Another hectic week at work!

We had a new schedule at school. Everyone complained about the lunch schedule, so naturally I tried to fix it and no one followed it. Ha! Sometimes everyone is in their own agenda. 

Sunday was a difficult day, but it was over quickly. Gymnastic for Millie was still canceled so we decided to let her start rugby training just in case the gymnastics thing doesn't pan out for this term. 

When we got home from rugby, the kids were bathed and fed, I fell asleep on the sofa and stayed there until almost midnight. I always forget how rough the first month of school is, no matter what country you live in. 

Monday morning I took the kids to school and then headed to a friend's school to collect some much needed resources. She gave me a lot of math kits and reading books. The boxes had been in her school so long that termites had gotten to the boxes. It was gross, but beggars can't be choosers. 

School was still crazy. Systems are still not in place and schedules are still not finalized, but the show must go on. I just feel we are somewhat spinning our wheels. The left hand doesn't seem to know what the right hand is doing. I'm sure it will work itself out, but right now it is crazy. 

At the end of the day I came home and chilled out. I did nothing all evening. The kids played upstairs and then went to the Karnik's. I erred dinner to them and put them in bed. I made an egg casserole for dinner for the three adults. It was delightful if I do say so myself. 

Tuesday I took kids to school. Once I was at my school you could have cut the tension with a knife. It seems not all the leaders of my school are on the same page. I'm usually one to be confrontational, but when I'm not the one in charge, I usually want to hide during tense moments. This made my principal laugh a bit. 

Once I was home, I decided I couldn't live with all the hair our animals were producing. We vacuumed up tons of dog hair. The house was a wreck. We were off to the club because the gymnastics classes were canceled again. Mille didn't seem terribly fussed so we talked about maybe letting her just play rugby this year. 

After the kids trained, I collected more materials from another Head of Faculty. I am receiving a lot of things, but I am still missing textbooks. 

We got home and while the kids took their showers, Stuart made dinner. Dinner was eaten and off to bed everyone went, even me. 

Wednesday was another day of work. I left school just after 11 to get to Abu Dhabi to seek out new materials for our teachers. There is a huge warehouse where all the extra materials from years past. I wrote down every little thing I wanted. I'm hoping next week when they deliver, we get all the supplies any one would ever want. 

I got home around 4:30. The kids were playing. I ventured to a neighbor's to give some stuff to her to give to teachers at my old school. We had a little chat and both wallowed in our misery a bit. As I was walking home I noticed the kids had escaped the house for another half hour of fun at the Karnik house. 

Millie came home without Jack. She seemed to know it was 5:30 pm, the time Stuart had told Jack to be home. Stuart left for rugby before either kid got home. Jack finally came home, a half hour late, and apologized all over himself. The kids then took showers and had a bite to eat. 

Millie had a meltdown just as she was going to bed. These first two weeks of school have been tough on her. Thank goodness Thursday was a holiday, Islamic New Year. 

Thursday we got up and went to Abu Dhabi for the day. We first went to Ikea and bought a few things we needed. We also stopped in at Ace Hardware, one of our other favorite stores. We bought a new trash can and some other items. We had a challenge getting everything into Sean's car. He drives a VW Golf GTI. He had left for Australia on Wednesday morning and said Stuart could use his car while the truck's transmission was being sorted out. 

We got home just before 5 pm, having made a stop at Yas Mall and having lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  Stuart cooked chili for us, Cathy, Mandy and Claire. We had a slight birthday celebration for Jack's birthday. Cathy made gluten free cupcakes for the occasion.  

We got up Friday morning and spoke to Grammie and Pop. Our Internet is awful right now so they couldn't see us, we could only see them. 

After our conversation with G and P, we let Jack open his gifts from Grandma, Grandpa, Granny and Auntie Cheryl. Then he opened his presents from us. The beloved PlayStation 4 had finally arrived. 

We then went to the mall so he could buy a new game for his PS4. We had his birthday lunch, bought treats for his and Millie's birthday party the following morning. We then spent the afternoon at home. Jack was able to play with his new Play Station after the games had loaded. He let Millie play as well. At 4:30 pm, we went to the rugby club for the match of the community team that was to start at 5. 

Stuart played the entire match and looked wonderful. He admitted he was sore afterwards and his strength wasn't what he wanted it to be, but he would be fine in time. They actually won the match, but had to forfeit the points because they had fielded too many players for the match. Oops!

