Hi ho, Hi ho, it's back to work I go!

Yes, you read it right. This SAHM is going back to work next week. I never thought I would be saying that so soon after deciding to stay home from with my kids, but the time has come to return. I have been home 8 months with them, and even though I have enjoyed this time very much, a job that I think I have always wanted has come along. I was kind of hoping that this job would wait and come along NEXT year at this time, but nothing ever works to plan.

Anyway, I will be returning in a school nurse position starting next Monday. I have been fooling around with the idea of returning for a few weeks, and decided to see if there were any school nurse positions out there. This job came up and I thought, "I am going to apply and see where it leads". Well, it lead to a quick interview and a hire! Not what I was expecting! The interview went very well, and the district seems really great. There were two positions open - high school and elementary. I told them I was interested in both but the elementary was my first choice. And elementary is what I got! The school is small. 200 students grades K-4. And it is a wealthy district with above average students. I think I am going to really like it. We will have to wait and see. The unknown is always hard.

But this does mean that my kids will be returning to daycare. I had plans to put the babies in preschool a few mornings a week, but now they will be attending full time. Arlington will be attending "Kindergarten Enrichment" before her actual Kindergarten class starts in the afternoon, so she will be catching the bus from there. I thought she would be more upset about that, but she wasn't. She is very excited to be returning to being with kids. The summer can get boring, so I think any thoughts of playing with other kids sounds good at this point. The babies will be fine. The one I worry about the most is Finley. Our little sickly Finley wasn't well for 2 whole months her last stint in daycare, and that worries me a bit. But she is older now, so maybe she will do better. Who knows! All we can do is wait and see!

So that is my news. My parents came in Friday night to spend the weekend with us, but now that I am returning to work, they are staying here all next week with the kids. Daycare and school for them doesn't start until September 2nd, so I start a week earlier than they do. This is a busy week too! Cainan has his speech evaluation on Friday (then he will receive speech therapy at his preschool - the birth to three program will see him there), Finley has her hearing screening on Wednesday (which my mom will take her to), we are having our drywell installed on Tuesday, and Thursday Arlington has her meet and greet with her teacher (which my mom will take her too). So I do wish I was going to be home.

But hardest more than anything - I will miss my baby's first day of Kindergarten. I was really the saddest about that. Mat is going to stay home from work that day and put her on the bus from home and meet her when she gets home. He will take a lot of pictures, but this is honestly pulling on my heart strings. I know what I am giving up by going back to work, but I have also been reminded (thanks Becky) about what I am also giving my children with going back to work. This is the right decision for me and for my family and once my children are in school full time, I will be gone the same hours they will. So I will be there every day they get home from school, all of their holidays, all of their summer. So I am not missing out. Like I said, if this job started next year, it would have been perfect. But I didn't want to take the chance that a school nurse job might not be there for me when I was ready.

This kids are all doing really great. We had a great week. We weren't too busy this week. We attended an end of summer party at our local library and that was a lot of fun. We have been doing a lot of yard work - planting more grass and getting the yard where we want it before the winter comes. We are getting very close!

Today I took Arlington shopping for her first day of school outfit. She got a chance to try on many different things and picked whatever she wanted (well, within reason!) She picked a really cute dress, and I got her a hair accessory and tights to match. She is going to look VERY cute. :) It is fun shopping for "big girl" clothes - very cute stuff. I even got Cainan and Finley a little something for their first day, so all the kids get new stuff!

Finley has been doing some funny things. She calls herself "my baby". I call her that, and so when she goes to bed each day she will say "good night my baby". She is a weirdo. And every nap time, she asks to see Cainan before she goes to bed. She will go up to him (while he is laying in bed) and say "good night, don't get up, go to sleep, shh". She is hilarious! Cainan just looks at her like she is a crazy person.

I started to talk to Arlington this week about "Stranger danger" since she is going to a school that is up to the 8th grade. We talked lightly about it, but it freaked her out and she started crying. Not the reaction I was expecting! Now she thinks someone is going to take her, so she doesn't want to go to Kindergarten. She takes things very different than I always expect! Sigh. We have to re-approach the subject apparently. And I taught her how to spell her full name - first (which she knew), middle and last. She picked it up in one day. I have also taught her the new phone number and address. Since we moved she didn't realize that meant our address and phone changed. So now she is all set. Her name is SO long - a total of 25 letters. Cruel, right??? But she knows them all.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of days. Arlington has a picture of a basketball on her cheek because that is what she chose at the face painting station at the library party. She had all these choices, and she picked a basketball. But, she had been watching "Air Bud" earlier that day, so I think that is what lead her to that choice!

Enjoy the pictures!