The bus ride home...

Okay, I just realized that I have a bunch of things that I will need to do tomorrow, including going to Wal-Mart to get groceries and some other items. So I am posting now instead of waiting until morning.

And here we have Josh and Ben decending the steps of the bus....

As I said before, Josh looks out for his little brother...
Daddy greeted Ben with a big hug...he's a proud Daddy. He decided that it was important enough to see Ben get off the bus on his first day of school, even though he would be late for work. He's such a good daddy....

The boys raced each other home, leaving Momma to carry both backpacks, and the mail! I didn't mind though...I was just glad to see them getting along after spending the last few weeks nearly at each others' throats! (And driving me crazy in the process!)

du-duh, du-duh, du-duh, That's all folks! Be back in a few days.....

Ben's first day of kindergarten...LOTS of pictures!

Oh my gosh...I can't believe that it is after Noon already! It has been so quiet! I do miss my Sweeties, but I am enjoying the quiet!! I've been reading emails and blogs, editing all my new pictures (thank God for technology and editing software!), and sippin' coffee, and in between sending up little prayers that my littlest one is doing okay. I'm not too worried about Josh, he's been through this, and he's so mature anyway. But Ben has always had someone looking out for him, including Big Brother. I know that Josh will be looking out for Ben today. What I'm really concerned with is how well Ben is doing in class...is he listening to his teacher, behaving, sharing, or will they see his 'true colors' on the very first day? O-Lord, I pray that everything is going well!....

But on a brighter note....yesterday as we waited for the bus and subsequently, Josh....Ben picked some wild flowers for me.

Aren't they pretty?

When the bus finally came, Ben took off running toward Josh, and Josh was running for Ben! :)

He gave him a big hug...

I believe they actually missed each other!

And this morning...Ben seemed so ready, so excited. He wanted to put his backpack on, and go...though it wasn't time yet.
Tender, brotherly hugs...

Me and my Sweeties...


On the way to school, Ben kept saying over and over again, "I LOVE my first day of school!" And with such excitement and enthusiasm!


Once at school, I went in to take the classroom supplies to the teachers, and, of course, to take more pictures! Here, we're waiting in the gym for dismissal, watching 101 Dalmatians.

When the kindergarteners were dismissed, I had Ben show me to his room, just so I knew that he knew where it was! (poor ole mom! lol) To me, it looks like he's beginning to get a little scared, or at least nervous....

But once he found his classroom, he was fine....

The teacher took his milk money, and then he put his lunch on the table and the rest of his stuff in his cubby. But he had his eye on other things....

The kitchen play area. This boy loves his kitchen toys, even at home! Maybe he'll grow up to be a chef! :)

Even after I spent time in Ben's classroom, I still made it to Josh's before he did! I was able to get this picture of him coming down the hall to class with his friends.

I may have a few after-school pix tomorrow, like Ben's first bus ride home, but that should be it. Then it might be a few days until I post again....time for scrapbooking! YAY!! And I'll try to get those LOs posted as quickly as I can. (Ellie: I'm sorry...I had to...I told you not to look! lol)

Back to school...

Well, it's finally here. Or for Josh, it's already here. Before yesterday, he wanted more days of summer vacation. Today, he was ready--so he said.

There is now an alarm clock in his room, which is set to go off at 6:30 to music. It had already gone off by the time I got in there, and there he was, awake, and getting dressed for school!

I think he was still a little nervous, though he said he wasn't. It was hard to get a good smile from him.

At the bus stop, he was happy that I let him get out of the van to wait for the bus. Ben wanted to stand out with his big brother, even though he doesn't go until tomorrow. So I get to do the "first day" all over again tomorrow!

Due to the delay of the shutter, I missed the shot, but you can still see him....

Ben's pix tomorrow.......

Meet the teacher day....

Josh was a little nervous, Ben not quite sure. But once we got to the school, all of that was replaced with eagerness. We went to Ben's classroom first. Here, he's showing his teacher, Mrs. Jones, where he wants to sit--it was part of a "scavenger hunt." She was already having fun with him! (Wheeew!! Maybe he'll be alright after all! :D)

He found his cubby....

and his coat hook. Yay, Ben!

Now here's Josh in his new room. His teacher's name is Mrs. Youngblood. She's talking to one of Josh's friends from kindergarten, Carson. We found out that two of Josh's K friends, including Carson, and his best girl friend, Chloe, are in his class! He was soooo relieved when he found out that Chloe would be in his class! ;)
Mrs. Youngblood was asking Josh a question, but he was distracted by Ben playing with a "shark" in a bottle(?!).

Josh checks out his new desk, with his friend by his side...

I couldn't possibly resist taking this picture. How sweet. Sometimes he would flat out deny it, but Josh really loves his little brother.

(When I asked Ben if he wanted me or Josh to walk him to his class on the first day, he chose Josh. Awww.)




This is the music teacher, Mrs. Ledford. She told us about the interesting instruments on her table, and of course the boys were all too willing to try them out! I told her that it takes a special kind of person to be a music teacher! lol Sorry to say, all I hear is noise, Noise NOISE! :D

And then we had some after-school fun.

Beep-beep..comin' through!

My monkey boys... "I'll race ya!"

Water hose fun...

The fun actually started as a water balloon fight. The idea of being able to soak Daddy without getting in trouble was a huge thrill for the boys. But their bubble would soon burst--the balloons would not! They'd toss the them at each other, the balloon would bounce off and burst when it hit the ground. No one got soaked. :( Until.....

Daddy got the garden hose and squirt guns out. Then the real fun began....

Filling the bucket and sitting in it proved to be serious fun.

The sun-warmed water soon ran out, and playing became cold.

But playing in a mud puddle is always fun....

It didn't help that the clouds kept covering up the sun. As long as it stayed out, the fun would continue. But once the clouds dominated, it was time to go in and warm up.

What I meant to say......

As I read over yesterday's post, I felt a bit uncomfortable with something I said, or wrote. It was an unintentional "slip." Those of you who know me, know that sometimes I say things that don't always come out sounding right, or at least the way they sounded to me in my head. What was it that made me uncomfortable? It's where I said that it was "all me." What I meant by that, just to clarify, is that I didn't use anyone else's sketch or layout design, or title, or anything. Simply, that I came up with the design and all the elements on my own. Many times I will "lift" some of the elements or the design or the title. There are a few times when I have done a blatant, and full "lift." When I don't "lift," I feel as if I truly have accomplished something. When I show my finished product to my husband, he asks if I copied someone or not, and that's when I say, "Nope, it's all me." There, now I feel better. At least until the next time God reveals another fault/weakness to me. :D lol

WOW!

I actually was able to do TWO layouts today! God has lifted my "scrappers-block!" (And the kids actually let me work!) Usually, I have to search for a sketch, or look online or search through a magazine to get inspiration, which takes some time, but not today. The papers, the position of the photos, the embellishments, the titles, the letter stickers...it all came together so naturally. When I'm able to do that, I tell Steve that it was "all me."

This first one is the final page of Ben's birthday, with the visit from Papa & Nana. All the paper (white cardstock excluded), the title letters and border strips are from Me And My Big Ideas (MAMBI). This next one is about Steve shaving off his mustache, of course. It takes awhile to get use to seeing him without it. He's only shaved it two or three times since we've been married (7 Years). The boys looked at him kinda funny afterward. :) He shaves it because the skin underneath gets so dry that it flakes into the 'stache. Then he can moisturize (don't tell him I said this! hehe) his skin, and then let it grow back. I never use to like facial hair, but I think I like the way he looks with it better. :) Everything is from Basic Grey.