We got home just after 7 pm. Cathy came with us. She stayed for a bit. Stuart followed shortly behind. He had to stay for the match speeches, but now that he doesn't down beers any more, staying much longer than the speeches, for him, is kind of boring. 

Cathy and I had ordered mixed grills from the 101 Cafeteria, one of our favorite food places. Stuart had told me he would eat his left overs from the previous day at the Cheesecake Factory. I forgot, of course, so we ended up with more food than we needed. 

Saturday morning the kids were up and raring to go. We had decided to have a dual birthday party for Jack and Millie. We had a swim party at the rugby club. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved every moment. Oh wait, until she didn't enjoy her party because she couldn't understand why she couldn't open her presents whenever she wanted to. She finally settled down, we had our pizza lunch, we cut the cake and she got to open her presents. 

The party was over around 1 pm. We came home, showered, and headed to Bawadi Mall so Stuart could get some new shorts at American Eagle. We also needed to get some groceries. It was a quick trip out. 

When we got home from the mall it was nearly 5 pm. The rest of the evening was spent just sitting around. Our three day weekend was over. Boo!

The kids' first week was a great success!

Sunday we had students in school even though we had no textbooks, missing student chairs and tables, no computers, no copy machine, and the gym had furniture that needed to go somewhere else. But the show must go on. The schedule I made did not flow as much as we would have liked, and by the end of the day we were all beat. 

I had a meeting  with the KG teachers and it actually went well. They are a strong headed group. They remind me of a group of teachers I worked with at Sanborn! We were awesome when we were all working in the same direction, but combustable if one of us decided to go another way. 

After a long day, I headed to pick the kids up at their new school. Stuart had taken them to school, along with Claire (Cathy's daughter). When I got there it was manic. Since I had to go to Dubai for Millie's first gymnastics class, I was beyond stressed about the cars. I went in to find them and that set me back about 10 minutes. 

When I got back to the car I got a message  from the gym in Dubai that stated they would not be opening because the municipality had not granted them entry for this season as of yet. Millie was glad because it stressed her out thinking she might be late to her first gymnastics class of the new year. 

Millie and I joined Stuart and Jack at the club instead of going to Dubai. Jack was very excited about his first rugby training. He has gotten a bit chubby over the summer so it was time to get out and work off some of that flab. Millie helped 'coach' Jack's team. 

When we got home, the kids showered and ate. Then Millie went to bed. The adults ate, and then Jack went to bed. Everyone was so tired from their first day of school. I finished the blog and watched a little television.  Of course I fell asleep on the sofa, waking up to take Molly out for a pee, and then I was off to bed. 

I got up to walk with Lara on Monday morning. We had missed walking with each other and having a good gossip session. Monday was another crazy day at school. It's frustrating when others don't fully understand what the schedule is supposed to look like and seem to be focused on their own agenda. Without a local senior leader on our staff it becomes difficult to communicate with our local staff. I ended up staying late at school. Our parents were upset because a few of our buses didn't get students home until about 2 hours after they left the school. No one can blame them. 

 

I tried to get home early enough to go with the rest of the family to get our new family member, Duke, but I didn't make it. So they collected him without me. And boy, is he a good dog. He's not crazy, like Molly. Once they were home, Stuart left for rugby and the kids and I gave the dogs baths. What a series of comedic errors that was! Duke stood perfectly still while I washed him and then once he was out and dried, he hopped back into the tub and laid down. Whereas, Molly, on the other hand, hated every second, jumped out several times, leaving me to spraying the entire bathroom with the shower head, and ending in several choice words to the crazy Saluki dog. 

On another note, the dog's loved each other and got along like a house on fire. It was perfect. It made us know we had chosen the correct dog for Molly. 

Tuesday morning I was awaken by my alarm and immediately messaged Lara to say I was lazy and couldn't walk. School was better and we got new teachers that we really didn't need. I'm not sure how they work these things out, but we will take what we can get.  We are not provided with substitute teachers, so these extra teachers do actually serve a purpose. 

I left school just after 2 and picked up the kids. Still there was no gymnastics classes in Dubai. Millie was disappointed, but the upside was that she would get to go to rugby again on Tuesday. 

After rugby we had soup for dinner, which was really good. Stuart had made it and since he is an expert in the soup department, we were all thrilled. 

Wednesday we were all up in the morning and off to school by 6:45 am. At my school we got books delivered for the English teachers. I had to count them all, which amounted to 3,332 books. Yes, you read that correctly, and they are consumable books. It's incredible. 

