Where do I even begin? Maybe by simply stating that the summer has come and gone before I had a chance to blink. That would certainly explain the absence of any posts between then and now. We enjoyed our last summer on our own schedule, and Rory started Kindergarten on Sept 2nd. It has almost been a month and it feels like years. Our schedule is far more hectic with backpack checking, papers from school passing back and forth, lunch box packing and cleaning, questioning about the going ons of school, homework assignments (memorizing a lunch code, our address, her birthday, our phone number is enough to make my head spin no less hers), school fundraisers, sorting out a pick-up drop off schedule that will work out for Diane, the list goes on and on. In the midst of that I have started official training for my full marathon in January, and I'm not quite sure how we make it through each day (but we do)!
We ended up settling on Vista Grande after a difficult summer of back and forth information and decisions. Diane is able to do the drop off and pick up there (the main reason we didn't go with Tierrasanta Elementary), which allows us to keep the one car situation for that much longer, saving money each month we don't have a second vehicle. We will re-assess as needed, but for now, we maintain the easy schedule of carpooling together every day. Max started at Diane's recently too, so she certainly has a full load - Max, Ethan, Landon, Sam & Luke, and Abby. I honestly don't know how she does it - between having them all day, dropping both Rory and Kevin off at school, nap time for the littles, getting Rory and Kevin from school, Kevin's water polo practice; I'm pretty sure she has a time machine in her back pocket.
Rory is taking to school well though. It was a bit tough to adjust to the new schedule, both for her and us. Far more time is needed to go through everything each day, and prepare what she needs, prepping her for each new task. Her patience is low as is ours. Time is even scarcer. We all have to be really careful, as it is easy to get grumpy. But we have settled into a pretty good system. Her teacher Ms. Samantha Lunn seems very sweet and bubbly, and Rory adores her. She is already learning so much. Every day she comes home with a new song or tidbit of information. Certainly makes you appreciate the school system and the role that teachers play in educating our youth.
We have also settled on a lunch that works. At first I was trying to give her a balanced lunch (protein, dairy, vegetable, fruit, carb) and it quickly became apparent that was not going to work out. It was too hard for me to find something in each food group every day to pack that she would eat. So snack is now a applesauce packet (each and quick for her to eat then go right to playing), and then I pack some pretzels and peanut butter, and fruit. She seems to be really happy with that and its easy for me to keep those things on hand. So until she gets sick of it.....
Abby has finally given up the pacifier. Which is to say that we finally took it away from her. We tried to take it away at 3, but then she was still getting her final set of molars in so we gave it back. They are all in so Ryan snipped her paci and it is no more. I was worried about not having a soothing technique for her when she was upset but it seems if you sing Frozen's "Let It Go" it works just as good if not better than a pacifier so we are all set!
We also had a little scare with Guinness on our last camping trip of the season. Long story short, she must have hurt her back somehow, and was in serious pain for several days, with incontinence, and little to no mobility in her legs. After a few days she was still walking hunched up, and the right left leg was dragging a little and over the weeks she has been able to add the stairs back in (carefully) and now is finally starting to jump again. But certainly we need to watch her from here on out; she's not a puppy anymore and Dachshunds are prone to back problems anyway.
Well, summer has come to an end and fall is here. It's time for Halloween, birthdays, and the Holidays.
