End of summer, beginning of the school year=chaos!

Welcome. (She's so serious! :) )

Wow, I haven't posted in such a long time! Sydney's weekdays have been spent at daycare and my days have been spent at my classroom preparing for my 17 cherubs for the 2009-2010 (2010--how did that happen?!?) school year. At the beginning of each school year I find it SO difficult to go from having free time throughout the day to prepare supper, sweep up the floor, do a load of laundry, etc. to having approximately 45 minutes to get supper prepared and on the table and maybe an hour or two after Syd goes to bed to do the rest of the items mentioned up there. :) It'll take time but we'll manage!

I won't rehash the last 12 days of our life, but just make a few notes instead. :)

• Sydney has had a rough transition going back to daycare, which makes the transition extra hard on me. :( Luckily her days have improved, even if our drop-offs have steadily gotten worse. Today she noticed two blocks away where we were going and started whining "Mama...mama..." and was crying before the driveway. I'll be glad for the day when she cries when she doesn't want to leave!! :) (Which happened frequently last year!)
  
• We went to Delphos this past weekend and spent time with family there. Sydney got to play with Addison at Erin's baby shower and Alta at Grandma Ponton's jewelry party. It was fun to see them chatter and play with each other--even if Sydney was a bit bossy at times. :)
• Saturday night Joe and I went to our very first ever dirt track race (if that's even what it's called). We were invited by Joe's brother and his wife (they have invited us nearly every time we see them when we come back)--it was a beautiful summer evening and although we were out later than normal, we had a great time!
• 
• Sydney has become a little Polly Parrot (I am stealing Miss Kim's name for her son)...she tries to imitate everything we say and I mean everything. I slipped up with "crap" the other day and she said her Sydney version of it. Oops. :) She also said "geez" after me the other day and now will say "Bye Maa (Maggie)" and blow kisses in the morning as we pull out of the driveway. It's so fun hearing her say all these new words and now, some new phrases!!
• Sydney finally learned how to climb on to the couch herself! She loves to climb up there and roll around and relax. Here she is kicking back and reading a book!
• Trying on her dad's shoes...quite a unique strategy, but she was successful!
  

Joe had to take her car seat out for his car pool day to drive. She thought it was so neat she wanted to eat her snack in her seat. I had to cater her snack to her from the kitchen down to her chair because she didn't even want to leave it. Silly girl!