A light at the end of the tunnel

It's almost over at work! I'm relieved to report that the worst is over & things can only get better from here. Whew! Made it through another season of move-outs and move-ins ... my ninth one, to be exact. What is wrong with me? Why do I endure this every year? Oh yeah, that's right -- I like food.

Z's first week of 1st grade went smashingly. It's been rough transitioning back into routine and early bedtimes after a summer of fun, but he's holding up pretty well. We got a nice surprise at the end of last week, actually. His teacher emailed me to let me know they have a program in her classroom called "Shining Star of the Week", and she picked Zachary to be her first one for this school year. Way to go, Z! By earning the prestigious honor of "Star of the Week", that means you have a bulletin board dedicated solely to you for a whole week, and the class interviews you, like you're a celebrity. Ha! You can only earn the rank of "Star of the Week" by showing "exemplary behavior" in the classroom, helping out the teacher, helping fellow students, and turning in all of your homework on time. I'm so proud of him! He's ecstatic about being chosen first!

The letter sent home from Miss Crowley,

asking us for some of his "favorites", as well as

explaining "Star of the Week" in great detail.

The note sent home to all the parents Monday.

I will let you know how he felt, being treated like he's famous, after the week is over. I have a sneaky suspicion he will love every freakin' second.

As I've mentioned before, I rather enjoy browsing Awkward Family Photos. It's the website gift that keeps on giving. I recently came across another boatload of gem photos, a lot of them wedding related. Take a look:

So wrong.

Um ...

The bride looks like she would rather die than

be a part of this weird picture.

A big thank you to my parents, for never embarrassing me like this.

I cringe at this one.

Huh??

Did he pick her up on the corner before boarding the ship?

This has "Dungeons & Dragons" written all over it.

They all look so cavalier about the fact that he's

holding a giant projector.

Awww, motherly love.

It's like sunflower field, with floating heads.

Holy crap! No!

Notice their pet snake, wrapped around all their necks.

(Collective "eewwwww")

Ma & Dawd, wanna take a picture like this on our cruise?

Can Aaron & I hold your elbows, too?

Looks like he's thinking happy thoughts of himself.

Did she fall asleep mid-shoot?

Oh wait, that's supposed to be sultry. I get it.

Will people just do ANYTHING a photographer tells them to?

Poor, exiled Granny.

This was under the "engagement photo" guise.

Wtf?

Way to out yourself.

That guy at the bottom, holding two babies,

looks like Jim Bakker to me.

Do you see it?

Ahh, good times. I will never tire of this site. It's gold, Jerry! Gold!

Lastly, one of my favorite seasons is lurking riiiiiiiiiight around the corner ... yes, it's Halloween I'm speaking about. We are big Halloween fans in this house. I have started getting catalogs with costume ideas in the mail, and Z has been asking to go through them lately. While I was thumbing through one or two last night, I came across some of the cutest stinkin' costumes for toddler boys that I've ever seen.

And my personal favorite ...

Adorable! Where were these when Zach was that small? He hasn't quite made his big decision for this year's get-up, but I'll keep you posted. I think he's leaning toward this Wolverine from the cartoon X-Men. (Not the movie, he's never seen that.)

Nice abs!

But he'll be wearing his costume with shoes.

*ahem*

Three things I'm grateful for today:

1. AUGUST IS ALMOST OVER!

2. Back to school.

3. Apples.

Peace & pastries to all, until next time. xoxo

To give you an idea ...

When someone moves out of their apartment, we have a staff member go through and document what work needs to be done. Cleaning, carpet replacement, any broken furniture ... just like any other apartment complex. But, since we're dealing only with college students, our walk-thru sheets always prove to be interesting. (Note: I am using the word "interesting" loosely here.)

In case you can't quite make it out, that bottom line says
"throw up along window sill".

See what I'm dealing with here? I'm not faulting the college kids for drinking in excess and having a good time - Lord knows I did my fair share in college, and then some. But, I am certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I never barfed in my apartment & left it there for someone else to clean up. Never. Ever.

Anyone who wants to meet for a drink, I will go right now. Just text me the time and the place, and I'll race you to the spot. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, as they say. Right?

Checking in

Hello folks! I'm still here, alive & well, albeit busy and ready for August to be over with. I haven't blogged much, because I didn't want to bore anyone to tears. My life has become somewhat mundane, not much different from the report in my last blog entry, so I thought I might spare everyone of redundancy. I can sum it up quickly:

- Endure heat.

- Go to work.

- Come home from work & sleep.

That's it. Honestly.

The only thing new recently that stirred up some magic around here was the first day of school! Yes, I officially have a first-grader on my hands, and it's surreal. I won't indulge myself here with a trip down memory lane, but I can't guarantee that won't happen when he turns 7 in a mere two weeks.

The pose for Mom, the morning of his first day.

The pose *he* wanted to do, after Mom got her "normal" pic.

