Back to normal??

The first two events I planned for the school went well! Safety Day was so neat. The kids loved seeing all the safety vehicles and learning about the police/crime stoppers, Paramedics and Firefighters! They especially liked getting to ask questions! A big thank you goes out to the service people who talked for 3 hrs straight for our kids!! Primary Focus came on Friday and did a show about character traits. It was such a neat show!! The kids were thrilled and Owen didn't mind watching it twice! We even bought the CD and DVD! Gwyn and Owen have been listening to the CD in the car and in the house constantly all weekend! If it affected all the other kids like this I say it was definitely a hit! Although with the first two events going so well I have set myself a high standard for the rest of the year! We also found out Gwyn's teacher Mrs Ryan will be having a baby on May 3! So I will be helping her as much as I can! I will not be at the school as much now that we've gotten the first 6 weeks and 2 big events out of the way! Once a month PTO meeting, once a month special event and helping Mrs Ryan once or twice a week for a couple hrs is all I will need to be at the school for so maybe I will be able to get things back to normal around here! On a personal note my thyroid is finally back to normal and I have lost 30 lbs in the last few months! So exercise here I come 30 down and 30 to go! Owen has started the so your baby can read program and LOVES it! Gwyn is past her first 6 weeks of school and has a 92 in math and an 86 in language and she starts Good News Club on Tuesday! Mike has been a little sick this week, but has helped me out tremendously around the house, and still worked! I am lucky to have such a great husband! That's about it for now and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin...so nighty night!

Northshore Park

iphone_pic, originally uploaded by katinothnagel.

Northshore Park at my 10 year reunion!

gwyn 1st day 1st grade

gwyn 1st day 1st grade, originally uploaded by katinothnagel.

First Grade!

Well school started three weeks ago and Gwyn once again LOVES school. Her teacher is Mrs Ryan and she is great we both like her alot. Owen and I lived up at the school the last 3 weeks getting ready for the schools fundraiser that was last Saturday! We had a great turnout for our 2nd Annual Family Fun Run. The kids spent the night with Pop and Zanna friday night then Pop0 did the walk and played games with them! They all had a great time! This week i'm tring to catch up on the houshold chores I have missed out on and Gwyn gets to go back to her much loved social time riding the bus. Owen doesn't mind not getting woken up early everyday either! Maybe life will get back to normal. I have also started making natural stone jewlery and selling it! I have sold all 4 of my first sets. I am also in the process of making a whole bunch of my baby headbands for a craft sale. Mike of couse is working all the time, but luckily he is still getting every other weekend off so we do get some family time. He actually got to go to open house, Gwyn was so glad to show her daddy her stuff at school! Well thats about all for now. I promise it won't be 9 months before my next post this time!

Update

Ok, so my sister in law is so much better at this that I am....but wait till she has 2 kids then we'll see! LOL!!! Love you, Paige! Anyway, it has been crazy around here. With Gwyn in school, I have taken a job as room mom and joined the PTO. Question, WHY do they do all the big events at once?? I have been working on getting donations for our big fundraiser, making a class memory book (whitch is going to be totally awsome complete with self portraits of the kids and a cookbook!) and getting ready for the christmas party. I worked up at the school from 8-4 for the last 2 weeks on top of taking care of the house and having company, and Mike was out of town! The Christmas party was today, and we had a blast. Dad dressed up as Santa and visited all the kindergarten classes and gave our teachers these awsome quilt sets we made with artwork and signatures from the kids on them and Gwyn wrote her ABC's and 123's on the pilllow shams, then we went down the hall and we did individual pictures with our classes kids and sibblings and gave them stockings. There are some great pictures. I keep refering to classes because Gwyn has 2 teachers Mrs Schurr is her main teacher, but she co-teaches with Mrs Herridge, its really neat because each teacher teaches within her strength so the kids get a better education and the two classes mingle. Actually Gwyn's little boyfriend Palmer is in Mrs Herridges class. So to most of us there are 2 teachers and 44 kids not just 1 class. I know Mrs Herridges kids just as well as Mrs Schurrs. There are some great kids in the classes. Other tyhan that I have been cleaning out the house and getting re-organized. I am so proud of Gwyns princess wall it looks like it came straight out of a Home and Garden magazine or something! (but it was all me!) Mike has been working alot as usual although he is now getting every other weekend off which is nice and those Saturday nights the kids stay with mom or dad (they alternate) and mike and I go out and the kids get to visit grandparents! It has done wonders for our family to have that time. We are almost ready for Christmas ALL the christmas presents are wrapped (even the ones from Santa) and they sit under our imaginary tree. We are planning on decorating for Christmas this weekend, between mike being gone and me working at the school there hasn't been much time for that.Anyway, thats all for now, I will try to post sooner next time

School!!!

Gwyn started school last Monday and liked it. She goes from 8:30 to 3:305, a full day! I was told to just drop her off the first day because she knew what she was doing and I didn't need to come in! I told her that I needed to be sure, so I would take her the first day! She proceeded to give me a whatever look and say ok! After school she told me that her first day was good but long. The second day she decided to ride the bus even though she has to be ready by 7:10 every morning and doesn't get home till 4:15! She really loves the bus and only wants to ride it no car riding! Now after a week of school she doesn't like the jogging, running and stuff (PE), but the rest is great! So maybe next week she will be over the whole PE thing and like all of it since she's over how long the day is now! New pictures of the firsts on the slideshow! Owen thinks he's a cowboy now that he has a belt and boots. He also wants to bring cowboys home (I keep telling him Daddy wouldn't like that, but he want's a cowboy)! He is also quite obsessed with when Gwyn will be home! He misses her alot. The first day we had to go back to he school and be sure she was where he left her because he was freaking out and was quite upset with the bus for taking her away the second day and wanted to know when it was bringing her back! This week is better, but he still wants to stay home and wait for Gwyn to come home. Mike had school for work the last two weeks and came in 1st in his class. It was hard stuff he was learning too! Don't ask what it was cause I got confused just hearing about it and couldn't repeat it!! I have been trying to get organized. Owen and I have a new schedule for the school year (hopefully it will help with missing sister) and I am trying to catch up on everything else! This house has had it, we are in the process of figuring out how to demolish and rebuild. Kinda excited, kinda scared! Lots of work ahead! Kayanna has a sense of independence for the first time in 3 years! She got an electric wheelchair and can maneuver it and stand herself up with it on her own! She is so proud of herself (as are we all) and she is all smiles! Pics of that in slide show too! Lots of news this week but, that's about it for now. More updates to come soon! Love to all!

My first blog!

I am new at this blogging thing, so you all will have to bear with me as I learn! Gwyn starts kindergarten on the 24th and she is so excited! We got lucky she got one of the best teachers in the school and Gwyn already knows her and is comfortable with her. Owen got his first pair of cowboy boots and wears them constantly! He even sleeps in them! Mike is working constantly. The kids just saw him for the 1st time in 3 weeks night before last! Me, I'm doing better. Finally got over the vertigo for the most part. I get an occasional dizzy spell, but at least I can function now! We are all very excited about the new babies joining our family! Mike's sister Tabitha is having a baby boy in December (our first nephew!!!) and Paige (Kati's sister-in-law) is having a baby in March (maybe Owen and the baby will share a birthday, how cool woyuld that be?) Both of the kids learned how to swim too! It's been an eventful month so far. I'm sure there's more to come it's only the 13th!