Back to School

This about sums up Morgan's approach to kindergarten - bring it on. She was so ready. She loves her teacher, she has her little friends, and she's already had her hair cut by her seat mate. That was a fun day. I love it that she has a social outlet and that we get a few hours of peace each day, but I'm still ticked that she can't take the bus. Every morning I have to wake Kate up (and myself) and drive her to school because our door faces south instead of west. We are the very edge of the bus boundary, even though there's no way she could walk to school. And the best part is that our driveway is the bus stop. Every morning I glare at the children whose parents are still home in their pajamas with sleeping babies, and threaten to pile snow up in front of their bus stop. Can you tell I'm not a morning person?

Morgan also started playing soccer in a local league this fall, and it went about as I expected. She faithfully asked me if she could quit after every practice and every game. I think the only highlights for her were the clothing and accessories and the snacks. There was too much running, apparently... She did score one goal (although I'm pretty sure she was as surprised as we were) and showed great sportsmanship as she cheered louder for her school friend's team than her own. We finish the season in the spring, and we are hoping for a change of heart.

Kate being highly supportive at a game.We had to distract her with crackers or she would charge onto the field after the ball. She showed more interest than Morgan some days.

 

Peach season brought canning - we are getting better at it. Thankfully peaches aren't too bad. I tried applesauce later in the year, and after having to peel the apples mostly by hand due to mechanical failure, I discovered that a huge stock pot yields only 4 jars of applesauce. That was the end. There are some things that just aren't worth it.

After only two months away, we flew back to Arizona for my sister's wedding. Only Kate got to come with since she still flies free. We met Rick and Diane for dinner and then entered the maelstrom of wedding preparations. 

My lovely sister on her toasty wedding day. Kate was never very interested in the bride but she sure liked the flowers.

I cut some bangs, which made Morgan furious with me. Apparently she has been growing her bangs out so she can look like me - whoops.

Our house is looking better! Erik has been hard at work on the yard, and we've been gradually accumulating an assortment of manly tools. Now we are discovering things inside that need work, which is far scarier. So far we've had a gas leak, broken furnace, faulty wiring, broken fan, and other discoveries like a complete lack of insulation in the basement. Next summer: the roof. Yay.