We were grateful to be home Saturday because there were lots of preparations to be done for the back to school season which we were heading straight into with Lila having LHS Dance Company camp the following week and schedules were posted on Saturday and of course it wasn't right so we had to schedule an appointment for a schedule change. While unpacking, doing laundry, and housework we took time to talk with each of the kids about what their school schedule would look like and what they hoped to get out of the year. It was nice to talk with each of the kids in preparation for their back to school blessings Steve gave them on Sunday, August 3rd. Steve even gave me a blessing as I start going back to work. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon.
Then we wandered over to the walkabout for a bit. Lila and I have made a goal try and get a few steps in on Sunday in the form of a leisurely walk to touch base about life and keep our bodies moving. Well as it always turns out when we get to the neighborhood gathering she ends up having more fun than she thinks she will so we finished the walk without her and just as we rounded the corner to head home we saw her and her friends coming towards us. I teased them that they were all set for the school carpool.
Monday, August 4th was a full day. We got Lila up and off to dance camp, yay she can drive herself. Then I had new employee orientation and a few other appointments in the afternoon. The girls and I snuck in a quick shopping trip to Love Olive while the boys were at pickleball. Then Steve and I took the boys to the Farmington Pool for dinner and swimming (we had been invited to attend the party since we coached Marcus's football team). They had a blast. Marcus even tried going down both of the slides and Andrew jumped off the high diving board a couple of times. The first time he tried to cannon ball and spun a little too far forward which caused him to smack his face pretty hard against the water so I was impressed he braved it a couple of more times after that.
I was pretty lax this whole week with the chore and schedule thing. I figured the boys could use a free week before school started up so they spent a lot of time chilling, reading, swimming, and maybe even having a little extra electronic time. I did manage to squeeze in a back to school hair cut one evening.
After dance camp on Tuesday, Lila went over to the school to make her schedule changes and get her parking pass. She called me as she was talking to the counselor because she could not get into the CE classes she wanted and take AP Lang. I was so proud of her discussing it with the counselor and all of her options. She was kind but advocated for herself and what she needed. It finally ended with her taking 2 different CE courses which will be fine but the last trick was seminary wouldn't fit into her schedule. I get that they try to level the classes so I told Lila just to home release that period and we would talk to the seminary principal. She came home crying because that's how she deals with stress, but I told her I was so proud and her schedule will be great! She even tried going by the seminary building to talk with them but it was locked so I sent the seminary principal and email and he said, yes they would take her any period she could come over. So that was a relief to her. It was BOGO Fiiz day so I took the girls to get a Fiiz drink that afternoon. Also as part of Lila's dance camp they attended two days at Ririe Woodbury in SLC. So I arranged a carpool for the team and drove down one afternoon to pick a group up. It was fun to chat with the girls.
Friday, August 8th Steve had a work picnic and hike team building.
He was a trooper to come back in time to help me grill for the Dance Company since we hosted the team BBQ at our house. I asked their Coach if she would like to invite Mom's to the last 20 minutes to socialize while we enjoyed dessert and she thought it was a great idea. It was so fun to put faces with names and get to know each other. It turned out to be a great evening.
While we were doing the team bbq, Ellie headed to the airport to pick up a friend from the U who would be staying with us for the weekend so they could attend a wedding together. Lizzy was so sweet and I'm glad she could stay with us. It was crazy because she flew home and had two days to finish loading up her stuff to move back to the U. Ellie had been working hard on packing up stuff and getting the basement cleaned before the bbq and Lizzy visited. She finished vacuuming just as the first guest arrived, whew! 😂
Saturday, August 9th Lila had team pictures and the cute seniors on the team arranged to pickup all the dancers and take them to Ogden for the team pictures which was so nice. Then they all had lunch at Culvers together. After which Lila drove over for a team action shot they were trying for the first time ever and it took longer than anticipated so individual shots were pushed back. Lila was patient and got them done. Lizzy and Ellie went paddleboarding, then to do baptisms at the Layton and Syracuse temple with a Fiiz run afterwords for an "authentic Utah experience" Ellie said. Then they showered and got ready go to the reception.
Meanwhile I went to a bridal shower and we did some catch up housework around here and helped Andrew finalize his talk for Sunday. Yep, he spoke for the first time on August 10th and he did great! He really worked on his talk all week as part and then we listened to it Saturday and gave a few suggestions but so proud of him and how composed he was. You can still watch it on YouTube if you would like.
Monday, August 11th was a pretty normal day, I really needed to go to Costco to get some items on sale and stock up on lunchbox appropriate food. So after dinner we took the girls to Costco (they like the clothes at Costco and I thought Ellie might stock up on a few food items for her apartment). The boys kind of wanted to go but we convinced them they could chill at home which was a good thing because they had some ceiling fans on sale and we bought so much stuff we were squishing it in every crevice of the Tesla. 😂
Tuesday, August 12th Andrew had his final fiddling performance at an assisted living facility. Ellie had taken him to the other two since Steve and I usually have a commitment that evening but I was available this week and so happy to attend with him. The teachers were really glad Andrew was there because several of the older students had back to school night and he was the only one playing the more difficult pieces. So proud of him and how hard he works on the violin.
