Maniac Monday........

So I haven't posted in a few days. Nothing much has been going on. We had a pretty quiet weekend. The kids and I mostly relaxed. After a really busy weekend before I was ready for some downtime and I think the kids were too! we spent a lot of time playing and watching tv. Its been really hot here too so I think we also were out of energy from the heat!
Well Monday came and it was back to full BLOWN Busy again! I have decided to start waking up at 5am 2-3 days a week to walk/jog with a friend. I have always said I needed to do it b/c my time is so limited with kids at home. I hope when Lindsay starts school I can walk atleast one of those days but again my time is just so limited! This way we leave at 5:15 and walk until 6 then I come home and shower and get ready for my day. Today went really well. I know it will take awhile to make this a habit but I am going to try my best to keep it up! After bringing Colby to school Lindsay and I had an unexpected trip to my parent's house. My tire light came on so I was worried to drive all over without getting someone to check it and since Austin was at work I needed my dad! Anyway he aired them all up and couldn't find a source of a leak so we were on our way again! We stopped by the library, bank, and grocery! I hate it wasn't a "fun" day for Lindsay but we will have a few more of those before she heads off to school next week!
This week is looking pretty busy and we are going to MS this weekend so there will be lots to catch up on!

ZOO Day

Another fun outting with our girl!! I know it seems like we are doing so much fun stuff without Colby but I am trying to soak up these preschool years I have left with her. I figure Colby had many many outtings to places with just us! Since Austin was off today I wanted to do something fun the 3 of us. Yes we did miss Colby but its so fun to see Lindsay's personality without the shadow of her big bro. Although she is more timid without him around!
Anyway we decided on the Zoo. We knew it would be hot but we figured it wouldn't be crowded and we didn't have to stay that long since we have a membership. We started the morning with a trip to PJ's. My girl loves coffee and breakfast there! Afterwards we went on to the Zoo. We really just took our time looking at things we thought she would enjoy. She loved the Sea Lions and almost didn't want to leave there! It was so cool b/c the zoo wasn't crowded at all so I really felt like you could linger at exhibits and just enjoy them! We weren't in any hurry. We then made our way to the old oak trees and the giraffes and zebras. She also loved feeding the ducks and turtles! We spent awhile in the swamp area and she loved the otters and even got to feed them! It was fun seeing her get so excited about the animals! I did miss my big boy though and wishing in some ways we were homeschooling so we could take field trips and do lessons in the zoo on non-crowded days!
After the zoo we ate lunch at Mahoney's po-boy shop! Our mission was to try a new place on Magazine. It def did not disappoint! It was fun just hanging out with our girl. She will start school in September 3 days a week and I know we won't have as many opportunities to take her out! She was completely smitten with Austin also today! He's been working on a really long stretch so I guess she really missed him! Anyway it was a fun day!

Homework Blues

So first grade has started and we are in full homework force already! Last week was pretty easy no homework except Thursday when he had to write his Bible verse 5 times!! I thought that was crazy for a 6 year old. It was as hard on me as it was on him. Although I was proud of my man he plugged through and we got it done!
The next challenge has now come this week! Yesterday (Monday) He came home with TONS of homework!! He had to do a math page, write his Bible verse 3 times, type his spelling words, and read a book. I mean I love his being challenged and I don't mind any of these homework pieces by themselves but I am finding it a bit much for a barely 6 year old. The Bible and Math took us about 40 min so we took a break so I could cook dinner and he could play. I am firm believer in children should be able to PLAY after school. They don't get to PLAY enough in school so I hate we are also taking PLAY out of afterschool. Last year he had homework and on a bad night it probably took us 30 min but average it was about 10 min. I mean I knew 1st grade would be more but I guess I was thinking 25-30 min.
I don't want to sound like a complainer b/c I have been the new teacher and had parents be so mean to me. I am trying to show grace and trying to support this. I know he is going to learn so much but seriously?!? I feel like I am back in school! We also got a note saying they would have 3 tests on Friday. I hope that is not normal! I keep going back to when I taught. I didn't like giving homework even as a teacher. My kids usually only went home with maybe 2 things to do. I also only ever gave them 2 tests in a day. Bible and Spelling are pretty expected for Fridays but add Math too and that's a recipe for disaster! I am praying for my guy that this doesn't stress him out! I am trying to not complain in front of him. So far he's handled it well although last night he did cry while writing his Bible verses.
I just don't want him to ever hate school or hate learning. I am really trying to keep my focus on God and let him guide me through this. I know there is a lesson in it all. But seriously its making me contemplate homeschool. If it gets worse or if he gets to the point of being so upset I will not be afraid to take that route. He's 6 he should still be having fun and playing!! Last night we only got to play outside for 15 minutes but that's also my promise to him that I will never deprive him of outside. If I have to write a note to the teacher saying we didn't finish it all oh well!
So that's my 1st grade venting for now!!
Dear God,
Please help me to approach this year with grace and understanding. Its hard to see my boy frustrated. I want him to love learning and love school, yet I do want him to understand hard work and fulfilling commitments such as homework. I want him to respect his teacher and love her. Please help me to provide a comfort to him, but also be able to support him in getting his work done. I love him so much. Also help us to establish a sweet relationship with his teacher Ms. Wesseling. We don't know her story and so we also lift her up in prayer. I remember how overwhelming those first few weeks are as a new teacher. And she is also a student! Please help establish a bond and community in that sweet 1st grade class!
Amen

