Kyle's First T-Ball Practice

Kyle had a blast at his first T-ball practice.

A New Kind of Routine

Since Emma started school, we've been settling into a new routine.  Half-day kindergarten is short, and the three hours she is gone just fly by.  Still, it's amazing how much more I can get done when I'm not breaking up fights every other minute.

Emma has taken to school like a fish to water.  She loves it.  She thrives on it.  She runs off from the drop-off spot each morning without a second thought.  She does well on her school work and homework, and she is excited to return each day.

It's just me and the boys.  Kyle watches a little TV, Drew takes a little nap, I do a little exercising and cleaning, and then I have time to play with them.

We pick Emma up from school, the kids eat lunch, and then Emma does her homework while Kyle "learns" from his preschool workbook.  After lunch, quiet time is still in order, where I can craft or read, and then it is busy craziness until dinner and bedtime.

Sometimes new and different things happen.  This weekend I got to be part of a surprise for my sister-in-law Chelsea, who is getting married in November.  My mother-in-law and sister-in-law Julie flew in to surprise her for her bridal shower.  They stayed at my house so Chelsea didn't know they were there until they walked in to the shower.  It was a lot of fun.  I gave her these fun kitchen staples along with some mixing bowls from her registry.

Then I got to be the chauffeur as we drove around making preparations for the wedding.  It's going to be a fun reception, Earnest clan!

Kyle got to pick out a toy this weekend for completing his "potty" chart.  I don't like to go into too much detail for everyone, but it's been a struggle potty training him, and he worked very hard on this reward.  So while I was off with the girls, Kyle picked out his toy.

Marcus helped him build a Lego Toy Story spaceship, complete with Buzz and the "ee-pull whopper-er" Zurg.  I don't think he's stopped playing with it since Saturday.

So, life goes on.  Nothing earth-shattering, nothing too out-of-the-ordinary.  Usually, it's just another day.

First Day

It's here!  Finally, the first day of school is here!

I have been simultaneously dreading and looking forward to this day.  I'm excited to begin the next phase of life.  I will no longer be just the mom of young children.  For now and for the next eighteen years, I will be a mom of a school-aged child.  It is a new reality in many ways, for all of us.

Emma is going to a charter school, which for those of you not able to experience "School Choice", is  publicly funded like a regular public school, but privately run.  Parents and community leaders determine the curriculum and focus of the school.  Emma's school is a "traditional" school- traditional academic values rather than current educational fads.  They learn Spalding reading and writing, Singapore math, and Latin instruction from 1st grade on.  I am excited for the educational opportunities, but was worried the "fun" of school might be lost.  A tour of the school and introduction to her classroom put my worries to rest.  It's a beautiful school with all the bright colors, fun room decor, and class/school activities any parent would want their child to experience.  I also like that it has a strong LDS population (including her teacher!), a focus on patriotism, and welcome Christianity in the context of history and everyday life.

She has been so excited for school, it's all I've heard about for the last several weeks.  Because her school moved to a new location this year, we started 3 weeks later than everyone else here in Phoenix.  So, everyone around us has been in school and we've been just waiting...and waiting...and waiting.  This morning, she was up, bright and early, excited for THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!  Somehow I forgot I would need to get THREE kids ready in order to take her to school, so were a little rushed getting ready.  We did get some picture time in:

Of course, she has a pink backpack.  Pink is her favorite color.

Since she goes to a charter school with students from all over the valley, there is no bus.  That means 412 kids have to be dropped off.  Needless to say, it was mass chaos the first day.  We wanted to park and walk her inside, and it was CRAZY.  Marcus got a quick picture of her at her desk



and we were off.  Kyle wanted to stay and kept telling me he was five years old too, but we made it out without any drama.  Emma was happy to stay and didn't even look back as we left.  Not that I expected her too.  She's my Miss Independent.

Now Drew is napping, Kyle is watching Mickey Mouse, and I am enjoying these few minutes of quiet time before I do some cleaning around the house.  It's strange to have her gone, but definitely RIGHT.  It's time.

