The first day of school!

I would pretend to be sad, but I'm not.  We love the school where Runner Girl will be attending and the littles need the structure that the school year brings.  And this year, because there are other changes afoot in the house, there is a lot to look forward to.  I've been anticipating the first day of school for weeks.  It was yesterday.  And I missed posting.  haha.

The new coach for the school held a meeting Monday for the cross country kids.  We may not have been as consistent as we'd planned over the summer, but at least she DID run some.  Hopefully the surgery and the continued training help her speed a bit.  Day one of band was Monday as well, which was something else she's looking forward to, but she'd locked her oboe in her locker and couldn't open it again.  Oops.  We've been working on her learning to read music and play the oboe the last couple of weeks.  Things were super busy all weekend though, and I'm not sure what she did with that.  I need to start having lessons with her once a week from here on out, but hopefully when she goes to play this week, she doesn't forget everything she's learned!

Over the weekend, after the raspberry picking adventure, we went to the Mod Bod's parking lot sale and got Runner Girl a couple of camis to wear under her (too short) uniform shirts.  They were too short last year too, as in, they showed her belly when she raised her hands.  But they fit around!  And the next size up was ginormous!  Still is.  So camis and tanks are the name of the game for the moment.  We did miss the ward campout.  We were on our way up the canyon when Little Mister said he was too tired and begged to go home.  Poor kid.

We picked up our produce on Saturday morning and got some good deals at Walgreens (free + $2 money maker on fish oil, thanks so much!, plus some cheap disposable diapers to keep on hand for our times when I haven't done the cloth laundry), and then ... well ... the littles and I had THE BEST NAP.  We haven't all been able to nap together for a while, but we did on Friday AND Saturday.  After naps I got a message from The Rock's co-worker's wife and finally called her back after The Rock got back from shooting (with other co-workers).  We went over for dinner -- 30 minutes notice, I made dessert and a broccoli/rice casserole.  She was impressed.  HA!  Literally two of the easiest dishes ever created.  We had a lot of fun and went home just in time for bed.

So Sunday rolled around and the kids and I got to church late because Little Mister was up in the night screaming and woke everybody up.  During Sunday school, Bitty and I turned off the light in the mother's room and she finally nursed and went to sleep.  I apparently zonked out too, and when I woke up an hour later to someone else coming in and saying, "I need to change a poopy diaper, can I turn on the lights?"  I looked around and saw another mom in there *who wasn't there when I passed out*.  They were both from the other congregation that meets in our building, so I didn't know them and was a bit embarrassed, but they both assured me they wished they were sleeping too!!!  HA!

So I went out in the hall.  There were only 20 minutes left of the meetings, so rather than wrestle the hyper toddler, I sat and let Bitty run around and chatted with a friend.  I knew she ran a daycare, but I didn't know details.  She *only* does daycare for teachers.  I told her to put me on her list for 3 years from now because I'll need her!  We talked about that a bit and then church was over.

Days like that start to make me wonder why I go at all.  I didn't get to partake of the Sacrament or hear the talks (sermon) or anything, and then I slept.  But I know I'm setting a good example for the kids and it helps us feel the Spirit at home when we are obedient.  And that's very important.  After church, The Rock woke up and came out and talked about spiritual things with Runner Girl and me.  It was a good discussion.  He may not be the most active member of our church, but he still does have his testimony and still tries to be obedient to the Lord's commandments, for which I'm grateful.

In the busyness of the weekend, the housework fell by the wayside.  I am starting to revamp my lists -- we need the kitchen mopped more than once a week, for example -- and Saturdays are going to be too busy to be the catch up day anymore.  So I'll rework things a bit, especially as we get into the school year for all of us.  Another thing I'm putting on my list this week is to get exercising again -- not at the gym, but with a DVD either first thing in the morning or during naps.  The kids, husband, and I all need me to have those endorphins.  And I'm going to start tracking my caloric intake again because something has to give.  EVEN if I can't lose weight while nursing, all of these things will help me feel better and get healthier.