Last Days Of Summer

Since I failed miserably in keeping the blog up-to-date, here is some of our last days of summer in pictures.

We took the boys to their 2nd movie, to see Planes in 3D.  They loved it and so did me and Jamie.  We also joined my mother-in-law and nephew for an afternoon of bowling.  The kids had a difficult time waiting their turn but had so much fun pushing the bowling ball down the slope into the alley.  We also got 2 new puppies... brother and sister English Springer Spaniels whom we named Birdie (girl) and Bogey (boy). The boys love their 'puddy dogs' as Collier calls them and they are now BIG puppies that are 3 1/2 months old.  We love our new fur balls.  I had actually forgotten how much I enjoy being a dog owner and have really enjoyed loving on and playing with our new babies.  For now, they are inside at night but spend the day in the backyard.  When we get moved, they will be outside dogs.  Now that I have kids, I just can't handle the shedding and dander that dogs bring inside.  I'm not sure WHY it didn't bother me before kids but the amount of fur I sweep up around their crates each day grosses me out.  And they only SLEEP inside.  We went on a few play dates with friends to the movies and to visit UNA's gorgeous campus and see the lions.  And right before school started back, our children's department at church hosted a back to school bash at the Splash Pad at Gattman Park.  

We really did have a fun, busy, memorable summer!

School's Back in Session

Noah started 1st Grade on August 19th.  Last year, I was an absolute nervous wreck on the night before school however it was much different this year.  Noah has the same wonderful teacher that he had last year and the same classmates, with the addition of a few new ones.  There have also been some (positive) changes for this new school year and the special ed class gets to participate in weekly adaptive music, art and p.e. classes...which absolutely THRILLS me.  The new interim principal has put a special emphasis on allowing Noah and his classmates to be treated the same as the other students and has been proactive in making some changes at the school to allow this.  Noah had a great first day back at school and didn't have any problems adjusting to being back in school (other than taking a little bit longer naps when he got home.) Now that school has been back in session for a month, he's loving all of the new classes and things are going extremely well.  We are so blessed to have such an awesome, caring teacher and aide to care for and teach him from 8 - 3 and it definitely makes dropping him off a much easier thing to do! While I do enjoy having him at home during the summer, it's nice being back on a schedule and having some free time to get more done during the day...although that alarm clock going off so early each morning can be a pain!

Collier started preschool on September 3rd and is back at King's Kids except that he's now going 2 days a week.  He loves school and benefits so much from being there.  He has made friends that he comes home talking about and is learning new things every day.  He counts to 12 consistently, knows majority of the colors and knows plenty of songs, such as his ABC's (sometimes he says some of the letters wrong but he knows the tune and is getting better saying them all correctly.)  His language has just exploded and he talks non-stop.  He cracks me up daily with things he'll ask or say.  I'm constantly questioning how in the world he knows what 'this' or 'that' means.  Like coffee... I'm not a regular coffee drinker but just recently have begun drinking it a little more regularly.  Today he brought me my empty coffee mug and said, "here's your coffee, momma."  He's very observant and is such a smart little guy.  I'm loving this age with him and the conversations that we are now having.  A few weeks ago, right before we left for our Disney trip, I was driving and talking to him while he was in his carseat in the back, about how he would get to meet Mickey Mouse and we would eat breakfast with him.  To try and explain I said that it wouldn't be like on tv, but that he would actually be there with us and we could hug him, talk to him and sit beside him.  Collier responded by saying, "will he sit beside me in a carseat?"  He's very into choo-choos, Henry Hugglemonster, Mickey Mouse (of course) as well as Pete and Goofy, Cars the movie as well as any race car, and his latest obsession is all things construction... bulldozers, tractors, and backhoes.  And he KNOWS the difference between the three.  I just have to take his word for which is which!  It blows my mind that my baby is less than a month away from being 3.  I don't feel like it's been 3 years since we welcomed that sweet, beautiful baby into our lives but he's growing up and emerging into such a bright, caring, funny little boy and seems so much older almost daily.

For comparison's sake, here are the boys' 1st day of school pictures from 2012