I Never Know What to Write Here

School started. Work started. I. Love. It.
At first I was really unsure that I would like it, that I was going to have a terrible time transitioning from stay-at-home mom to working mom. The Lord is always so good. I work with really great people who made the transition easy. We had a last minute switch for Eladie. She's going to a different school 3 days a week all day. Praise Jesus she loves it. She's really sad when she realizes it's Thursday and doesn't go to school.

I can't believe both my girls are in school.

I see people do lists all the time on blogs. Here's mine in no particular order:

1. I don't like folding laundry

2. I make the most amazing homemade salsa you've ever tasted. 

3. Whenever I work in the nursery and I change a diaper, I feel SO glad Eladie's been out of diapers/pull-ups for over a year now. 

4. I wish I would remember to make more time to read.

5. Unbelievably, I'm starting to become a morning person.

6. I don't like typos, but they happen to the best of us.

7. Dad and I didn't get to scuba this summer and I'm sad about that. 

8. We grew approximately 8 billion cucumbers this year. 

Now here's a picture of Maximus eating a big piece of ice from his water bucket last March. 

Change is Coming

Well, like my title says, change is coming. In one week I'll be sitting in an all day training event in preparation for my new job. Yes, I am now employed outside my home. Starting August 12, I'll be working at Monett Intermediate School (5 & 6 grades) as a Paraprofessional. It's pretty ideal because I'll have all the same breaks and time off that Emery does now that I have a kid in school. She sure is excited, by the way. She's even more excited to get a lunch box.

Eladie is starting preschool at a private school in Pierce City 2 days a week and going to a friend's house the other 2 days. I know she'll do great, but the last time we talked about it she was almost brought to tears saying that she would miss me if I didn't go with her. It will be an adjustment. I am sad. But we'll all be okay.

Other than that, we're just working on our house. We moved in in April and we've done quite a bit which includes building a fence (we dug 42 post holes!), painting all rooms minus 2, peeling wallpaper, installing new ceiling lights and fans. Our newest project is installing flooring in the dining room and front living room. It looks so great. That 1974 carpet had to go. Our house is looking completely different. In an awesome way.

We've also started canning salsa with tomatoes from our garden. Over 6 jars worth! It is so good.

I'll leave you with this picture of a squirrel on the clubhouse.

It's 4 o'clock, do you know where your kids are?

As I was driving home from picking Emery up from school yesterday, I see a girl sitting on the curb in front of the apartment complex on my street. As I drive by and glance her way, I immediately feel like something was not right. I turned around and pulled into the lot next to her. I got out and asked her if she was okay. I also notice that she is a lot younger than I initially thought she was (she is 6). She was so visibly upset so I ask her name and her grade, she tells me that she was supposed to go to her dad's but got on the wrong bus, and was at the apartments where her and her mom live, but mom isn't home. She knows her phone number so she calls her, but she got no answer, so I left her mom a voicemail to tell her that I was in the parking lot with her daughter  and that I really need her to call me back right away. I put her in my car because it was so cold and I stood outside and came to the conclusion to call the police. I called the non-emergency line and they sent out 2 officers right away. They ended up taking her because no one knew  (she didn't know, neither did the school) her dad's number and her mom didn't answer when one of the officers tried calling her again. Emery and Eladie were so kind to her when she was our car; proud moment for me.
The craziest part of the story is that her mom didn't call me back for over an hour after her daughter had first called, and was just so nonchalant about some stranger being with her kid. I told her I called the police and they took her, so she should call them.

Moral of the story: always know where your kids are. They could be sitting on the curb in the cold all alone.

The Internet

We have it again. It's more than I could imagine! Ha. That's funny. It's just been so long since we've had internet. We started watching the show from Discovery "Bering Sea Gold" and Bering Sea Gold-Under the Ice." It's the bomb.