Another Girl's Day

So Lindsay and I had a chance for another fun girls day today! I am loving all this time I am getting with her before she starts school and life gets crazy with 2 different school schedules!
We started our morning by going to the library. Its been FOREVER since I've taken the kids to library storytime. I hate I never get to bring Colby. Normally we go during the summer but our summer was just so crazy. Anyway I was also excited about checking out some books! My kids love new books and they have a ton but its also nice to pick up some from the library from time to time. Lindsay really enjoyed this part of picking out books! She did ok during the storytime she was quiet and attentive but she didn't quite get as into it as I thought she would. Maybe if I brought her more!! She did really though for the craft part and enjoyed that WAY more then Colby ever did!
Afterwards we met our friends Samantha and Josiah at chickfila. It was nice to visit with a friend and just take my girl out on a special lunch. We always eat at home so it was a treat for her! She was so excited when we pulled up!
She will start school in 2-3 weeks so I am soaking up this time with her. She will go 3 days a week now so I will surely miss her! It almost makes me just want to cancel preschool but I know she needs the social interaction and it will be good for her! I will miss her oh so much though!

Back 2 School Bash & Calvary School Celebration

So this Friday night our church hosted a Back to School Bash for the kindergarten-fifth grade students. It was open to the church kids and the school kids. I had been asked to come and help out which I figured I would stick around anyway. I enjoy helping out at these things b/c usually I am downstairs with the preschoolers on Sundays and Wednesdays so I don't always get to interact with Colby and his friends. It was from 6-10 pm so I knew we were going to be worn out when it was all said and done. Lindsay has been wanting to spend the night with my parents for a few weeks and so we figured this was the perfect time for her to do it! She has spent the night alone there a few times but it was mostly when she was a baby. She has also spent the night a few times with her brother. Since Austin was also working we figured it only made sense to let her stay over there. Since I was helping out we got to the church around 5:30. They put Colby and I to work in the kitchen. He was a HUGE help. Soon all the kids started arriving. They all gathered in the worship center. I am not sure what all they did during that time b/c once I walked Colby in there I went back to the kitchen.
They served the kids hamburgers and hotdogs. Colby ofcourse sat with his buddy Nijel. They are so cute! I love their little friendship. I tried to walk around and help any kids who looked like they needed help or were sitting alone. We were reminded about this time and being intentional with the children. I also did get to visit with some of the adults too. They gave the kids about 40 min to eat. Afterwards we all went outside to the playground. This time was a little more relaxed although I ended up walking a child to get a bee sting looked at so I missed a lot of it. I know Colby enjoyed running around on the playground though. They then went back into the church to have games, music, and worship time. I could tell Colby was getting restless by this time as were all the k and 1st graders!
They hung in there though. After all the group stuff they then split into smaller groups k and 1st, 2nd and 3rd and 4th and 5th. We tried playing a game with the kids but they were just WAYY too hyper so we let them go outside for a drink and a break. Afterwards they got the parachutes out which were a HUGE hit! They played that until it was time to go. By 9:30 Colby had had enough. Parents were starting to pick up kids so I asked Laekan if I could go ahead and bring Colby home.