I met with teachers regarding books and let them know because there is no storage in their rooms, I was more than happy to let them house their books in my gigantic office. They seemed fine with that.  I left  school around 3 pm. I got home and reworked the schedule, hopefully for the last time. I finally was able to send some forms to my teachers that I had intended to send last week.  

Stuart had to pick up meat for a BBQ on Friday. He went to the club and brought back 2 huge coolers full of chickens and other meats. They sat in our house to defrost for a couple of days. What a treat for us!

Stuart had grounded the kids from television because of their behavior throughout the day. That was beyond convenient for him, as he was off to rugby for the evening and I would have to deal with the kids and evening with no television. Millie was in bed early, and Jack was as well. The kids have been exhausted this week. 

Thursday I got to school and started sorting through the thousands of books we received. It was manic. We all left just after 2 pm. I felt I didn't accomplish anything and to make things worse the schedule was not right, yet again. I got home and fixed the schedule, again. I then observed Stuart making dinner for over 200 people. What a sight that was. He loved it and was so thrilled to be home with all the makings of a fabulous BBQ! 

Jack had a friend over for a sleepover. They played while I slept on the sofa. The boys played and I allowed them to stay stinky. We ordered pizza and they ate a bit. I bathed Millie just after 8 pm. She went to bed shortly after that. I allowed the boys to stay up until just before 10 pm. 

Friday morning I was up and went to the grocery store after making pancakes for the kids. We spent a while at the house and then we decided to go to the rugby club pool for a few hours. After lunch and a lot of swimming, we delivered Ben to the Rotana, where his parents were, and then headed home to get dressed for the BBQ. 

The BBQ was a great success. The kids and I hitched a ride home with Scott, and ended up only staying a couple of hours. Stuart stayed a bit longer, but wisely left before clean-up started. Smart man!

Saturday was a 'favorites' party at DeDe's. The assignment was for us to bring something from our summer travels. I took leather coin purses from Italy. They were a hit. It was good to get away from my school worries and hang out with my gal pals. 

After my party, we took our truck to get its last service under warranty. We then had Cathy and Claire over for dinner. We haven't been terribly active this week because we are all exhausted from the first week of school. The week ended on a good note and now to gear up for the next week. 

Back to School!

Sunday the day started at 3:15 am with a message from the guests in the Airbnb. It seems they thought something was wrong with the air conditioner. After staying up the rest of the night, and several phone calls later to the states, the air conditioner repair man found no problem. That's money I will never get back. I have to give a shout out to Liz because she went to the house and waited for the repairman. Whew!

Since I was up anyway, I continued to sort out some of the crap from the guest room. Sean started moving his stuff in just after 9 am. The moving truck arrived just after I returned from taking Molly to be spayed.  It was a busy Sunday for sure. I spent most of the day with Astrid and Oscar, our Irish friends' kids. Oscar and Jack played while Millie, Astrid and myself baked banana bread and chocolate chip cookies. 

While the kids were playing, Millie had her tooth knocked out by her brother's elbow.  She wailed and then settled down when she remembered the tooth fairy would show up that night and leave her money. 

When we were baking, I continued sorting out all the crap we had moved from the guest room to the loft and our room. How have we have accumulated so much crap in 4 years?? It amazes me. 

I went to pick up Molly around 4:30 pm and boy was she full of drama. Ah whimpered and cried as I put her in the car. 

Cathy and Claire came over and collected our cat house from us as our cats never use it and it was one less thing to clutter our house. The kids were in bed at a reasonable time, but both whined about it. This getting back into a routine should be fun. 

Monday morning Stuart and I had to go back to wok, so Kayla, our new babysitter, got to the house at about 7:15 am and both Stuart and I were off to work. 

What a crazy day at work I had. It was full on until 3 pm and then I worked on the master schedule until almost 10 pm, with a smattering of putting the kids to bed in the middle. Stuart had made sure they were showered before he left for rugby and also fed them so all I needed to do was put them to bed. That was trying for sure. 

I did cook dinner for the adults in the house, ate while I was working, then tried to watch some television, but since our VPN is still not working I can't watch the trash shows I so desire. 

Tuesday was another day of hard work. I stayed until 4 pm putting teachers into their classrooms. On my way home I was told that Molly had gone to the vet because she had a fever from her surgery. I picked her up at 6:30 and then went home for dinner with Mandy and Cathy. I put the kids to bed prior to that. Sean and Stuart had a meeting for coaches at the rugby club, and then joined us for dinner. I continued to work while they were there. I wasn't a terribly good hostess. 

