Wrapping up Summer

We had a fun adventure yesterday searching for a shirt for Dorothy to wear on the first day of school.

 Earlier in the week, I took all3 kids to the mall, thinking Cooper and Dorothy could both find something at American Eagle, mostly because I am s sick of seeing Cooper in the plain brown Hollister t-shirt he wears almost every single day. 

Joke was on me, though, because American Eagle was closed for a remodel (!!!!). Dorothy looked at Aerie, Dicks, and H&M, plus Charlotte Russe and the juniors section at Von Maur and found NOTHING she liked. Neither kid liked Lucky, and Dorothy turned her nose up at Dry Goods, which I actually think is cute. My fault for going to the mall by our house and not the mall with Lulu a teeny bit further away.

Cooper eventually found a SINGLE PLAIN DARK GREEN T SHIRT are you kidding me at H&M, and Minnie got a set of donut earrings and a head band at Claire's. We even stopped at Target on the way home where Dorothy tried on every XXS item in the Wild Fable line with zero success (and increasing attitude).

Yesterday, she told me she wanted to check Free People (at the other mall), which was a total lightbulb moment because Madison has the whole Urban Outfitters Inc line-- Anthro, FP and UO. I had to buy donuts for my meetings today and I wanted to check out the parking accommodation I got for garage renovations (YAY!), so I suggested we try Urban Outfitters on campus. IT WAS PERFECT (and there is a Pitaya right by my office I think she would like and Free People is on the way home.

(UO is right next door to Potbelly-- score!)

We also ventured to the east side to try a new vegan donut shop that was a little disappointing (and did not yield donuts for the meeting because they charge FORTY DOLLARS a dozen).

Big kids! Also every dude on campus had llama hair and was wearing sweat shirts, a plain shirt, and Birks with socks, so way to have your finger on the pulse of bruh fashion, Cooper.

Success!!

Another pool night because OF COURSE. (The pool is open through 8/31, closed for T-F, and then open Sat-Mon the 7th before closing for the season **sob**)

How Dorothy does back-to-school

OMG. The girls helped me make 5 batches of cookie dough balls for the freezer.

Only I must have mixed up the proportions. I made a triple batch and a double bath at the same time, and I think I gave the double batch the triple's sugar and butter ad vice versa. Boo hiss.

First day of class!!

Minnie has been making makeup tutorial videos on her iPad. 

POOL DAYS FOREVER.

THE BEST running weather

Park nights

Annabel, preventing me from changing the sheets because how could I disturb her??

 

Mini season week 2/2

 Con: MOVE IN on campus, and all roads there SUCK. 

Con: Plus also my parking garage is getting a facelift. It was built in 1999, so when I came to campus in 2003, it was still new and amazing and called the Taj Garage by people lucky enough to score a pass to park there. But! You guys! That was 27 winters ago. SO, if needs a bit of work and is getting some car chargers near all the gates. During construction, we have to use a basement entrance around the corner from where I usually enter, and there will only be a single gate for all incoming and outgoing traffic. And one lane access up and down the ramp. WHAT THE ACTUAL EFF. I estimate an extra 15 minutes each way no joke.

Con: Ben has a slightly different schedule to accommodate his campus welcome week, and you know that change discombobulates me.

Pro: Not as many meetings

Pro: POOOOOOL DAYS

Pro: Maybe getting dance team placements? LOL. Probably not. The jazz company list did come out because there is choreographer coming this weekend, so that was fun.

Plans for today:

EMAIL TRIAGE MY GOD IT IS A DISASTER IN THERRRRRE

Various admin tasks

Prep for Thursday/Friday meetings on campus

Make a quadruple batch of cookie dough and freeze little dough balls so I can make cookies anytime

Speaking of cookies-- this cookie granola is amazing.

The only school supplies I need

Ben and I had a schedule meeting and hammered out the whole first semester. We both have schedule anomalies that require the other person to do a little juggling, and it was great to look at everything at once. Also Ben realized that he maintains 2 totally separate calendars which explains why so much is falling through the cracks. We had a little lively discussion about how it is maybe not my responsibility to manage that but perhaps his to subscribe to his personal calendar via his work calendar or vice versa. Honestly not sure where we landed on that and typing this out makes me think that I need to follow up.

Have I mentioned that we still don't know the after school activity schedule?

Lots of mermaid tails and painting and saggy baggy birthday balloons over here.

Bradley move in

 You are looking at the last picture of all 5 kids before THANKSGIVING

 

We also took one the night before

And then forced 4/5 of them to go out for dinner (Cooper went to his first HS home football game with friends) (Dorothy was late to a sleepover and made Harry leave dinner the second she was done chewing and take her)

We started the big day at my mom's to celebrate our 6 year-old again

Did I mention that Dorothy and Coper stayed home and Harry had to work all day? Well, that's what happened. Dorothy and Cooper actually ended up spending about 6 hours at the pool with friends while Harry worked at the other pool which was a slight miscommunication on my part, but whatever. They were mostly fine.

Also, most of Jack's stuff was already in Peoria, so that was SUPER HANDY. We had to bring over a few more things and then actually unpack all his stuff. He timed it well, and his roommate was already unpacked and out to lunch wot his parent, which meant the 4 of us could descend upon the room and make magic happen.

Minnie loved stacking sodas and filling up the keurig pods

Jack loved organizing his desk

Cutest little room!!

Only time this vacuum will be used

Love that bedside table-- you gotta get one for your college kid.

Only time this bed will be made. And it was very hard for this old lady to climb up there and do it. When Minnie goes to college, I will be 60, and she may be SOL.

Next up, I made everyone pose with my favorite iron lady

YOU BET I expect a first day of class pic with her.

We went to a very cute legacy family lunch at the alumni center featuring our favorite sandwiches from a restaurant that used to be across the street from campus-- an adorable touch

And then. We just... left him there, which is SO WEIRD. We are going to miss Jack so much. We have 2 visits planned in September, and he will come home for fall break in October. But still. It's the end of an era for sure.

Jack and Lydia in 2016

What I picture Jack like as he drives around Peoria in his actual little red car

Jack in a Bradley Hall classroom in 2010

Jack and Lydia 2014

Jack and Lydia 2016