and then there were none...

 

It is that time of year again.  However, this year I sent 3 kids to the "big" school instead of 1.  Bryce and Layne finally were able to join Graham at Singapore American School (SAS).  The kids started off by meeting their teachers at Open House.  2 of the 3 kids are having male teachers this year.  This will be a first in our household.  So we are looking forward to a great school year! 

Layne, Katie, Bryce, Graham and Austin waiting to meet their teachers at Open House.

Mr. Kirshner and Bryce!  I am so relieved that Bryce came around to having a male teacher.  She was quite anxious about it but once she met him all her fears were washed away!  He may not be able to get rid of her at the end of the year.

Layne and Ms. Scott.  Ms. Scott is Australian and has a lovely accent.  I am sure Layne will be sounding Australian in no time.

Mr. Taylor and Graham

The first day of school started EARLY.  The kids woke up at 5:45 in the morning.  I wasn't sure how long it would take to get three kids ready at that hour so we opted for an early wake up.  IT went smoothly and even had too much time left over.  Needless to say we won't be waking up at 5:45 on Thursday.  I think 6:00 am will work out just fine.
All the kids have different special schedules so that means the kids will never all have the same uniform on the same day.  That makes it a little  more stressful for me to make sure each kid has the proper uniform on for the day.

Bryce wearing her jumper and Layne geared up for PE.

Graham in his standard uniform.

All 3 ready to take on the new school year!

Walking to the bus stop in the dark!  The girls actually thought it was cool to be going out in the dark.  I am sure that novelty will wear off soon.

On the way up the steps of the bus on their way to their first day of Kindergarten!

and then there were none...
The house was empty all day.  
No noise. No cartoons. No snacks to make.
No little ones calling for mommy.
4:00 pm could not get here fast enough.

Where did the summer go?

Summer 2011 will be shutting its doors in  one week.  I can't believe I have not blogged or posted pics all summer.  That just goes to show how busy or lazy I have been all summer.  I choose to believe I was busy and not lazy at all.

I'm just going to do a quick recap for documentation and them it will be picture heavy.  I am hoping once school starts then I will have more time to be more consistant.  All 3 kids will be at SAS this year so surely my time cup will runneth over...

As soon as the 2010-2011 school year came to a close we headed to Texas for the next several weeks.  We had a great time seeing family and friends.  We went to Houston, Illinois, McAllen, and Dallas.  We tried to squeeze in as much as possible during our time stateside but we still did not get to do everything or see everyone we wanted.

So the pictures are out of order and I have tried to rearrange them but don't have the patience anymore...

 Bryce making a grass angel!

 The kids with their Great Grandmother Helen Doffing

This was Layne asleep at a restaurant when we arrived to Houston...JET LAG!

Party for 2 or is it 1

May 22, 2011

Bryce and Layne were looking forward to their big birthday party with all their friends on Sunday.  However, when Bryce woke up that morning I knew something was not quite right with her.  She had no fever and no complaints but she seemed off and kept saying she had to go to her party.

You can tell in the picture below that Bryce does not feel well.  It is written all over her face.

We headed to the party hoping she would come around.  At all public play areas they take everyone's temperature before they let anyone in.  She still had no fever so they let her in.   Brian and I thought if we could just get a couple of pictures with the cake and blowing her candle out we would send her on home.

The cake was late and Bryce did not last.  She threw up all over the floor, so Brian took her home and she missed her party.  I was so sad for her.  She so looked forward to it.  But as they say...the show must go on.

Graham and the girls' friends all came to the party and Layne had a great time.  We missed Bryce but knew she still had her presents to open when we got home.

 So, Layne had her first solo party.  She enjoyed herself but definitely missed her sister.

 After we got home, Bryce rallied and seemed all better!  It must have been a quick stomache bug because as the afternoon came around she was back to her old self.  We headed out to dinner with our friends to continue the birthday celebrations as well as a farewell to friends that were leaving Singapore and heading back to the States.

Finally, 2 smiling faces!

Riley, Bryce, Katie and Layne

Meagan, Theresa, Ivy, Jen and Jodie

Playing in a field adjacent to airplanes.

Bryce's friend Riley moved back to the States at the end of May.

Asher, Meagan and Ivy

Liam, Austin and Graham