Haley & Doug: Back to school

Now that we have settled into a school schedule, I can finally post some back to school photos and a few other items.

It is hard to believe we have a 7th, 4th and 1st grader. It all just needs to slow down a bit!! So far, I have loved all the kids teachers and they are all enjoying school. Cooper was invited to take Algebra I this year based on his CSAP scores in a pilot program this year (it's the first time his school has done Algebra for 7th graders) and so far, so good. I have had to read his text book along side him so that I can actually help with his homework, but I never minded Algebra. I actually use it all the time at work doing drug calculations, so learning something that has practical use is OK with me. He got to be a part of the 6th grade welcome team as well and loved being part of that. He is playing as much golf as he can and has a couple tournaments this fall, but I selfishly enjoy that he is not in a formal team sport this time of year. His sisters are keeping me plenty busy as it is!

Kaiya's fall meet season is about to gear up, so she has been living in the gym. She has become such good buddies with her gym friends and we've had many of them over to our house now. She seems to juggle her schedule better than I do, so for now it's all good!

Kinley was pretty excited to start 1st grade. She has some of her best buddies in her class, so that was a real bonus. Her dance schedule is nuts right now as she prepares for the Nutcracker in December and we may have to reevaluate it all after that, but she really loves it. If she's not at the dance studio, she's is dancing all over our hardwood floors. This last weekend, she had a performance at a local town festival and did great! I was so proud of her because a toddler from the audience made his way onto the stage and she just ignored him and kept going. Her instructor later pointed out to me that she has watched her go from a dancer to a performer, which is true. The last time she had a performance, she was concentrating so hard that she forgot to smile. This time, she was all smiles! She got to do a ballet number and a group dance.

Just tonight, after receiving a bill from her dance studio that about popped my eyes out of my head, we made the decision to pull her out of that place. It about KILLED me because she was so excited about the Nutcracker, but the fees were beyond reasonable. She is going to try to join the dance company at her sister's gym and see how that goes. As soon as she realized that, she was all smiles and Kaiya has been super supportive and excited to have her sis in the dance studio right next to her gym. :) At least she got to do this super cute dance before we bolted. Check them both out below!