Living That Sub Life

 With all three kids in school full time now, I decided to get back into the classroom with the occasional substitute teaching job. After jumping through all the hoops to get my badge (references, finger printing, four hour seminar), I picked up my first job in Jacob's class on Friday.

I am proud to report that while Jacob was not the best behaved, he was also not the worst behaved. I always had respect for kindergarten teachers, but after being alone in the classroom for eight hours, their salary needs to be quadrupled. I came home and immediately took a two hour nap after my adventure in Jacob's classroom. It was definitely a memorable experience for my first time back teaching in over 10 years!

I opted to head back today for another substitute position in 1st grade. I had a kid decide it was the perfect day to give himself a haircut in class, one child dropped their shorts in the toilet during a bathroom break, and one child could not speak English, so we spent all day unsuccessfully trying to act out all the worksheets and directions, but I taught the kids to play Head Up, Seven Up, so I would call the day a complete success.

I have a few days to recover from battle before I return to another job at the elementary school later this week! :)

All The Celebrations!

 We have celebrated a lot of fun events in the Thorne family.

Jay surprised me with a NEW CAR a few weeks ago. I knew he was looking, but I had not anticipated that he would drive up with one so soon. I absolutely love it, especially the color. I currently have a "no food" rule for the kids, and for the time being the inside is staying very clean!

Maggie is thrilled to be part of Friends Club this year at school. She applied with an essay and teacher recommendation. Our sweet girl will be assisting special needs students with lunch, recess, field trips, Special Olympics, and walking them to class.

The biggest celebration of August was Gram's 70th birthday! I sent her a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts (her favorite) on the actual date, but we continued the festivities this past weekend with an evening in downtown Woodstock. Gram and I started at the nail salon for pedicures while Jay and Grumps relaxed at Reformation Brewery. We met the guys afterwards for dinner at Salt Factory Pub. I hope Gram felt special and adored because she is the best, and we are looking forward to 70 more years with her! :)

We will be in our a new routine this week with elementary and middle school, baseball for both boys, gymnastics for Maggie, piano, chores, homework, and fitting in dinner and sleep somewhere in between!

Pray for Us

 Jacob was supposed to be in his bed thinking about his behavior. This is what I found when I checked on him. We won't survive the teenage years....

Set Those Alarms! Time for School!

 We honored summer with one last swim, dinner on the porch, and ice cream sundaes before heading to bed with visions of pencils dancing in our heads.

The house is quiet without our crazy circus performing all day, but I know this school year is going to be one of the best!

Everyone came home with smiles and positive stories. Even Tuttle wants to return tomorrow after being given the choice to just stay home and snuggle....

Skating and Shopping

 Maggie held her final birthday celebration on Saturday with two of her best gym friends, Alma and Claire. After braining many ideas to fill the day, the birthday girl decided on ice skating and a mini shopping spree for all three at Target followed by dinner at Lucky's Burgers with Jacob and Daddy. (Tuttle was out of town with a buddy at his lake house for his birthday!)

With matching shirts, the girls took on the ice rink and skated around for about an hour. Maggie has always loved ice skating. I did tell the girls that absolutely no broken bones could happen to jeopardize their gymnastics. :)

Next we headed to Target. The girls made a quick stop at Starbucks to refuel, and then each girl received a $50 gift card to shop. There were no restrictions- they could select anything they wanted as long as it fit in their budget. It was so much fun to watch the girls figure out the best items!

Our final destination was dinner at Maggie's favorite spot. She loves the macaroni and cheese at Lucky's and insisted we end with the cookie and brownie dessert burger and funnel cake fries.

Maggie always prefers smaller parties with close friends, and I love that about her. She is already recognizing you do not need a lot of girlfriends. You truly only need a few great ones.

Meet The Teachers For ALL

 All THREE Thorne children met their teachers for school starting on Monday! We came bearing gifts for the teachers because everyone knows they are the real MVPs. The male teachers were given six packs of Coke, and we sent our well wishes to the ladies that we 'SOAP' they have a wonderful year!

Maggie and Jacob went first on Thursday. I can already tell this is going to be a fantastic experience!

Jacob did not have any nervousness entering his classroom and meeting his sweet teachers. I just hope Arnold Mill is ready for our outgoing boy....

In case you had any doubts, Jacob's RED Italian ice ended up being spilled all over the backseat of my car about 3 minutes after this picture was taken.

Tuttle and I ventured to the middle school on Friday morning. While Tuttle had attended a 6th grade bootcamp a few weeks ago, I had never been inside Mill Creek. It is huge and set up much like a high school. There are even two floors which I never experienced during my early schools. Tuttle did seem pretty confident navigating his schedule to meet all his teachers, but I reassured him that if he did get lost, he would not be alone.

Tuttle wanted to be placed in all advanced classes for science, social studies, and language arts as well as accelerated math. His math track allows him to take high school level classes in 8th grade. I am not sure how we are already here, but I know Tuttle will continue to shine in MIDDLE SCHOOL!

Nine and Feeling Fine!

 Our tiny girl turned NINE on Saturday, and the celebrations have just gotten started!

Maggie is having her friend party next weekend with two sweet gym friends, but the family got together this weekend for a mini fiesta on her actual birthday. (Gram celebrated at the beach!)

Saturday morning started out with presents and a trip to Starbucks for breakfast.

A special guest arrived mid-morning to take Maggie on a surprise shopping spree to Sephora! Aunt Peach wins the award for most memorable experience. Maggie is set in the beauty department!

After attending a neighborhood birthday party, Grandmommy, Grandaddy, Aunt Peach, and the girls came over for dinner and swimming. Maggie requested pizza, fried chicken, and a cookie cake for her birthday. We also sang to Aunt Peach for her upcoming birthday this Wednesday.

Grandmommy and Grandaddy surprised Maggie with a 16 foot air track to practice her tumbling passes at home. She is beyond thrilled with her new toy!

As an added bonus we finally got together with the Corbitt clan on Sunday. We had not all been together since before the world shut down, and it was SO nice to catch up and hug each other! Praying that all the pandemic stress is over, and we can return to our annual family events. Gwen made a beautiful cake, and we sang to Maggie for her birthday.

Happy birthday to our favorite girl. You fill our lives with laughter, gymnastics medals, makeup tips, shining report cards, endless energy, and love with a side of sassiness. We love you!