Survived Week One!

Whew! We made it through the first week of school. Thanks SO MUCH to Tanya and Nai Nai for helping with Mars this week. School is going great (although I missed Marley terribly by the end of the week). The kiddos are very sweet and seem exited about school. One big change for me is that I will no longer be one of the tech liaisons for our school. I'm trying not to take on too much and am already on at least two other committees, including the school steering committee.

Also, some of us are really trying to carpool more this year. Having to cart Mars all over the place is kind of putting a strain on that, but we were still able to carpool twice this week. Yesterday, Alfred and I rode in together, and today Nancy, Alfred, and I all drove together. (Last week Nancy, Bethany, and I carpooled to one of our meetings). My goal is to ride with at least one other person in the car four days a week.

Jeff saw the orthopedic doctor yesterday. We're still waiting to hear back (the doc was going to consult a clavicle specialist), but it sounds like Jeff will need surgery. Fortunately, the recovery time will be the same with or without the surgery. I suppose we will have to wait until Monday to find out more. I'll keep you posted!

Survived Day One

Yay! We made it through the first day of school! Jeff and Marley spent the day at Tanya and Jada's house. (Thanks for taking care of my boys!) I have a lovely class of 27 (so far) who were very excited to be back at school. At the end of the day, one student exclaimed, "It's time to go home already?!? Aww, man!" Hee hee:)

Jeff has been trying very hard to be helpful. Yesterday he took Marley on a two hour walk so that I could clean house and get ready for school. I had to get the stroller out and strap Mars in, of course, but Jeff seemed to do okay after that.


Mars still loves his bath. He was trying to drink the water out of the faucet, which is why I got out the camera. Of course, he didn't do it again once I started recording. But, it was cute anyway - so here you go!

The Best Laid Plans

Well, we tried to be prepared for my return to school, but alas, the Fates have it out for us. Last night at Jeff's soccer game, he fell and broke his collar bone (or more accurately: was tripped by a player from the opposing team). Luckily our friend, Dustin, was able to take him to the ER at Swedish to get an x-ray (Thanks, Dustin!). Jeff had thought (hoped) that he had just dislocated his shoulder, but the x-ray showed a fracture. He has to wear a sling for 6-12 weeks and cannot move his left arm at all. AT ALL! This means our plan for Jeff to stay home and care for Marley four days a week - beginning on Tuesday - is out the window. We hope that Jeff's arm will heal enough over the next few weeks that he can at least change diapers and such. Needless to say, there will be no soccer or bike riding for a while (among MANY other things). So, if anyone has any free time and feels like caring for an invalid and a baby, let us know.

Here We Go

The school year has begun. At least for the teachers (the kiddos come next week). My days of stay-at-home-mommyhood have come to an end *sigh*. I think we've finally worked out the details who will look after Mars during the day.

Luckily, Jada doesn't charge much for her services:) Honestly, we think we have it worked out pretty well. Jeff will be home with Mars four days a week. He will go to work once a week on Wednesdays. Tanya (and Jada) will alternate with Nai Nai in taking Marley on Wednesdays. Jeff will work from home the rest of the week to get to 20 hours per week, giving us an extra half an income (originally, Jeff was going to stay home full time). We are immensely grateful to Tanya (and Jada) and Nai Nai for helping us out. We couldn't do it without them!

Marley Goes to School

Mars came into school last week to "help" me set up my classroom. Luckily, there were other youngsters "helping" their parents as well.
Addison and Marley
Addie, Maddie, and Mars

Four Generations

Back in June, we took this photo of Mars with Mommy, Grandpa Collins, and Great Grandma Collins.

Last weekend, we got to take another four generations picture of Mars with Daddy, Grandpa Franklin, and G.G. (Great Grandma Franklin).

July Photos

Finally, the July photos are up. Enjoy!