I worked until 2 am. Molly wasn't able to walk up the stairs, so Mama ended up sleeping on the sofa in the living room. 

Thank goodness Stuart and I had a meeting on Wednesday. So I didn't have to go to my school. The meeting was telling us how the curriculum was changing. The Abu Dhabi Education Council is in a transitional year and will be merging with the Ministry of Education, based in Dubai. 

We had a break and then when we came back to the second half of the training, the trainer asked if any of us had done anything exciting over the summer. I said I published a book. So naturally some of my colleagues wanted to buy a copy. I conveniently had several in the truck. Ha! Never miss an opportunity to make a buck!

I rushed around to get to an appointment to get Gemma and Fechin's car valuated. Just as I had picked up their car, the guy who was supposed to go with me sent a message that the place was closed until 4 pm. It was then 2 pm and I was in the middle of town. So I went to Gemma's for coffee. By the time I did get the car valuated, I missed meeting a friend to discuss the weight loss surgery with her. I felt so badly about it. She understood and said we could reschedule. In the meantime, the kids and Stuart took Molly back to the vet for a check up. 

On the way to meet the family at the rugby club, I got pulled over by a policeman and received a beautiful fine for talking on my phone. Seems I have money to burn these days. Oops!

The kids and I ate dinner at the club. On our way home, we stopped at Abela's for some snacks. The book signing was at our house on Thursday right after school, so I needed to get some refreshments. Once we were home, the kids showered and went to bed. Stuart got home just before the kids were asleep. It had been a very long day. It was time for all of us to go to bed. 

School continued to be hectic now Thursday. The school was not even close to being ready for occupancy. However, we were told we would start school on Sunday no matter what. The show must go on. 

My office. I think I need some more furniture!

Once I was home I waited for the first person to show up at the book signing. It was not a highly attended event, but I did sell quite a few books. It seems that people who couldn't make it, sent their money with other people. It was quite flattering. 

After the book signing, Lara, Brian, And Cathy came by for wine and conversation. Brian and Lara stayed until after midnight. They are always in for the long haul. Stuart even went to bed before they went home. We watched a show called Naked Attraction. It's wrong on so many levels. It's from the U.K. and it is rude, but also like a train wreck and you can help but continuing to watch. Look it up!

Friday I had a conference call with my principal and vice principal. We spoke for nearly 2 hours, just catching up on what each of us had done to prepare us for the first day of school with kids. 

Most of the rest of the day was chilled and enjoyed we went to the club around 4 pm for the official kick off of the rugby season, Open Day. Stuart played for the first time since his surgery. He played 10 of the 80 minutes. I think he is going to choose to play in the community team this year. We want to camp more this year and if he played more then we couldn't. 

Saturday morning we took Molly up to the dog clinic to meet Peaches. Sadly, Peaches was way too much like Molly. She was very dominant and needed to show that to Molly. Millie was sad that we decided to go for Duke, but we told her that our loyalty had to remain to Molly and because Peaches wasn't terribly nice to Molly we really had to go with the dog that got along best with Molly. 

After we took Molly to meet Peaches, we headed to my school so I could work for a few hours. I walked the building and looked at what each classroom had in it. We were missing furniture and the like, but still we were opening. Huh? I just work here. 

Stuart took kids to Fun Block while I walked our building, discovering all kinds of things that were not complete or seemed dangerous. He also did the grocery shopping. A couple of hours after I arrived, I left. It was time. 

Home we went. Then I headed to the bookstore to make some copies. Oh, did I mention we still have no technology in our school, including a copy machine? I bought some things for my teachers as well. I then took Jack to get his hair cut for school. He was actually excited about the new school now, which was such a relief for us. After the hair cut, I was home on the sofa for the rest of the afternoon and evening. 

Sean made dinner, while Jack went to the Karnik's house and returned just after 5. The kids took a shower, ate and Millie was actually in bed by 6:30 pm. The night before the first day of school, and there was no fussing at all. She must have been very excited, and tired. Sean went to physical therapy and missed the kids bed routine, which is best for everyone. Stuart and I ate dinner and then I fell asleep on the sofa before 9 pm, waking up around midnight and heading to bed. I can hardly imagine what this upcoming week will be like. Until next we meet, pray for us. 

''Twas the week before the first week of school.

