Back-to-School . . . it's a whole new world!!

The girls and I have been back to school for 2 weeks now.  Tomorrow is the first day of an actual full week of classes.  The first week started with an early-release day and then we had Labor Day last week.  The district must have thought it would be better to ease us all into the year!  

So far, so good, though!  Emma started 7th grade at North Junior High and Katy is officially a sophomore at Boise High.  Hard to believe we no longer have a child in elementary school.  Lucky for me, I will continue to experience the joys that come with working in one . . . 

I have already met all of Emma's teachers-North held back-to-school night the first week of school.  She has many of the same instructors as Katy had when she was a sevvie.  Emma was nervous, but tells me she can easily open her locker now and has not been late to class, yet.  Her electives are band and art and she has had a great attitude about all of her classes.  Something new for our family--she is going to play team tennis!  They start practice on September 25 and the season lasts through the end of October.  We are so proud of everything she is doing.  Oh, in case you did not notice, she is wearing mascara now.  She is a beauty without it, but most of the girls are wearing it, so she is too--it is all about blending in with the crowd in 7th grade.  Because of that, we finally went clothes shopping yesterday.  Emma wanted to wait and see what most other girls were wearing.  We ended up at Forever 21, one of Katy's go-to stores for trendy items.  Emma barely fits into their stuff because she is still kind of small, but we managed to find a bag full of fun things to wear.    

This was admissions day-they go in 2 weeks before to school to pick up their schedule and get their lockers.  The locker was frustrating her--it took many attempts to get in, but she managed it and is now an expert!  Her locker has been decorated since this picture.  She papered the walls, made magnets to hold pictures, and then added a light, a shelf and a mirror.   

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Out front on admissions day.

First day of school.  She was telling me to hurry up and not embarrass her.  Good thing we were early-I was the only parent taking pictures!!!

Katy made a seamless transition to Boise High.  In Boise, high school starts in 9th grade, but you are still in the junior high building.  You are official when you start 10th.  She is attending the best high school in the state of Idaho.  This school goes above and beyond to prepare those who want to attend college.  Many graduates of Boise High are recruited to attend some pretty great schools--and not just for sports.  Eric and I will attend back-to-school night this week and we are looking forward to meeting her teachers.  Her electives are band, accelerated Spanish, and intro to health-related occupations.  Band is "marching" band for the first quarter.  She is not as thrilled about that but is warming up to the fact that she has to wear a pretty hideous uniform.  She attends practice twice a week for 2 hours.  They will perform at half-time during the home football games and end the season at a big drill competition at Boise State--on the blue turf!  Then it is back to concert band with a few pep bands appearances during basketball season.  This is her third year of Spanish and she seems to like it.  She will take one more year and that should prepare her to test out of the lower levels in college.  Her other classes are AP world history, chemistry, English, and algebra 2.  All of them are the accelerated versions.
In addition to school, she is volunteering at the Agency for New Americans.  She was "working" about 5 hours a week this summer, but will drop to 2 during the school year.  Another change--her social life has picked up speed.  She spends time with friends away from our house.  They like to head downtown and go to the movie theater or hang out at the frozen yogurt/ice cream shops.  We did host a Dr. Who episode watching party this weekend.  Only 7 friends.  No big deal you say--well, this one had BOYS attending!! Just two boys, but one was Peter.  You know-that Peter.  He rode home from school with us since his parents were working their booth at Art in the Park.  Talk about funny.  Emma just found it all so amusing.  She was keeping her eye on him.  Our house is so small, nothing could get past us--at least we hope . . . I have always enjoyed being the host.  I get to know the friends better and I am able to meet the parents when they drop off and pick up.  Both girls have great friends so far.  And Peter, he is still pretty socially awkward, so I do not expect any trouble---yet.  Exclusive dating is not an option right now, so they can all have fun in a parent supervised setting for the time being!!  

Katy received her Young Women Personal Progress award at church in August. She received her medallion, which she is wearing around her neck.  It is a program similar in hours of requirements to the Eagle Scout award in Boy Scouts.  To complete it before turning 16 is quite an accomplishment!  (Back in the day, it took me the entire 6 years to get mine done.) She will now be working on motivating her sister . . . 

 

First day of school--no picture in front of Boise High yet.  Absolutely no parents take pictures at the building, or so I was told!!!  

First day smiles! 

New directions . . .

