New Beginnings

We've spent the last few weeks transitioning from the relaxed days of summer (and we had a GREAT summer!) to the routine of a new school year.

First, this girl started 1st grade!

She likes her teacher (I do too!), and as usual has already been marked as a good helper to the teacher. She does a great job listening and following directions which sometimes leaves her a little frustrated with the kids that choose not to do the same. She is a good friend and seems to play with someone new everyday at recess, but she also has started to form some good friendships with the girls in her Daisy group. Besides spending her days at school, reading like a maniac, and playing with her sister, she also started ballet this year. So far she seems to really like it. Her teacher is a good combination of loving yet having high expectations...seems to be a good fit for a girl that loves routine and order : ) We are pretty proud of this girl!

Then, this girl started pre-k!

We got to spend a couple of weeks together after sissy started school and before it was her turn. She is such a sweet girl. She loves to play make believe, and can sit for hours in her room playing with dolls, her doll house, etc. She also loves to sing and dance, and it has become normal to hear her little voice in song throughout most of my day. She started pre-k just this week, and we are SO excited for her year. It seems that she has suddenly become a big girl. She is getting a chance to make her own memories with one of our very favorite teachers. It will be a great year for her I know. She is following in sister's ways in that she is a good listener, and is a delight for her teachers. In addition to her four afternoons at school, she attends Bible study with me on Wednesday mornings. She is going to have a wonderful year in that class as well. AND, she gets to continue her work to become a real ballerina :) as she takes ballet/tap/jazz again. SO many fun things going for this girl!

And then, there is this guy...

Oh my goodness...I just don't even know where to start with this little man! He still has his mama (and his dad if we are really honest!) wrapped around his little tiny fingers :) He is sweet and snuggly, funny, smart, happy, and overall a pretty easy and fun little man to be with! Although I made him sound like a little piece of perfection, he is 19 months old which means we are starting to see his own opinions come through which can lead to tantrums when he doesn't get his way. He can also be a bit ornery when it comes to his sisters. He LOVES to find their water cups...it seems like that water tastes so much sweeter than his own. He also likes to get in the middle of whatever they happen to be playing which often doesn't end well as he doesn't play by the rules :) He makes me smile a whole lot, and I am really enjoying our time together (even though a lot of it is spent in the car...oh the life of the 3rd kiddo!) when the "sissies" (one of his favorite words) are at school. One of my favorite things right now is his greeting to Eric when he gets home from work at the end of the day. He gets SO excited as soon as he hears the garage door open and starts saying "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy..." and runs to the top of the stairs to watch for him. It is awesome :)