I did try to post twice this week but my computer kept freezing so lets hope that third time is a charm?
The kids had another excellent week of school. Jack got to walk like a monster in gym and Bella liked her teacher - so all remains right in their world.
They have started to get birthday cards in the mail and that is even better than normal "Grandmom Mail". They do not get too much mail but 99% of it comes from Grandmom so they know her writing and they appreciate all the details - from the little drawings to the stamps that are used. Grandmom's birthday cards came first and Bella took it literally. Grandmom wrote for to watch for the mailman to bring her something so she went to watch for him. I explained to her that it would be awhile so she laughed.
We also got the cards from Aunt Pat and Aunt Jil and Uncle Don. The kids are SO excited to go shopping. I told them we were going to use one of the gift cards for anything they wanted and one for something they "needed". Well they are beyond excited to go shopping for something they want because in their mind it is something they NEED!! (they will be
sending thank you notes out soon! - I need to go get stamps)
Bella
still continues with Occupational and Speech Therapy and is doing really
well with it. She just got switched to evenings because she had always
went during the day. She is SUPER GIRL :) She goes to school all day
and then home for dinner and then we leave for therapy and she works
hard and we come home read some books and go to bed. A busy day and she
never once complained. Jason has been doing some side work and went to
go do a couple of things while Bella had therapy so Jack went with him
to "help".
Here he is showing me some of the tools from his tool box
Notice his fancy tool box - thankfully he is getting a real one for his birthday. Jason is working for a friend and they have drinks in their fridge so Jack got a gatorade after working so hard and that was all the payment he needs! I can not wait to see his face when he gets his tool box - he wants so badly to help out his Daddy.
Speaking of Jason.... I really did luck out. I no longer am watching Isabella (she went off to a different kindergarten) and I was trying to find another job. With Jason's support I decided to not work while I am in school so I can focus on my schoolwork. Jason has some side work he has been doing to help out*. I never expected the course work to be THIS much. It is really a lot of work that I have to put in each week (and rightfully so because this is an amazing school I am at. I don't know if I mentioned it or not but this school accepts less than 30% of it's applicants - there are no slackers. Plus no one wants a nurse who doesn't know their stuff). It is weird to not work - to not have an income but it will be worth it. One of my biggest fears of going to school full time was not being able to see the kids ... my amazing husband is sacrificing his time with the kids so I can have more (and more study time). I am so blessed.
*we are fine with just Jason's salary - we will just not be going on any fancy vacations anytime soon. We joke that we will not know what to do with ourselves once I do actually go back to work full time - we can live on just Jason's so to add another full time we will not know what to do with ourselves.
I better run - the kids are already asking me when we can go shopping :)
I love days like these!
P.S. Grandmom - I did get your message about the Penn State Game today in Ireland. Jason is working today but he will be able to listen to it on the radio. Jason is also surprising Jack with tickets to next week's game - it will be here in PA so no fancy trips to Ireland :)
I don't think I have been this happy for a Friday in a very very long time. I have classes Mon-Thursday and there was just SO much information to learn. When I was in high school and at York College - I never had to study like this. It will be worth it in the end but I feel like my brain might explode in the mean time. We just learned the basics this week - how to take a temp, pulse, blood pressure, etc. It is harder to take a blood pressure than I thought. This is one of those times I miss living in NJ because if I were closer I would go visit my Grandmother and make her "patient". I know I could take her blood pressure and pulse 100 times and she would just keep on being patient with me. :)
While I am trying to update the blog more often I may not get to do it as often as I wish... we will see!
The kids are doing amazing in school and can not wait to go everyday. I had an almost panic attack yesterday while I was driving to school because I did not have them with me - it was such a weird feeling to not have them by my side when I have been at home with them for so long. I am so so fortunate.
I took a picture of each kid yesterday and asked them a couple of questions.
My kids are so darn lucky. While Jason was waiting for the kids to come home off the bus on Wednesday he built them a bench to sit on while they waited for the bus in the morning.
Yesterday was a big day in the Druck home. The kids started kindergarten.
We are lucky that the bus picks up at the end of our driveway. I was in school all day yesterday so Jason put them on the bus and followed them to school. A couple of years ago I laughed at my sister in law when she followed the bus on the first day of my nephew but I was very relieved when Jason was going to do it - apparently most parents do it the first day. Anyway as Bella got off the bus she yelled to Jason, "DADDY! I made a friend". At that is Bella nowadays - she will just go up to people and ask to be friends and then goes and plays - she is SO outgoing. I would have never thought that. Jack is a bit more shy but his best buddy from his t-ball team is in his class and he was talking to other boys while we were at back to school night.