Yesterday was a bit difficult for Katy.  It was her last official day at Carriage Step Stable, aka "the barn."  She told me a month or two ago that she no longer looked forward to going to the barn.  Her heart wasn't in it any more, and with high school just around the corner, she knew she would need to spend time doing other things--service hours, homework, marching band, social activities, etc.  Katy struggled with what to say to her trainer, Gabrielle.  She did not want to disappoint her.  She has been taking lessons since she was 8 years old and has been "working" since she was about 10.  As I knew she would be, Gabrielle was very sweet to Katy when she finally summoned up the courage to tell her she wanted to discontinue riding.  In fact, Gabrielle told Katy she had been expecting that conversation.  She told Katy it was common for girls to go in a different direction at her age.  Life just gets a little more complicated and there are often other interests to pursue.
For her last day, Katy was able to help with Stable Days, a one day horse "camp" for the younger riders.  It was a good way to go--busy girls buzzing around the barn all day took the edge off.  Of course, Katy was fine until I arrived to pick her up.  She had packed up her tack room gear and was almost ready to leave.  I started crying as soon as I saw Gabrielle and Mysti(the horse).  I am so thankful Katy was taught many skills that she will carry with her throughout her life.  I know Katy will pick it all up again when she is an adult.  She just does not have that passion right now.  (Her plans for fall do include trying to work in a lesson a month, just keep it all fresh.)
Next we will be focused on her new adventure--working on all of the parental supervised driving hours she will have to log after she receives her learner's permit next Tuesday . . .

Cleaned out her corner of the tack room.  Kind of a bad shot, as I was crying and could not focus the lens!!

Mysti

Last ride before hanging up her paddock boots . . .

Giving it another try . . .

Well, here I go again.  I know I have been posting on facebook, but I am not completely comfortable with sending photos and information out to all of my "friends!"  Plus, I like to brag a bit about the girls, and I can really only get away with that on a regular basis when I am talking with family.  Oh, and there is the teenager-in-the-house aspect of it all.  She will happily post 50 pictures on Instagram but freak out if I put too much facebook.  Emma, well she is just hoping I will let her sign up for all the social media sites her friends are using, even though they all likely had to lie about their age in order to make an account.  (You must be 13 or older to join most sites)  

Anyway, I thought I would make another attempt at blogging, so let me know if this is how you like to get family updates or if you would rather I send personal messages on facebook.  
Of course, I could text everyone . . . just kidding!

Emma had a dance recital on the 10th.  She has been taking a jazz class at Boise Dance Alliance this year and has really enjoyed it.  Her performance was awesome.  They danced to a Lady Gaga song called "Fame."  You will have to ask her about wearing footUndeez.  Funniest dance "shoes" you will ever see!  

I was able to make it to this years Awards Ceremony at North Junior High!  I  took the entire day off and had been planning to do so since I left early last year and missed THE big award. It was only a 45 minute event, but worth every minute to see her take home the Outstanding Citizen award, again!!

On her way into the Freshman Farewell.  I was there because I was one of the moms who had a hand in planning the event.  There was dinner and dancing, just for the freshman!  It was so fun to be able to peek in on all the festivities.  (Emma will not appreciate it as much when I help plan her farewell in three short years!)       

Katy eating dinner with her friends before the dance--the boy sitting next to her is the infamous Peter!   He is such a nice young man.  Katy just likes him as a friend, which is good because she has a year before the dating scene becomes a reality for her.  He and Katy have a little academic competition going on.  I have become friends with his mom and she told me about the time he came home with some startling news--someone had a higher score than he did in science.  It was Katy!  She maintained that higher score for their entire 8th and 9th grade years.  Way to go, girl!!

Okay--I started this one a few weeks ago . . . with any luck, I will have another one up by this weekend!

Falling behind . . .

First day of school!  It has been a month since the girls and I started our academic year and it is already passing way too fast!!  We are all off to a good start, though.  Katy is a freshman at North Junior High.  Emma is a 6th grader at Adams Elementary and I am a Special Education Assistant at Owyhee Elementary.  (I have added links to the school websites, in case you are interested!)

Emma's school is preparing to send the 6th graders to a winter camping/science trip in January to the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS).  Information can be found on the school webpage.  I am not terribly excited about Emma going, but she is.  Regardless, I recently purchased wool socks and super warm gloves for her in the hope she does not freeze!    
In other Emma related news, she has completed a babysitting course, called "Safe Sitter", through one of our local hospitals.  She can hardly wait to be hired!  Her principal told the 6th graders they needed to help earn the money to pay for their way to MOSS.  She thinks she'll be rolling in the money soon.  I hate to break it to her, but Katy did not have a consistent sitter job until she was 13!!  Looks like we will have to just work her harder around the house!!!  

 American Girl, I have a future designer you may want to hire.  Emma has such a fabulous imagination!  She wanted to go to the dollar store for poster board.  I had no idea what she was making until I saw this in our living room!  Love it!!

One of the newly inducted members of the National Junior Honor Society.   Out of a class of around 280, 70 students were honored tonight.  That is pretty awesome!!

