enough.  He fell asleep in my arms so quickly after the incident, I thought he might have a concussion, so off to the ER we went.  No concussion, just road rash and a discovered double ear infection!  Poor bug.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard to believe Jackson is 11 months on the right and Grant is only 7 months on the left!  Our chunkiest baby yet!

Grant is actually not crying here, just screaming, like every other time he gets excited.  And nothing excites him more than having his brother and sister around!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other fun news, Scott’s engaged sister Esther is living us with a stint until she gets married.  She is great with the kids, can cook amazing Indian food, and can be quite helpful!

Pedicure time!  Why I’m protecting these couches I have no idea…

In other fun news I got away for a high school girls weekend (or night rather).  But I’ll take what I can get.  We celebrated Pearl’s 30th with a 4 mile kayack trip across Lake Burton.

The kids also convinced us to go camping.  And with soccer season ramping up, we figured we better go soon.  It was lite-camping: eating dinner out, then roasting marshmallows at the campsite and eating breakfast at waffle house.  Baby Steps.  Can you spot Grant below?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scott even sprung for a lake side site! ($10 extra).  And those are Jack’s cheeks :)

 

 

Nothing too new with Scott and me.  Scott did just get released from the ‘tithing guy’ at church, so it will be nice to have him back Sunday afternoons.  He his hoping to be called as a once-a month teacher next so keeping our fingers crossed!  Work wise, the tractor company case continues.  This has probably been his most demanding case yet.  Since it has started he has had to work on almost every weekend. But he is local, so at least I know he is near if we need him (yet my parents were the ones who raced to the ER with the stroller incident :).

And I’m just hanging on for the ride, trying to stay above water.  I miss the feeling of completing everything I needed to complete in a day.  I’m sure those days will be gone for a while now. 

I would never trade it.  I am tremendously blessed with this family.  We have also been blessed by all of you.  We love you and hope that each of you are doing well.

Until next time…

TFK