Ellie picked up her dog, Kodiak Thursday, August 14th of course everyone was excited. The poor puppy seemed a little scared at first. He is a puppy who likes to nip/chew on things and excitedly pees everywhere. I'm praying this is truly everything she hopes it will be for her.
That night the boys had back to school night so Steve was a trooper to go with me and we quickly ran around to their classrooms met their teachers and signed up for what we needed. Then we picked up Habit Burger for dinner because frankly I was burned out.
Friday, August 15th we got up early because Ellie's move in time was 8-10am. Steve took her and Lila down with all of her stuff. The nice thing is there is a dedicated parking lot so they were able to get a spot to park close to the building unlike last year.
I had a commitment that morning after which I took the boys down so we could have lunch together and see her apartment.
She's living by herself in a brand new studio apartment but the space is really limited especially with all of her boxes still so I took Lila and the boys home while Steve stayed to with Ellie. Lila and I cleaned all of the cars from our trip and in preparation for her driving to school. I also washed and cleaned Ellie sheets and the guest bedroom sheets so I was busy.
While were at lunch I remembered I had made a cute back to school sign for Ellie but forgot to take a picture that morning so when we got backed I emailed it to Steve and Ellie. They pulled it up on her tablet and took this picture. Fun fact she also recently learned that one of her seminary teachers from NUAMES is now teaching institute at the U so she is going to take a class from him.
Saturday, August 16th we watched a few new Phineas and Ferb episodes which is just what we needed for a little light thing before taking Ellie back to her apartment. As I was making lunch and banana bread for her to take to meet her neighbors we noticed she was crying outside. I asked her what was going on. She couldn't find words so I kept asking questions until it came out that she is not enjoying school. We talked through her options of possibly withdrawing for this term and taking a break. I asked if she wanted to try other classes or apply to transfer schools and she said no to both of those. We looked at deadlines to withdraw and decided she might as well try it for a few days. I also told her we don't expect her to get straight As but to just do her best and to enjoy this time. She calmed down a little. As we drove back to SLC that afternoon we listened to Elder Uchtdorf's talk, Fourth Floor, Last Door because we had been joking last night about how a few things in her apartment were not quite finished, the WiFi wasn't setup and it was missing a few shelves and Steve said well you are the last door on the 4th and highest floor which made me think of this talk. It was beautiful to listen to. Ellie enjoyed attending he YSA ward and catching up with some friends on Sunday. I keep trying to teach my kids that some feelings of nervousness and anxiety are normal especially as we start new things (a new school year counts and living on your own after a rough year with roommates is a lot of change). We are proud of Ellie and want to help here succeed and recognize her strengths.
Monday, August 18th school began for all of my children. Lila was out the door at 6:55am carpooling with her good friend Macey. It was a little funny because the night before Lila said, "I'm freaking out that I'm not freaking out about school." 😂 I said, "You are a junior, you got this!" Then she realized she never walked her classes so we talked through where she would go for them and she was fine. GO GIRL!
Then I took the boys to school at 8:40am. Thankfully the boys line up in a similar area this year which is nice.
We had planned to meet Ellie for ice cream in Bountiful to celebrate everyone surviving their first day but with the bus schedule and things we just decided to pick up the ice cream and take it to Ellie. When we got to Ellie's apartment it smelled really bad from the dog. So after I dished up ice cream I opened her new vacuum mop we bought and started cleaning. She said her classes went well. She did have a little crash on her bike, her dropper post went down and she lost her balance. She also said it was tough sleeping with Kodiak so she decided to come home for the week to hopefully get the dog into a good routine and commute to classes.
The boys love going out to see the dog after school and getting him to do his tricks at feeding time. Poor Marcus's allergies are acting up though.
I was able to go in and help with Marcus's first fun Friday. I had a good time. We played Back to School Phone Charades.
We even received a sweet sweet email from Andrew's Chinese teacher after the third day of school.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Moore,
Hope this mail finds you well. This is Tan
Laoshi. I am truly happy to be Andrew's Chinese teacher this school
year! Over just these first few days, I have already seen so many
wonderful things in him that I would love to share with you.
Andrew is such a remarkable student. In class, he is always attentive,
engaged, and his Chinese ability really shines. What touches me most is
that he consistently speaks Chinese during lessons, setting a great
example for his classmates. For example, the other day when I asked a
question, Andrew not only answered in Chinese but also used a more
complexed sentence pattern-his classmates noticed, and it encouraged
them to try harder too. Moments like that make me feel so grateful to
have him in my class.
I hope you can continue to encourage him at home, because his growth and
confidence are already inspiring. Please also let Andrew know that
although I sometimes have many tasks to manage in class and may not
always get the chance to chat with him personally, I truly care about
him. I want him to feel that his teacher notices and values him every
single day.
It is such a joy to teach Andrew, and I look forward to a wonderful year together.
With warmth and appreciation,
Ms. Tan Laoshi
It has been a crazy and good week. I have seen the Lord's hand in my life as thoughts have entered my mind or as I have been able to quickly prepare a Fun Friday or primary lesson as there are so many other demands on my life right now. I also had a day of work Thursday to learn the material I will be presenting and felt calm and comfortable with the material. Life is good and we just keep doing our best each day as the Lord guides us a long.