Yesterday gym was their "special" period and today it is art so you have my two kindergartners summed up right there - all is right in their world if Jack has gym and Bella has art.... also bacon.... add bacon into anything like Jason did for their breakfast yesterday and we just knew they would have a perfect day :)
I will write more about my school tomorrow but I better run for now to finish getting them ready!
Random thought popped into my head the other day. I have often had off of school for my birthday (Martin Luther King Day) and the kids will often have off on their birthday (Labor Day). Something little and cool we share. The kids turn 6 in just under 2 weeks. Their birthday was the cut off date for starting school so they will be some of the older kids in their grade. We had back to school night last night and we got to meet their teacher. She actually grew up two houses down from here and knew of the kids. Her uncle still lives on the other side of my in-laws (where she grew up) so I guess she was Jason's neighbor at some point in time.
I will be in clinicals tomorrow so I tried to get a picture of the kids last night and this was the best that I could get. Can you sense their excitement? No - me neither - they were excited, just tired.
What else is new?
The kids have started swim lessons. We waited until they were not so afraid of the water and they were loving the pool this year. So lessons started and it is too darn cold to get in our pool - hopefully they will remember some of this next year
Bella was sick earlier this Summer - fever, lethargy, not eating - basically just not herself. We never really found out what was wrong with her but they treated her for Lymes Disease because it is possible to get a false negative. She just finished her second round of antibiotics and was SO happy that we danced as she threw the bottle of meds in the garbage. So far so good and she is pretty much back to herself. Point of this is that when she was first sick she had a really high fever and just felt crappy and Jack tried cheering her up by performing magic.
He got a magic kit at his birthday party and he was originally "Jack the Magnificent" but changed his name to "Jack the Magician" because he could not say magnificent. They are getting to the age where they have their own friends and they told their bus driver that they do not want to sit next to each other on the bus but I don't doubt for a second that they love each other and have each others back. They really are amazing kids!
One last picture of teamwork!
They were playing a video game and they could not reach the pedal. They took turns steering and pressing the gas (they never actually used the brake so there was a lot of crashing). Isabella was there with them and when she was steering Bella sat behind her just to "support" her while Jack did the gas. That really was awesome teamwork.
I am going to try to update more often. I figure if I do a tid bit here and there it won't take long. So check back on Thursday and I will update about their first day of school!
Well it is over for me at least. I start school today. I have a nursing theory course on Mon and Thursday, Math on Tues and I start clinicals on Wed. In two weeks I will have actual patients - real live people that I will have to interact with .... I am a bit excited and nervous all at the same time. The kids start school on Wednesday and I am super bummed that it my clinical day because I will leave the house at 6 - long before the kids even get up. Luckily Jason will be home to put them on the bus. The kids are so excited for school to start and we get to go meet their teachers tonight. They will be in the same class.
Bella lost her third tooth last night (all on the bottom). It was quite loose for awhile so Jason said he would get pliers and help her and she was excited. Jack on the other hand freaked out that we were going to hurt Bella and he went and hid his head.... Great brother there ;) (Please don't mind the mess). Jason did not get it out and after a long night Jason's mom tied dental floss to it and she pulled it out. The tooth fairy almost forgot to come but thankfully she remembered and Bella was super excited to wake up to her $1.
This was the last week that I watched Isabella. I have watched her for almost 4 years so it was sad to realize it was her last day. We had a really fun week though and I know we will see her again. She is going to a different kindergarten than Jack and Bella.
Bella and Isabella with their matching Friends Forever Tees
A couple of quick pictures of camping: It was the cardboard boat race and Jason went out with Bella in their boat
I just liked this picture. It is the back of the kids. Friends of mine with twins who are just a couple months older than Jack and Bella came to visit and our nephew Connor was up as well.
Jack's job was to make OJ each morning :)
Jack woke up the other morning and realized it was August and both the kids started jumping up and down because they realized that August = Kindergarten. They were not thrilled when I told them they had to wait until the 20th. It was a wake-up call for me though to realize how quickly time is flying.
I have one class over the summer and am taking the final on Wednesday. YAYYY! I will be happy to be done with it. I then have a week off and classes start full time for me on the 18th. This semester is exciting and nerve-wracking because I will actually be working with patients.
The summer has been a lot of fun. We had the kids' birthday parties early this year. Jack wanted to have it at the local minor league baseball team. It was amazing. He threw out the first (well actually it was like the 6th pitch- there were a couple others who threw one out too)
and the whole stadium sung happy birthday to him (along with the two other birthday boys) on top of the dugout.
Bella had a "Girly Tea Party"
I have to run for now but I will post some more pictures soon - I can not wait to have some down time when this class is over.
