School News

This just in...

Saxophone
Ian has decided to switch from the string instrument he played last year (the violin) to playing a band instrument this year (the saxophone).  I can't wait to see him play.  He is going to look adorable practicing.  I absolutely LOVE that Fairfax County Public Schools offers instruction on playing musical instruments.  Jeff and I are not musically inclined (that's a bit of an understatement!) and it would not have come across our radar for the kids to take music lessons.  Ian has a wonderful opportunity to give it a try and see if he likes it.  Oh what fun!


Vice President
Ian decided to run for Vice President of the student council this school year.  He came home so excited and worked all night on his speech.  He had to go up against the other kids in his class who also wanted to run for Vice President.  And then the winner from that vote would go up against the kids from the other 5th grade classes for the ultimate win to be VP.  Unfortunately Ian didn't win the class vote.  I was heartbroken for him, but so proud of him to go for it and give it all he got.  He really tried his best.

Ian's speech (He wrote this entirely on his own!):

I've been at Fairview since kindergarten.  It is a great school and I have been eager to run for a position as soon as possible. I'm a great leader and very responsible.  I will also always stand up for the little guy if you know what I mean.  Now here are a few ideas to make Fairview better.  First, there should be a first aid kit on the blacktop so if kids get hurt they don't have to go to the nurse's office and miss the rest of their recess.  Second, I will put a box outside the cafeteria for students to make suggestions about how to make school better.  I will check the box every Friday.  Assemblies should be interactive, engaging to make them more interesting and fun.  It would be an honor to represent you and be your voice.  And remember, forget the rest and vote the best!  Your vote's worth it!


Ian's Teacher
I got the chance to meet Ian's 5th grade teacher at back-to-school night.  She gave a presentation on her style of teaching, her feelings about homework and what to expect out of this school year.  WOW!  The only thing I can say is that I wish I could quit being an adult and go back to 5th grade to have her as a teacher.  Ian is in for one fantastic year.  As much as a last year was a disaster for Ian, this year will be phenomenal for him.  I feel like if you put in a computer the environment/classroom Ian will excel in, his teacher is what would come out.  She is a dream come true. I can't wait to see Ian soar.  I am sure his enthusiasm for school will be back at an all-time high in no time.


Uh-oh, the bus
One afternoon during the first week of school,  I walked to school to get the kids and only Ian came out.  We waited about 15 minutes and couldn't locate Sam.  The staff member who is in charge of this exit from the school called to the office on his walkie-talkie to see if they'd seen Samantha.  He was informed she went on the bus.  WHAT????   We don't have a bus assigned to us.  We live too close to the school and are considered "walkers".  Uh-oh!   Once I found out which bus she went on, I called my friend Kelly and told her to be on the lookout for Sam as she was headed that way.  Ian and I got to Kelly's house about 2 minutes after the bus dropped her off with Kelly's girls.  Sam saw me and burst into tears.  She knew something wasn't right and was worried I'd be upset with her.  My poor girl.

It turned out there was a BIG misunderstanding and multiple points throughout this situation went askew.  There are many checkpoints (the last one being the bus driver stopping an unknown rider getting on board and asking for a bus pass) that weren't followed.  The story has a happy ending; we found Sam pretty quickly and she was safe.  But it made for one exciting afternoon!


Ian's new head coach
Ian's flag football team has a new head coach.  I'm sure you've all met him....his name is Jeff Toppall.  Jeff volunteered to be the assistant coach, but somewhere along the way, he was instantly promoted to head coach.  Oh my!  I think we are all nervous (including Jeff) about him being head coach, but he has risen to the occasion and is going to do great!   Flag Football starts this Saturday.  Yay!!


We are only 3 weeks into the school and it's already proven to never be a dull moment. 

Girls with their dolls - Take 5

The American Girl Store and its bistro seems to be popping up everywhere.  They even opened a location in Orlando this past year.  It's pretty neat how they seem to be taking over and giving girls a special experience.


 Each year my friends and I, along with our daughters go to the Tyson's location for a back to school tradition.  We've now celebrated 5 years in a row, taking along our favorite American Girl dolls with us.  We always have such a good time and enjoy celebrating the kids are back in school.  As long as American Girl Store is open in our area, I see us still celebrating each September, long after our girls are no longer into their dolls.

Our fun and festive group.

Sam and Caroline in matching outfits.

Sam took this picture of Caroline at the table.

Being a tourist.

 Jeff is on a roll and continues to plan an outside-the-house-activity each month for the family to do.  Several months ago he requested tickets to take a tour of the Capitol.  Our date to go was on Saturday, September 12th.  It was a rainy day, but we had a delightful time.  I felt proud we were taking advantage of what this beautiful city, which is practically in our backyard, has to offer.  Unfortunately, the Capitol is under construction and the scaffolding on the outside continues in the inside too.  But this just means we will have to go back in another year when the construction is completed. 

I'm pretty sure I've never done the tour of the Capitol before.  We had this tour guide who thought she was funnier than she actually was.  Her jokes were pretty corny, but she certainly knew her stuff!  She was able to point out the statues from every state the people in our group was from and give background info on all of them.  

Lots and lots of scaffolding.

The statue from North Dakota (for Rita)

The statue from Florida!

Three cheers for Jeff for coming up with an idea, that involved something we all enjoyed.  Plus it was educational.  A win-win in my book. 

Ian's new look

Ian was thrilled to hear the braces would be able to come off at the beginning of the school year.  True to our orthodontist's promise, Ian got his braces off on Friday, September 11th.  He now has to wear a retainer (It's clear!  You can't even tell he has it on) full-time, but he is thrilled to now run his tongue over his teeth and find they are smooth, smooth, smooth.  