Sunday there was more celebration to come. They were honoring/celebrating the school at church. This took place during the 2nd service. We changed our normal time around since I was working in preschool. I just couldn't imagine having my kids up there all day especially after Friday night. It ended up being a great turn out of school people. We had atleast 20 preschoolers! It was crazy but we improvised and made it all work. I took the younger preschoolers and we mostly played. We didn't accomplish as much of the curriculum as normal but it was just too hectic! Afterwards we went to our child's classroom. During this time they picked one kid from each class that won a gift card! And Guess what? Colby actually won! He never wins stuff like that so he was happy! They got to choose where they wanted the gift card too. He chose Target. Its only five dollars but I will let him pick out a toy =) After that they served lunch. I was a little stressed on how lunch would go since I was there by myself but they had it so organized. All we had to do was get our drinks and go sit down. That made it so much easier with 2 kids! We really enjoyed this weekend but boy are we tired!
I am so excited though about the upcoming year!! I love our church and school and its so great to see them united! I hope Colby has a great 2nd week of school!

This One's For the Girls

So Thursday Lindsay and I had a sweet little playdate with some of her school friends. I want to make sure and make the most of these few weeks before she starts school. I decided to take her to the Children's Museum. I always feel guitly going places like that without Colby but he had lots of chances as a toddler. We def don't get to go as often now just with our busy schedules! Anyways so I called up a couple friends to meet us. One friend Katie has a little girl who is 3 named Callie. Her older brother is also in 1st grade so I knew they would like a girl outting. The other friend is Lauren who has Stella who is 2 and Lou who is 4 months. Stella and Lindsay were in the same class and were buddies so I knew it would be fun for them to hang out as well.
Lindsay and I got there the same time as Katie and Callie so we hung out. I was impressed at how well the girls got along since they are 1 year apart. Last year we got together with them and Lindsay was still more like a baby and didn't interact much but this year she and Callie played so well together! Stella and her mom got there about an hour later. It was fun just chatting with the moms and letting the girls play. We were there from 9:30 until 11:30ish. Lindsay had a great time. We didn't stay in the toddler room very long which I hated b/c that's my fav but the girls had fun with all the other stuff! Again it was just great to have a little playdate like that with just her.
Today (Friday) Lindsay and I had another free day. I knew it wouldn't be quite as busy b/c Colby and I have a Back to School Bash at church tonight 6-10 so I didn't want to be gone long but we did have our normal PJ's coffee and breakfast this morning which I love!! We started this tradition last year and I just love taking her out for coffee. I hope we are still doing this in 10 years when she's 12 and then when she's 22!! After coffee we went to the park by her preschool. We don't go to that park much anymore b/c it just isn't well cared for and a lot of the play areas are worn and or broken. I wanted to stay close though so we went ahead to that one. It brought back so MANY memories of taking Colby to the park. That was one of the first parks we really brought him too and he and I visited it probably once a week when he was her age. It was fun just playing with her and enjoying these days. The rest of the day was low key and we tried to rest up for the B2SB!

First Day of 1st Grade

 

Today Colby started 1st grade! Still hard to believe! It really seems like he should still be at home with me! Anyway...from all accounts it seems like he had a good day. I think they mostly got to know the teacher and probably took care of going over classroom rules, had lunch, went to recess, and the teacher read a book. Atleast that's all he's telling us! They also had no homework which he is really excited about too!
His teaching Ms. Wessling is new and I am looking forward to getting to know her and hopefully being a big help to her as this is her first year of teaching elementary school.
Today was just a half day so I am sure the rest of the week will be filled with a lot more learning and things! I think Lindsay was honestly glad to have him back at school although I know after a few days she will miss him. but right now she says she's glad he's back in school. I think she enjoys having all the toys in the house to herself!
I look forward to seeing what this year brings and pray that its as good of a year as last! I know he's already got buddies in his class from last year so that's awesome! I am glad he can start his year with a best friend!
It was nice having the quiet of 1 child. We took a walk and visited with neighbors. I hope to make this a routine with Lindsay. Austin was off today so we enjoyed his company and went to lunch at the mall before picking Colby up. Tomorrow will be grocery shopping and cleaning house so hopefully Lindsay is ready to be cooperative for those things! I will miss my little boy but it will be nice to get back to some order around here ;)!

