2. most of the time, i think that showers are a waste of time.  fixing my hair and putting on make-up beyond a little bit of powder also falls into the waste of time category.  but the shower thing especially.  i sometimes have to force myself to shower, which i have come to the realization lately is kind of weird and probably a little bit gross.  i can just think of so many things i would rather do than take a shower!  but i promise i don’t stink (i don’t, do i??)

3.  whenever i see an especially long funeral procession it makes me really sad because i think it was someone young who died.

5. remember that movie “never been kissed”? remember the part where josie thinks she is going to the prom with the most popular boy in school and he shows up and throws eggs at her?  that part makes me cry every single time i watch it.  every time.

6.  blue bell caramel kettle crunch ice cream is the best new flavor of ice cream ever.  so good.

7. i like to do laundry.  it’s the one chore that I am pretty good at.  98% of the time, I’m caught up.  I have even started overcoming my dislike of putting laundry away.   now mopping?  cleaning the shower?  i hate those jobs.  Anyone want to trade laundry duty for mopping/shower duty?

8. i sometimes think about having another baby.  in my daydreams, it’s always another girl who is just as sweet and spunky as camryn.

9. Whenever I see a trash bag on the side of the road, I have horribly morbid thoughts about what could be inside the bag.

10.  Obviously, I have some issues.  I mean, what kind of person thinks such horrible things?

11.  When I had children, I never imagined that lessons such as this would need to be taught:

I mean, I really thought that some things were just instinctive.  But judging by Monday afternoon’s drama, apparently they are not.  Being a mom is so much different than I thought it would be.

12.  Public tantrums do not phase me anymore.  I can still remember the embarrassment I felt as Connor threw public tantrums (and trust me….he threw some doozies.  He’s always been my most…shall I say volatile kid.)  As Camryn threw herself face down on the floor at the library this morning because she didn’t get her way, I was able to stay completely calm, totally ignore her, and continue my conversation with my friend.  Two minutes later she was up and we were checking out.  And when she refused to hold my hand through the parking lot and instead sat herself down with a resounding “NO!” which resulted in her being carried kicking and screaming to the car, my blood pressure didn’t even begin to rise.

13.  I’m confident in my parenting choices.  I will not reason with my 2 year old.  I will not give in to tantrums.  I don’t care if people stare; they can think what they want.  Ugly behavior will be ignored.  I am in charge, end of story.  I’m not your friend.  I’m your mom.

14.  I love school supply shopping so much that I don’t think I’ll ever buy them the easy way through the PTA.  I sort of complained about having to go to 3 different stores to find what we needed and even then had to have my mom mail me a few things from Arlington, but really deep in my heart of hearts, I didn’t mind it.

15.  I also love new calendars and planners.  I just got my new MomAgenda calendar in the mail.  Swoon.

16.  I love budgeting and sticking to it.  Nothing makes me happier than having cash for our groceries and entertainment and only spending that and not one dime more.  And don’t even get me started on how good it feels to make that extra car payment and save more.  I get positively giddy about it.

17.  I wish I was a good dancer.  I wish I had taken gymnastics as a kid.  I wish I had played volleyball in college. I wish Houston had weather like California.

18.  i really, really like blogging.  i wonder if i will do this forever?

Boys are fun.  I don’t get it, but I love to see them using their imaginations and playing a game that gets their energy out in the backyard rather than on my couches.

There was a lot of build up to this part today.  We waited a long time…like 40 minutes long.  I wasn’t exactly sure what time the bus would arrive and I didn’t want to miss it, so I got to the bus stop early.  Add to that the typical delay of the first day, and we had a long, hot wait.

When I heard the rumble of the bus, I started to feel giddy with excitement.

I searched the windows, hoping to see where they’ve chosen to sit this year.  I was able to find them today, and they were waving excitedly.  The windows are heavily tinted, but I could sense their smiles beaming at me.

The kids started to file off.  Our bus driver said good-bye to each by name (oh, how I love our bus driver!  I am convinced that we have the best bus driver and mailman in the world.)

Finally, they spilled out of the bus, bursting with joy.

There is no doubt about it.  This was the best part of my day today.

We’ve started some traditions in the 3 years we’ve been doing this.  We always have a special breakfast.  This morning it was cinnamon butter braid and eggs made to order.  Derek always goes in to work a little late so we can walk the boys to their classrooms together.  There is a note for each boy in his lunchbox.  And, or course, there are the first day of school pictures.  I am totally that mom, the one with the camera, capturing every moment of the first day of school.  In fact, I am so committed to these pictures that we were almost late to school!  It is so dang humid here that my camera lens always fogs up when I first go outside.  It took forever for it to de-fog this morning!

The boys were oh-so-patient with me.  And they were thrilled about pictures, school, the whole thing.  Can’t you tell?

The eventually had some fun giving each other “brother hugs”.  I think they are going to love being at school together but not being with each other 24/7.  They have been so cute talking and planning where to sit on the bus together.  They really do love each other…sometimes that’s my mantra, a constant reminder.  Because, make no mistake, it’s not all happy love fairy tale with these two!

My kindergartner.  It’s gone by in the blink of an eye!  I love that he made all his classic Logan silly faces for me.  That is just so him!

My 2nd grader, who for the first time wanted to buy a first day of school outfit, insisted on a one-strap backpack,  and wanted to comb his own hair (when I probably wouldn’t have combed it at all since it’s so short).  He is really growing up and was super excited about school starting.  I love that.

Once we got to school, the first stop was the kindergarten hallway.  The play-doh on the tables is genius!  I could tell Logan was nervous, but once we found his seat, he sat right down and started playing.   He gave me a quick hug, I kissed his forehead, and that was that.

There were no tears from anyone.  I’m really not a first day of school crying kind of mom.  The only time I ever cried was the first time I dropped C off at preschool when he was 3.5.  Not that there’s anything wrong with crying…it is a pretty big deal.  But that just isn’t me.  I’m more of a skip out the door singing “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” kind of mom.

Next stop, 2nd grade hallway.  Connor really didn’t even want us to walk him to his room.  But when he realized he would have to carry two bags of school supplies on his own, he agreed to the parental escort.  Which made me happy so I could get a picture of him getting situated at his desk.

I think it’s going to be a great year!  Only 30 more minutes until they come bounding off the bus.  I love that part, and I can’t wait to hear all about their first day!

This was definitely a case of monkey see, monkey do.

I really like how in this next one, the watermelon is totally going in her ear and she could really care less.  That, my friends, is dedication to the craft of watermelon eating.

She was seriously so happy outside tonight. I know I am biased, but she just has the cutest watermelon drippy chin, the best carefree toddler smile, and the most beautiful blue eyes!

Even when she pouts that it’s time to go in, she is still just stinkin’ adorable!

It’s officially the last weekend of summer.  Monday morning will start bright and early for all of us as Connor heads off to 2nd grade and Logan to Kindergarten.  We’ve met the teachers, readied he supplies, and I can honestly say that we played hard and had a lot of fun this summer but we are all ready for the school year.  I feel like there are so many things I didn’t get a chance to blog about this summer, and I’m hoping to finally have some time to go through the pictures I’ve taken and do one final (probably boring to most) summer post.    Then, bring on the fall!