He was thrilled to find out he would be reunited with his best friend Khoa this year - yes, they both ended up in the same class. Ms. Crowley better watch out! She'll have her hands full with those two knuckleheads. He told me on the way home today:

Z: "Mommy, first grade is SO much better than kindergarten."

Me: "How come?"

Z: "Because you aren't being WATCHED every second of the day."

Guess they're giving the kids a smidgen more freedom than last year, and apparently, he's become accustomed to it already. I do think nap/rest time being taken out of his day is getting to him already, though. He rarely napped then, but he still got the chance to rest in the middle of his day. He actually admitted to me how tiring today was, because it was a full day, versus yesterday which was only a half-day. You have to understand - my child never admits he's tired. Even if he's falling asleep right in front of your eyes, he'll still deny being tired in the slightest. Oh, my little boy is maturing & growing up.

Sidebar: Yes, I did sign up to be room-parent again this year. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Aaron called me a glutton for punishment. I say it's because I'm a control freak. Maybe it's a little of both?

Other than school starting, I literally have nothing else of value to say. Well, I probably do about some stuff, but I'm too wiped out to follow through on any of it. I will say this, though - I've decided I want to be one of my own pets:

Hey! That's my chair!

Hey! That's my pillow!

My next big project, besides overcoming the end of the month at work, is planning Z's impending birthday party. He asked for a Chuck E Cheese party this year, so here we come Chuck. He also decided on a Spongebob theme, thankfully, because his first choice was Wolverine & The X-Men, which was next to impossible to find. Spongebob is everywhere, so getting decorations will be a snap. I found a great site that sells packaged deals for a pretty decent price, so I'll be ordering that tomorrow. I must admit, I do love Spongebob, so I was happy with his choice. How do you not love a sea sponge with the innocence, spirit, & humor of a 4-year old?

Three things I'm grateful for:

1. School starting.

2. That it's August 18, which means I'm

over the halfway mark in the month.

3. That Top Chef starts tomorrow night! Woot!

Peace & pastries to everyone, until next time, when I have more interesting things to write about ...

Second verse, same as the first

Sorry I don't have more exciting things to discuss these days. I'll try to spice this entry up a little with things other than work consuming my life, and the wretched heat. Speaking of, here's a snapshot of our forecast for today:

Where else, other than in hell, can it be 91 degrees at 10:00pm? Don't forget the "heat index", as well. No one really understands what the "heat index" actually is, because if it feels like 110 outside, then it is 110 outside. At least in my book.

But, as promised, I will share something more interesting than tales of sweating and being stuck in my office. Like this groovy website I found recently, Perpetual Kid, which caters to your inner child. This is right up my alley. Here are some gems I stumbled upon:

I personally would never buy this, but I know a

few people who would. They also had cupcake

floss, but it hurt my teeth too much to post it.

A Hostess cupcake-inspired coin purse. Awesome.

This just made me laugh.

Pac-Man shaped oven mitts!

Pac-Man shaped ice cube trays. Nice!

Goldfish trash bags. Genius!

And a personal favorite ...

Anti-theft lunch bags. These would come in

very handy for me, seeing as how I work with

the biggest group of thieves you've ever known.

Websites like this bring me joy. Gives me an escape from reality when I have been staring at accounting figures too long. I am happy to say I have refrained from actually purchasing anything, but those goldfish bags and anti-theft bags are still calling my name.

I managed to drive down to San Antonio this past Saturday, and spend the day with Andrea for her son's 1st birthday party. He's walking now, and was non-stop all day. I managed to capture a few pictures when he was held captive in someone's arms, or in his high-chair. Zach was the eternal sweetheart, doting on him and making him laugh, like always.

Giving smooches.

The birthday boy.

He's so patient with little ones, it's heartwarming.

Cleo, Andrea's oldest fur-child.

She never moved from this fan - smart girl.

Cassie, fur-child #2.

And Kramer, fur-child #3.

Watching Z play peek-a-boo ...

... and absolutely loving it.

You should have heard his belly-laugh.

Good stuff.

Such a happy boy.

Post peek-a-boo.

Entertaining a one-year old is exhausting work.

Glad he's comfortable there?

Dree, me, and Z. (ha!)

It's hard to believe her baby is already one. As always, time is flying by & our little guys aren't staying little for very long. Speaking of, Z has a second loose tooth, though he doesn't seem quite as pumped about this one as he was for the first one. Guess the newness already wore off?

I also wanted to throw in how happy I am to see him reading in his free time, these days. I caught a picture of it last Saturday morning, about an hour after he woke up.

This was the turd-look I got after the camera went off:

Nice. It's moments like these that remind me he's getting older by the micro-second. In case you were wondering what he's voraciously reading, it's the Captain Underpants series. He has all but three of the books in the series, and can't put them down. He even has a second one going, in his bathroom, for his potty breaks.

Already such a man.

Three things I'm grateful for today:

1. That August is flying by.

2. The swimming pool today.

3. Z's love of reading.

Until next time, folks ... peace & pastries to all of you. And to all, a good night.