Back 2 School!

So this last week of summer we have tried to make sure everything is set for Colby to return to school on Monday morning. This last week we have also had 2 back to school events for my little man.
So Thursday was meet the teacher. We did this bright and early Thursday morning. Afterwards I had an hair appt. Meeting the teacher wasn't too exciting I mean we dropped off his supplies and maybe chatted for 5 minutes. She seems sweet and friendly. I pray she is a good fit for my little boy. I think Colby was more excited to see last year's teacher Mrs. Birden. We stopped in her room and visited for about 15 minutes!
Friday night was orientation for the parents. The kids could actually come this year as well. They had planned activities for them but we had already lined my parents up to keep them and the kids were excited about that. I also try to be very careful to guard how much time they spend up there. Even though I know they would have had fun I just don't ever want to over do it with us going to church/school there. The orientation was good...really nothing new from last year though. I was a little disappointed we didn't get to go in his class but not a big deal. Atleast we got to do that last year on his first year! Afterwards austin and I ate at Cane's. School orientation is always a little like a date night for us! HAHA!
Ok so I tried to be productive and have fun with the kids the last week of summer so here is what we did:
Sunday-Lindsay was sick with croup so we skipped church but went to run errands instead
Monday-Went to Lakeside to order Lindsay's new bed and had a family day
Tuesday-Coffee with Laekan and swimming at my parent's
Wednesday-Grocery and Mall to eat lunch with Nijel
Thursday-Meet the Teacher and Haircut so the kids went to my parents house
Friday-Monkey Room and Orientation
Saturday-Tennis/Swimming
Sunday-Church/Grouplink
So our schedule has been filled with many things. I can already tell we are going to have a busy fall with school and church stuff resuming. Its been nice to have the summer even though the summer was pretty busy I still feel like we were able to sleep in a lot and have quiet afternoons/evenings.
I hate to see summer come to a close in many ways. 1 b/c it means my kids are another year older. 1st grade and 3 year prek! I will also miss the time with them. Although some days are long and I do look forward to some breaks and getting the house in order!

Best Buds

Colby has had 2 chances this week to catch up with his best buddy Nijel. I hate we waited until summer was almost over to get them together! They have seen each other throughout the summer though at VBS, Colby's birthday, church, the Zoo playdate and now this week!
Being this is the last week of summer I've tried to make it fun although we have had a bunch of other stuff to try to get done as well so we've just had a few little playdates around the other stuff!
Wednesday I had to grocery shop but Colby's glasses also broke on Monday while we were at the mall ordering Lindsay's new bed. I knew I needed to get this accomplished this week. So I told Nijel's mom we were going to the mall to see if they wanted to meet up for lunch. It worked out great. It was fun visiting with them. Although getting 3 kids together at meal time is always a little crazy. I don't really feel like I get to taste my food or visit that much but it was worth it for my little man. Well the boys wanted so badly to play that day but we all had stuff to do.
We decided on Friday morning to be a good time to hang out. We ended up meeting them at the Monkey Room. This was our 2nd trip there this summer. Colby has a blast and it was great for him to have a friend to run around play with. He's pretty low maintenance in those situations. Now Lindsay on the other hand got set off first over the bracelet they have to wear then she mostly just sat by me. She finally started playing by herself towards the end of the visit. It was a little frustrating though since I paid $9 for her to use the whole thing. She went into the big one a couple of times but would freak out when she couldn't find Colby. She's really still a little too small for the big one! Anyway it was great that they got to run around and play with friends. Casee met us there too with Jax and Mason. I am not sure our kids played together that much since Colby was consumed with Nijel. Lindsay might have played with them a little but we haven't seen them as much lately. Colby was consumed with Nijel. We stayed about an hour and a half. It was a fun trip and I think it tired the kids out so I call that a sucess. It was nice to visit with Casee and Melody as well. Its a little easier to visit there then most places!
I am so glad Colby has a best friend to start 1st grade with. I am still slightly anxious for him. But not nearly as anxious as last year. I know he and Nijel will have a great year!