So proud of our smart, beautiful, talented, sweet girls!  We are so blessed!!

Where has the time gone . . .

In my defense, we have been busy this summer!
Here are a few things we have done in the last few days and by "we", I mean Katy and Emma.  I am merely the chauffeur and check writer!

Leaving North after a long day of helping students navigate Orientation.   One of the responsibilities of being on the Student Council include(s) spending about 7 hours making sure her peers receive their class schedules and locker assignments, while also selling t-shirts and directing parents to pay fees.  I think she also spent time looking for the boys she had not seen all summer, but don't tell her I told you that . . .  

Before getting the hair highlights she has been begging for most of the last two months . . .

and after receiving them!!  She will be a teenager in less than two years.  Heaven help us!!

Pillowcase entered in the Youth Division of the Western Idaho Fair.  

She also entered her light blue quilt (the one on the bottom.)

 Emma received a 4th place ribbon for her pillowcase and an honorable mention on the quilt.  Not bad for a first time entrant!

Before . . .

after!!
 Katy will be bringing home some stale challah bread on the 26th along with a few fancy ribbons.    There may even be prize money.  Pretty exciting stuff!!  I believe one rosette is for "best in division" and the other for "best of all baked goods in the youth division!"  At least that is what the volunteer told Katy.  We'll know more when she picks it all up at the conclusion of the Fair.  

I am proud of both girls for getting the information together, on their own, to enter a few items at the Fair this year.  They are already planning projects for next year, especially Emma.  She was less than thrilled to have not received a blue ribbon and Katy's awards did not help matters.
(Emma has been going through a rather long phase of thinking the world is "not fair" to her.  Does that come with being the youngest or is it just her personality?  Who knows, but I will take any suggestions on how to help her cope with these things.  I suppose we may have all gone through it at her age but I don't know how to make it better without sounding preachy--as in "You have so much more than most people in the world!" because that is what pops into my head every time . . .)  

In order to see how the judging went, we had to actually attend the Fair.  Bonus for Emma since she likes all things crazy; for me, because I like corn dogs; for Katy, so she can check out the animals; for Grammy, because she was able to get out of the house and get some fresh air while enjoying a huge dose of people watching!  Since Emma was feeling a bit down-in-the-dumps after the ribbon reveal, I went against my better judgement and let her go on a few rides and play a few carnival games.

I'd say she was enjoying herself on this one but it made me sick to my stomach to watch! 

Big smiles and screams on this one, too.  The two rides cost me $10 and attempting to win a giant Minion set me back another  $12.  How about that for prize money!!!  

Enjoying "fair"ly good food--two corn dogs, a gyro, a couple of Cokes, a lemonade, and a burrito between the four of us!  Grammy was happier than she looks, really!!  She is still sporting her fancy scooter.  Could be a scooting around a few more weeks, as on Monday she has what we hope is the final surgery to end her entire ankle ordeal.  We loved having her for the summer, but there is no place like home!  Eric and I drove her back to Mountain Home last night.  Thinking good thoughts for this last one, Mom!!  

Say it isn't so . . .

Happy 14th to our lovely, smart, talented, and sweet young woman!   She is now old enough to take driver's ed (she may fit it in next summer) and attend church dances.  In a few short years, she will be dating boys and looking for a summer job.  So not ready for what the next few birthdays will bring . . .
We love you, sweetheart!

Posing for me on her way to school this morning.  It was a good day to turn 14!!  The junior high held Student Council elections today--Katy ran for secretary and won!  No one ran against her, so it was kind of easy, but she hopes to improve the leadership skills of the boys on the council who seem to win no matter how dopey they are . . . 

Chicken Curry for the birthday dinner.  She wanted to try something new, so we ate at a Vietnamese place downtown.  The food was great!  (Her first choice was a local Indian restaurant--after checking the health inspection records, we had to eliminate that option!) We walked it off on our way to Ben & Jerry's for a scoop.   Yum!!

Progressin' to eleven . . .

(Forgive my bad grammar, but there are few words that actually rhyme with "11".)

It is that time of year again!  Our favorite redhead is having a birthday!!  It hardly seems like it has been 11 years since Emma entered our little family.  She was in a bit more of a hurry than Katy was to arrive--not early, but within 6 hours of checking in to St. Luke's.  She is such a sweet, smart, creative girl and we are blessed to be able to hug and kiss her freckled-face every single day.  Of course, Emma has entered the "tween years" and that seems to have intensified her determined personality.  When that girl puts her mind to it, it will be done.  

Happy Birthday Emma!  We love you bunches!!

A repeat of one of my all-time favorites from 10 years ago . . . 

Tiptoeing through the tulips in Richland this weekend.