11 Months

I can't believe it's been eleven months.  The days pass so slowly sometimes, but the months just fly by.  We are busy this Labor Day, so even though these pictures aren't ideal, I wanted to get them up before we get into the craziness that is "Back To School"-  (finally!)

At eleven months, Drew has no interest in sitting for a photo shoot.  He would rather watch his brother and sister,

play hide and seek,

stand up and chew on toys,

cry (which ,thankfully, happens much less often these days),

or maybe, just maybe, he will sit still for a moment and smile that toothy grin.

Oregon: Part Two

We had a great weekend to finish up our trip to Oregon.  On Friday, Marcus met his dad and brother Chris for some golf, while Lark and I took the kids to Burger King, and then to Chris and Julie's house.  We all met up at the splash pad for some water fun.

Emma and Jonas were "taking a break to warm up".

I loved watching the kids' faces when the water would suddenly shoot up.

Even Cousin Ada had a blast.

Drew wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but finally enjoyed trying to grab the small spouts of water.

On Saturday, Grandpa Steve took us out on his boat.  We spent the whole morning and afternoon on the boat enjoying the scenery,

 swimming in the freezing cold water (the kids, not the adults!)

and trying to entertain two fussy little ones who were miserable in their life jackets.

Don't they look thrilled to be here?

We finished up our trip with church on Sunday, followed by a nice dinner, then dessert at Marcus' aunt and uncle's home in Culver.

We had a wonderful time in Madras.  The kids had a great time on all our adventures, and loved playing with cousins and grandparents.  We really appreciate all the family who came out to spend time with us.

Our Oregon Trip: Part One

Halfway through our trip, I thought I'd take a little time and share what we've been doing in the great Pacific Northwest.  So far, we have done the following:

• picked up Alyssa in Portland (2 hours away)
• eaten at Dairy Queen
• gone swimming at the Madras Aquatic Center
• enjoyed a day away from the kids, which included
• dropping Alyssa off in Portland
• attending a session at the Portland LDS Temple
• eating lunch at Five Guys (the best fast food hamburgers around!)
• a movie ( Inception) and shopping at Clackamas Town Center
• a trip up Mount Hood to Timberline Lodge, where I am told, the interior scenes of The Shining were filmed.  

 It was pretty darn cold up there.

• played at Larkspur park in Bend

• went shopping at The Old Mill District, including a stop at Ben&Jerry's.

• ate dinner with friends Anissa and Lee Casto at Red Robin
• played at Sunland Fun Center in Bend, including go- karts,

bumper cars

batting cages,
and arcade games.

Emma won the jackpot, lucky girl.

And, we have an exciting development: Drew can crawl!  It's slow, and it's only a little at a time, but we've officially taken the next step towards mobility.

He also has shown no signs of his usual grumpiness, which, when combined with his demeanor during our camping trrip, leads me to conclude that he just hates our home.  Guess we'll have to stay here forever.  Is that okay with you, Steve and Lark?

Just kidding.  We'll just stay until Monday.  More adventures await.

10 Months

Drew is ten months old today.  He is a lot more active, so it's hard to get a decent picture of him.  He isn't quite crawling yet, but he is so close.  I expect it will come in the next few weeks.

I want him to crawl because I think he will be so much happier if he can get around on his own when he's bored.  But, once they become mobile, you lose the calmness and also sometimes the cuddliness you've been able to enjoy.  They're off to the races.  So for us, it will be a mixed blessing.

At his 9 1/2 month check-up (I was running a little behind!), he came in at almost 21 pounds and 28.5 inches.  Surprisingly, he was only in the 42nd and 49th percentile, respectively.  So for everyone who says how big he is, well, he's not even above average!

He's pretty much adorable right now.  He flirts with every woman he sees.  There's nothing cuter than those chubby cheeks, that toothy grin, and those beautiful, long eyelashes.

We love our big little boy!