The plan is for Ian to wear the retainer for several months and then when all his adult teeth are in, we will start round 2 with the braces.  

This is what Ian's teeth looked like the day he got them on:

December 8, 2014:  Before and After:

September 11, 2015:  Before and After:

Got to love an orthodontist who gives out a big bag of candy when you get the braces off.

The appointment wasn't even over yet and Ian was already munching away on the rice krispies treat!

5th grade is off to a fantastic start!

Hot cakes

Ian has a new skill in the kitchen.  He can now make pancakes.  From start to finish, Ian can do the whole thing himself.  And he does so regularly.  Ian will make approx. 15 pancakes at a time, eat a short stack and then freeze the rest to eat later in the week.

The first morning he made the pancakes, he was so excited and proud of himself. Ian said, "I wish Dad was here to see this."  He called Jeff to give him a play-by-play over the phone -- of course, after he had eaten a few first.  

Checking to make sure the other side is fully cooked.

 

 

 

At one point, I saw Ian was only making one pancake at a time.  I asked him why he stopped filling the griddle with many pancakes to cook at once.  Ian said, "I was having a tough time keeping up with them all."   Seriously, how cute is he!?!?!

And they're back...back to school that is.

First day of 5th grade for Ian and first day of 2nd grade for Samantha.  I have such wonderfully high expectations for a SPECTACULAR year!! 

Sam's class looped this year; meaning she has the same teacher and kids in her class as last year.  This is a good thing....a very good thing.  Sam loves her teacher and her teacher loves her.  And Sam has adjusted to the kids who are in her class.  There are 2 or 3 girls she is friendly with and will acknowledge their presence outside of school.  That is about the best we can wish for.  Given that there will be no adjustment period to a new teacher or different kids, Sam is off and running!  She is willingly going to school.  Yay!

Meanwhile, Ian had a disappointing experience last year and really didn't care for either his homeroom or math teacher.  It was hard listening to him at dinner tell us how miserable he was each day.  Steps were taken to try to help Ian, but at the end of the day, we just needed the school year to end.  I met with the principal to make sure this coming year would be better for Ian.  The kid used to love school and it was hard seeing that feeling diminish because of the teacher.  

This year is such a different story!  I am thrilled that Ian got assigned this particular teacher (Mrs. S.) this year.  It is going to be a perfect fit and just what Ian needs.  Furthermore, this teacher will be doing math too for Ian's level.  From what I've observed, she has a great way with the kids and understands their vast amounts of energy.  She doesn't expect them to stay seated, keeps the students moving and is very engaging.  On the afternoon of day 2, the teacher called to let me know Ian was doing well and how much she has enjoyed his sense of humor.   I haven't gotten a call like this since Kindergarten.  :) 

I always follow the kids into their classroom and take a picture.  Both kids hate that I do this.  I will never stop doing it!

Getting a hug from the teacher on the way in to her class.

With school starting, our schedule is back in full swing.  When you throw in my 3 part-time jobs I do during the school day, this makes for a lot of running from point A to point B to point C to point D. 

Each weekday at 5:30am, I am either meeting my friend Tami for a 4 mile walk or going to a boot camp class from 5:30am to 6:30am 3 times a week.  I am determined to be a healthier me this year!  It makes for a full day, but "me time" needs to happen when the majority of the family is still sleeping. 

School is from 9:10am to 4:00pm. 

Monday:  ----
Tuesday:  religious school for both kids (4:40pm to 6:30pm)
Wednesday:  therapy for Sam at 5:00pm
Thursday:  gymnastics for Sam at 5:00pm
Friday:  ---
Saturday:  flag football (practice and game) for Ian
Sunday:  religious school for both kids (9:00am to 12:00pm)

We continued with our back-to-school tradition and went for ice cream after dinner on the first day of school.  It sort of makes going back to school a little sweeter when you know you get ice cream at the end of the day.  Sort of. 

Three cheers for a GREAT year!!

11 years ago today...something fantastic happened.

This is my most favorite picture taken of Jeff and me this past year.  It was right before we went on the zip lining canopy tour during our weekend away this summer.   We didn't know what to expect; would it be scary?  Exciting?  A huge adrenaline rush?  Would we regret signing up?  Would we instantly love it and want to go again?

So many of these emotions are similar to marriage.  Jeff and I had never been married before.  We may have had ideas on what marriage was like, but until you are in it yourself, you could never really know. 

Today marks 11 years being married to Jeff.  I am continually in awe that, just like the zip lining, I took a leap off the platform and have loved every bit of it.  The best part, in my opinion?  Being part of a team.  Having someone by your side to experience all the good and bad days with you. I can't imagine having anyone else go through this crazy ride with me. 

Jeff jokes that we have nothing in common (other than sea salted caramel flavoring).  We don't like the same kind of books, we don't like the same kind of movies or television shows.  And I'm not into sports like he is.  He doesn't care for the beach and I love it.  Really, it's quite humorous how much our tastes are very different.   However, I would say that these opposites work in our favor.  We have fun together trying new things and exploring new places.  We have each other's backs.  We want the best for each other. 

The best is when Jeff says I drive him crazy and he loves me.  Therefore, I can only equate the following to be true....Jeff loves it when I drive him crazy.  See how good we are for one another?

Happy anniversary to a guy who makes me laugh every day.  I love how he makes me want to be the best wife/mother/friend I can be.  11 years today!  I love you so much!!