Sunday we were up a little later for breakfast as our archery activity wasn't scheduled until 10:30 am. There were a few more people at breakfast, but not a lot. 

After breakfast we waited in the lobby for Ali, our archery instructor. While waiting, the large group that came out with us on the boat were checking out. So that only meant we would REALLY be the only people at the resort for our last day, which was totally fine with us. 

Ali arrived and we headed to the archery range. It was just the four of us, and I'm not going to lie, I was not totally thrilled about this activity. He set us each up with an arm guard, a finger protector (I'm sure there's a technical name for it), and the bow and arrows. He gave us a bit of instruction after he placed the targets on the boards, and then he let us have three practice rounds. Millie had the biggest challenge of all of us, being the littlest. However, she did rather well in the end. 

After three practice rounds we started the competition. It turns out that you get no points if the arrow flies over the target. Needless to say, I did not win the competition. Jack, who is super competitive, had difficulty understanding why Millie got to shoot from much closer than the rest of us. I secretly told him that we knew he won and could he just go along with us and encourage her efforts. He did and all was right with the world again. 

After a sweaty morning of archery, the pool was calling our names. Our initial plan was to swim for a bit, go back to the room for peanut butter sandwiches and then take the kids to the kids' club. But once we were at the pool everyone decided they were hungry, so we just ordered from the bar menu. After we finished at the pool the kids headed off to kids' club. We didn't let them stay as long as we had on Saturday. Jack got his face painted again, which made showers super fun. 

After they returned and were nice and clean, we played Uno. Our new Emoji Uno cards have proven to be quite entertaining. Especially the wild draw 4 card. Guess what Emoji is on that card?

We had dinner at the Italian restaurant that evening. The food was really good, but the service wasn't quite as brilliant as it had been the previous two evenings. We are spoiled for sure. After dinner it was back to the room and bedtime. 

Monday morning we were up early for breakfast in order to catch the 9 am ferry. We were about the only guests on the ferry. The other people were staff members who had the day off and were going into town. What town? I have no idea because when we were driving from Abu Dhabi to the ferry, I saw no 'town' to speak of.  

Our drive back to Al Ain was uneventful. We ran a few errands before picking Molly up from the Richardson's house. Then when we got home we just got organized for a lot of nothing on Tuesday. Cathy and Mandy came over and we ordered curry. Lara ended up coming over as well. She had to bring me a skirt I had ordered from her, so stayed and talked for a bit. Stuart went to rugby practice to give his new body a try. He ended up not being able to practice the entire time, but he felt pretty good about his efforts. 

Tuesday we waited for Clare to bring Henry and May over for a play date. Once they were at our house we didn't hear much from any of them for most of the day. Stuart went out to get a few bits from Spinneys and picked up lunch for them. After their spicy chicken bites they went upstairs to play some more. At about 3 pm I hear the girls scream bloody murder upstairs. When they finally calmed down we discovered they had seen a mouse upstairs. Holy crapoly!

So the four kids, two cats, one dog and two parents went upstairs on a mission. When we got upstairs Stuart started moving everything away from the wall. He then discovered the little fur ball behind a small IKEA plastic stool. I went to get a towel, as I'm so brace and want to help. He said, 'When I lift the stool, throw the towel down on the mouse.'  Easy! Except it wasn't. He lifted the stool. I threw the towel down. The mouse jumped over the towel. Fortunately I had enough forethought to close the bedroom doors upstairs which kept the little rodent contained to the hallway. But as soon as that little sucker started running, I started screaming bloody murder as I followed it down the hall. Millie had jumped on the futon and Jack was chasing it with his nerf Ninjago sword, hacking as he went. He kept saying, 'I got it!' as the mouse continued to hop over his weapon just as he brought it down to the ground. It was a circus act in the making. When poor Mickey came back my way, I finally got the towel over him. However, it was just a matter of time before he crawled out from under it. So Stuart, in hero fashion, took the plastic IKEA stool and turned it so the seat was facing downward. Need I explain anything else? When the creature had seemingly expired, Stuart threw it over our back wall. Then Jack got to where he could see it and pronounced, 'Dad, it's still breathing.'  But we knew it wouldn't be for long. 

What we assessed in this situation was that Oreo had brought this little guy into the house, had a bit of a play with it, and then got bored, leaving it for us to find. Thanks for that, Oreo! Outdoor cats are a pain!

