Long time, No blog

Revised with pitures 8-19
Wow it has been 14 whole days since I actually posted something on this blog. That has to be a record for me. This time it had nothing to do with computer problems and the like. It's just been a bit hectic around here. I actually sat down many times to blog but never could finish...here's hoping the baby sleeps long enough for me to finish this post!

Today is a big day for us...
K under the big birthday cake we made for her school!

Kolby started back to school this morning. THIRD GRADE! Wow! She was thrilled to be back and bebopped down the halls. I only went with her to snap the traditional "first day of school picture with the teacher" then was out of there. No tears. That's a first for me. Kolby never cries over going to school. She is so happy to be back with her "people" that tears are the last thing on her mind! I don't know a more social child than my little Kolby!:) I however, have always shed a tear dropping her off on the big first day, until today. This year, for the first time ever, I can actually say I am glad that school has started! I have secretly been counting down the days. Never thought I would be "that kind" of Mom. But honestly, it's been a little hard juggling the needs of an 8 year old, almost 5 year old, and a newborn for the last few weeks. With Kolby at school, the needs and ages differences are a bit easier to handle.

A bit of a brag on Ms Kolby. Two Saturdays ago my Miss Independent decided she wanted a different hair do. Knowing I was way too busy to get her to Ms. Debbie that day, she thought she would just do it herself. She thinks she can do anything, so cutting hair seemed like no big. Well she chopped off some bangs, decided she didn't like them, so she just cut the hair off close to the root "so it wouldn't show!" !!! She went about her day like nothing happened. Ten minutes later, I saw her hair and almost had a coronary. I was beside myself! My little girl had buzzed her hair off resulting in a one inch by two inch triangular patch of spikes RIGHT IN THE FRONT OF HER HEAD!!!!

I cried, screamed, and really had a fit... Kolby was upset because I was. She felt terrible and I made it worse. In the midst of my tirade asking her why on earth she would do that and "What in the world did she think people would say and think when they saw that an 8 year old, who knew better, had butchered her hair" Kolby looked at me and through tears said, "No matter what my hair looks like I am still a good person on the inside and that is what counts." OUCH! I regained my perspective pretty fast after that. When I cooled off, she asked what her punishment was. Rob and I decided there was nothing we could do to punish her that she hadn't just done to herself. She would just have to live with the consequences of her actions and that was bad enough.

We made an "emergency" trip to the beauty shop that afternoon and figured out a way to sort of plaster the spikes down and comb hair over them to cover it up. We came home, and life went on. It isn't that bad, if the hair plastering goop holds. Still, if I were Kolby I would stay home, only to leave the house with a hat on my head. Kolby however doesn't even give it a second thought. I think her attitude is much healthier than mine. Happy to be herself!

This morning I spent a good ten minutes trying to get her hair just right. I didn't want kids to make fun of her. I thought she might be a bit self conscience over it, but she never mentioned it. As we walked towards the third grade hall this morning I was mentally saying a prayer that Kolby would have a great day and no one would notice her hair and make fun of her. About that time I realized Kolby had stopped a few steps behind me. She was crouched down talking to a little girl who was sitting against the wall. I turned to call Kolby to "come on" when I realized the girl looked like a terrified little animal.

This was a girl from Kolby's class last year who transferred in just as school was ending. She was very shy and Kolby told me the year before she didn't talk much. Before I knew it, Kolby had asked her what class she was in and then scanned the hall for someone else she knew in that class. Kolby then called another little girl over and introduced her shy friend to this little girl. She then helped her shy friend up and walked her to her room with the other little girl and told her she would find her at recess. Kolby with friends at Blast off!
The whole thing took less than three minutes. Here I was worrying about Kolby's hair while Kolby was too busy caring about her friend to think about her hair. I think Kolby will be just fine this year! I'm still not to happy about her hair, but I am so proud that she hasn't let it change who she is or how she acts.

Today is also big because Ella Kate is six weeks old today!



SIX WEEKS OLD!!! The newborn diapers officially became too small yesterday. She is now in size 1's. The 0-3 month clothes that swallowed her two weeks ago are starting to look like they fit. She is sleeping 6 hours at a time some nights. She coos and girgles all the time. Just yesterday EK gave me the first really big smile and almost laughed at me! She is starting to not look like a newborn! She has a bit of baby acne on her right cheek and is loosing a bit if her newborn hair. She is also starting to hold her head up really well! It is going too fast! I don't even have birth announcements out yet! How can she be SIX WEEKS OLD??? I think I will stop thinking about it as I might cry. In a nutshell our little EKG is doing very well, it's just going way too fast!!!

The third reason that today is a good day for us is that Rob found out this morning that he is getting a hotel paper route which means no throwing...which means I can actually do this one all by myself need be. I could write a whole blog about the ups and downs of the paper route.. but it would be Rob's blog because I haven't set foot in the old Waco Trib distribution center since I became pregnant with Ella Kate!

The paper route was supposed to be the job I was getting to help make ends meet while still staying home full time. There were three main problems with me having a paper route though...
1) I am not a morning person. (Is 3AM actually considered morning?)
2) I throw like a girl... and a wimpy girl at that. My papers landed in all the wrong places...I still feel bad about that windsheild! Joking! :)
3) I get extremely carsick if I have to read and drive. Reading and driving in the dark while starting and stopping and trying to read house numbers and actually throw papers out the window so that they land in a targeted spot takes me way beyond the normal carsick. Rob finally took me home one morning after we had to stop three different times for me to puke in the street.
(Didn't want to leave Rhett out!)
So my little job became Rob's paper route and he has done it 365 days a year for 2.75 years come rain, snow, fog or blistering heat. I am excited that this hotel route has Sundays off! Maybe our entire family will make it to Sunday School! :)

Well the babe is stirring in her crib and this post has to be long enough for a weeks worth of blogging! I guess I'll stop. Hope this is a great day for all of you in blog land!
My babies!
I'll try to add pictures later!