I think it's safe to say this was the longest week of summer. All us Howes are similar in that when a change/new thing is coming, we just want to get to it. And Jillian wants to get to second grade like you wouldn't believe. Frequently heard this week: "I hate summer". "I am sooooooooo bored. I just can't live!". Here's a snippet of how we wrapped up summer this week....
We loaded backpacks with school supplies to take to meet the teacher. We did this on Monday. Meet the Teacher was Thursday. Anxiety management at its best.
Jillian is taking lots of "friends" to school
On Wednesday we celebrated my birthday. The girls were very excited to give me my surprise breakfast when I woke up...Pop Tarts! They know how much I loved Pop Tarts (frosted brown sugar cinnamon) when I was a kid, and when I was pregnant with both of them. It was their first time eating a Pop Tart. Blew their minds.
After a workout at the RAC, we met the Tauntons for lunch at Pi, and then headed over to their house for some play. The big kids dressed Jack up, so when we left, I was sent off by a sweet little Yoda.
Birthday dinner selfies...
We went to Terza, and it was a great choice. The girls had never eaten there, and since everyone likes Italian food of some sort I assumed (correctly for once) that we'd hear no complaints. Dessert was the biggest hit. The girls decided on S'Mores Bread Pudding, while I enjoyed my Tiramisu.
We opened presents after we got home, and the girls picked out some great stuff for me. Among other things, I have a freezer full of Flapdoodles Ice Cream, and this hilarious graphic tee that Jillian hand selected. She told Matt she thought I'd get mad, but Matt assured her I would find it funny. I laughed so hard I cried when I opened it. This kid knows me well. I say some form of this all the time to them--"Girls, I just can't deal with ____(insert whatever madness is occurring)".
Thursday finally arrived! Meet The Teacher wasn't until 3:30 so we had a loooooong day to survive until then. After the RAC and lunch, we had Adrienne's followup x-ray for her previously broken clavicle (it's healing), then killed some time at Target for a cake pop.
We got to Gibbs ten minutes before the doors opened and had to wait in an insane line to get in!
We finally made our way into the gym to get teacher assignments, and both girls were very pleased! Adrienne has Mrs Dyer (Jillian's kindergarten teacher), and also has one of her best buddies (Charlie) in her class. Jillian has Mrs. Erpenbach (who we loosely are acquainted with from a RAC camp years ago. This makes J happy), and has her very best friend Noah in her class! She also has a former preschool friend (Cora) in her class, who is building a house behind us and will move in this Fall. Lots of blessings in the classroom arrangements for the Howe girls!
We bought some new Gibbs spirit wear at the PTA table. Officially ready to rock.
The holiday weekend was a long one with no structure or plans. We did our very best to have some fun and break the rules as much as possible to close out summer.
Farmer's market trip ended with homemade cinnamon rolls.
Some time being dangerous at the school park.
We had a big dose of ice cream after we went to Target for a ($20/each) shopping spree in a made up celebration of a summer of completely successful chore compliance!
A word about the chores. I have to document the only thing that's ever worked for me. I left these chore buckets on the girls' bedroom doors each night when I went to bed. They had to complete all the tasks on them (most were gimmes--getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc, and some were funny--sing a song, hug your mom) before they were allowed any screen time. We did this on weekdays only, and it was wildly successful. The bucket was the boss, not me, and that worked for J. Adrienne says her favorite chore was watering the plants. Jillian says hers was putting her laundry away. We are going to try a modified version of this plan in the afternoons during the school year. Three cheers for chore buckets!!
We hit outdoor brunch at Chester's. Adrienne selected the waffle special that included gobs of whipped cream and fresh peaches. Of course she did.
Brunch Babe selfies.
Today, the official last day before the start of school, we woke to rain. So I declared a relaxing day. I surprised the girls with a pancake breakfast on the china.
After lots of play, coloring, and a movie, I broke more rules and served them up an enormous shake (from my Flapdoodles freezer stash) for snack.
Jillian is all ready for tomorrow--clothes are laid out amidst the mess (see photo below), backpack ready, lunch packed. When I tucked her in at bed she was just giddy with excitement. Thanks for the fun, Summer 2016. Bring on the school year!
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