A few hours after the excitement, Scott picked up Henry and May. So, as if our zoo isn't big enough already, we decided to go and see one of the rescue dogs we were considering adopting. This dog has no name, but Jack has decided if we do adopt him we must call him Comet. Molly was calm and mild mannered around him. He was such a sweet dog and so docile. He might be the one. 

We headed home after a McDonalds drive thru and the kids actually did have an early night. We have to get them back into their routines soon. This 'do as you like when you like' is not good for any of us. 

Once they were in bed, Cathy came over. We hadn't had a proper catch up the previous night because our get together had turned into a small party. She stayed for a while and while she was here the infuriating basketball bouncing sound continued to ring through the house, way after quiet hours. I'm wondering how many more times we will have to speak to these same boys before they actually respect our wishes and go inside at the posted times. I went, once again, and pleaded with them to just be considerate. We shall see if there are any results. Stuart doesn't get too upset about anything, but these kids are really starting to irritate him. He's likely to blow soon. 

Wednesday morning we got up and lounged around, forgetting that our house cleaner would be there around 8:30 am. When he did arrive we decided to leave early for Dubai and go to the outlet mall to look for some new trousers for Stuart for work. Before we headed out, Oreo came in the house with a mouse. We assumed it was the dead mouse from the previous day, but when I yelled at Oreo, he looked at me and dropped the mouse, who rushed up the stairs to get away from the cat. Unfortunately he didn't escape Stuart's shoe. I know this because I went to get a towel to grab him and as I was about to get him, I heard 'crunch'. Ick!When I went to throw him over the wall, I didn't throw hard enough and he landed on our back yard table. Dear me! 

When we actually got to leave, our journey was a bit of a success and we even got some new shirts for Stuart. When we left the mall we headed to the US Consulate. We were a bit late for our appointment, but like everything else around here, the appointment time is really more of suggestions than a requirement. 

We decided to eat lunch in Dubai and then took a much (not) needed trip to a shop called Safestway. It's very similar to the Park n Shop I have spoken about. They have more American brands, but they are quite pricey. 

When we returned from Dubai, Jack went with Stuart to rugby. Millie lost her cool as she wanted to go to, but she really needed sleep. Bless her tiny little body. Plus, she's afraid to go anywhere without one of us as she's scared a mouse will pop up. The cable was out at our house, which makes for a boring night for me. Fortunately I found things to occupy me. 

Thursday morning was the beginning of a holiday. I started my day by letting the dog out and seeing another mouse. At least this one was dead. 

I had to go to Etisalat, the cell phone company we use here. It seems they always have a crowd, especially on holidays. The good news is that usually a day like this you would be waiting a long time, unless you are right there when the doors open, and I was. It took me 6 minutes.

Cathy and Claire came to pick up Millie and Jack to go buy birthday presents for them. While they shopped, DeDe and I had tea and coffee in order to have a proper catch up. It was fun and we stayed out longer than I intended. Cathy actually beat me back to the house. Stuart had gone with Sean for a massage and mani/pedis. So it's a good thing Cathy has our extra house key. She just let herself in and the kids played with the things she had purchased for them. 

In the evening we went across the street to a 'welcome back to school' party. We saw several friends and some that were no so much friends. It happens! We didn't stay long, and Stuart actually stayed a shorter period of time than I did. He was not well because of something he ate. I do remember those days with the surgery. It's not nice. 

When I got up Friday morning , Oreo had dropped a 'friend' on the back sidewalk for us to see. This one was dead, thank goodness. Surely there can't be that many more mice in that particular nest or family, right? I'm hoping that's the case. 

We began sorting out the guest room for Sean. It seems he is moving in with us after all. Once we had done all we could do, we went to the grocery store and bought some needed items for the party WE were having that evening. It seems everyone wants a welcome party the first week or so of school. People started arriving around 3 pm and the last crew left just after 11 pm. Oh, what a party it was. It was hot, but we still sat outside. It's just what we do in the desert. The night seemed to be a success. 

Saturday we woke up and went to do some last minute shopping for school. We ended up having lunch at the food court and then bought some groceries. We headed home to chill for the remainder of the day. Jack and Millie kept bugging me to text Lara and Brian to see when they could come over for the sleepover. They finally went just after 6 pm, and Lara came to ours with her daughter Kayla, who is our new baby sitter. They stayed for a couple of hours and then I awaited the call to tell me Millie wasn't going to stay the night,  and I got it around 11:30 pm. Super. I took her upstairs and showered her, then put her to bed. 

School is on its way!