Finally took the kids School Pics:

Have you met my husband?
Could Jayden be any more Sam?
He acts like him too.
He hit Junior High this year, and for as much as I sweated it, he is actually enjoying himself and doing well. (Knock on wood.)
He is due for a growth spurt here in a bit.
He and Brendan are the same size right now.
And, they have actually been pretty good friends.
Make a Mom's heart swell...to see all that brotherly love...
Could just be that Jayden is now fully aware that Brendan could hold his own in a rumble, if not kick his trash.
Ahhh, payback.

Here is Brendan.
He is the family and class clown.
I think it might be his size seven shoes.
Yes, folks. Men's size seven, and he is in 5th Grade.
They fit his feet, although they look huge compared to his body.
Clown feet.
He is hilarious though, and this year, it is all about learning his comedic timing.
Popping off during the Iowa tests: Not Appropriate
Performing Stand-up at recess: Appropriate
During dinner: Not Appropriate when Mom just took a drink of milk.

Shianne is my struggle right now.
Thanks Mom.
"I hope you have a kid just like you one day."
Except she isn't exactly like me.
She doesn't care much about school.
Everything is "good enough" for her.
This doesn't jive well with my anal-retentive side.
It has been a rough year.
I pray a lot.
She is teaching me patience. And understanding, compassion, the art of "take a deep breath", letting the little things go, and renewed caffeine addiction.
Diet this time.

Shayne is a good kid.
He and Shianne are in 4th Grade.
We always save his teacher for last on parent teacher night.
That way when we are fully depressed and contemplating giving our children up to the state for their own good, because we fail to enforce the mandatory 20 minute reading torture every night of our lives...
We hit Shayne's class.
His teacher always raves about him. How helpful and kind he is! How he tutors the slower kids in his class! He is always happy! And on task!
I sometimes wonder if they did a little switcheroo in the hospital when we brought him home. He doesn't really fit into our dysfunctional profile.

This is Miss Mikayla, our Kindergartner who is rapidly becoming smarter than her parents. Her teacher knows everything...and is so beautiful, and so wonderful. School has taught Mikayla the word "Hello." As in..."Mom, I need my lunch now...HELLO?" Or "MOM! Go find my backpack...Hello?"

It's just fantastic.

I love this age though, when they still have all their little baby teeth, you know, cause they are still babies...

Pretty soon she will start losing teeth, and then have a mouth full of too-large cream-colored Chiclets like her siblings.

So there you have it.
And I saved about $100.00 taking my own pictures.
Take that Chickenman!...Hello?!