Croup/stridor

So after yesterday's excitment the day just got more exciting....anyway so when Lindsay woke up from her nap yesterday I noticed she was breathing funny and she was saying her mouth hurt. At first I was worried thinking she swallowed something in her room but then I thought well maybe she just slept with her mouth open and her throat got dry. All day she acted as if she felt fine. I would notice every now and then though that she had a croupy/hoarse sounding little voice. She ran around though pretty much as normal. Close to bedtime though was when I started to worry a little. I checked on her several times before I went to bed and her breathing sounded so weird. I could tell though her lungs were fine that it was coming more from her throat. I even put some oils on her before bed hoping to open things up some. We turned on the baby monitors which we haven't had on in forever! Around midnight I heard her crying/whimpering. Austin went to check on her and then I went in. At this point I was really worried and didn't think she should sleep alone. Austin said he would sleep on the couch and she and I could have the bed. Well her weird breathing I felt like was keeping me awake. Then I thought the best thing would be to sit up in the recliner with her. this seemed to help but the longer I thought that I would not be able to sleep and get comfie there. I finally decided to put her in the bathroom with me and turn on the shower. The steam really seemed to help. Afterwards we got the diffuser and put some oils in that I thought would also help open her up. With all of that she really seemed to improve and I felt better laying her down in the bed. Her breathing seemed to get better and she seemed to feel better. Needless to say she stayed up for about 2+ hours. I finally had to fuss at her and tell her to go to sleep! I think we got about 2-3 good hours of sleep before Austin was up getting ready for work.
Once we all got up I knew she didn't need to go to tennis/swimming with Colby. I wasn't sure about the doc...I always try to treat at home and avoid the doc but I just didn't feel comfortable waiting this one out. I went ahead and called and her usual Dr. was in today. That confirmed it for me that we needed to go on in. Even if it was nothing I love visiting with our doc and I feel like she takes the time to listen to me and doesn't ever over-medicate. I called my parents to see if they could take Colby to tennis and swimming. I didn't want him to miss out on his Saturday. Thankfully they were able to take him. I ended up getting Lindsay a 10:20 appt. It wasn't how I wanted to spend my Saturday but I was so thankful we were going to see our own doc and not going to the ER tonight like has happened twice in the past! Anyway the doc took about an hour and a half. She was pretty patient but still flips out about being weighed and measured! I have no idea when she will get over that! The dr came in and immediately diagnosed her with croup! Apparently its going around bad! She didn't say but I am really starting to think it was allergy/environmentally induced. She also said she had stridors which meant that b/c of the size of her throat it was getting close to closing up meaning she was having a hard time breathing. I know it must have been pretty serious b/c she offered a steroid shot which HAS never been offered to either of my kids. Colby has had 1 breathing treatment at the doc office but never received any other kind of meds there. Anyway she said we could also do liquid steroids which I opted for. My reason for this is a) she already hates the doc so if she would have gotten a steroid shot she would prolly never want to go back and b) those shots make me nervous...now like with Colby I probably would have given him the option but Lindsay just seems so small only 26 lbs to have something like that injected in her. I figured with the liquid form its atleast more spread out. They gave her 2 doses though which again I know they must have considered her pretty sick. I am just so thankful I took her to the doc and so thankful for our relationship with Dr. Vigour. We have known her since Colby was a baby and she became our primary pediatrician when he turned 2.
Anyway the rest of the day was obviously pretty low key. I knew this also meant we would miss church on Sunday. I was a little sad about this b/c I love going to church and teaching my preschoolers. Plus I love that on Sundays my kids get to be with their friends and they both love church so much! But I knew she didn't need to get anyone else sick in case she is contagious and she really needed to rest as well and not risk catching anything else. We did run a few errands today though which again felt weird shopping on a Sunday. But we got Colby's school Bible so now he is 100% set for school! YAY!
Looking forward to the next 2 days with Austin though and doing some fun stuff as a family before school goes back!

puke and park playdate

Ha gotta love that title huh? well so today was a free day for us so I wanted to bring the kids to the park. We haven't had as many park trips this summer as I would like. I let Colby choose what park since he will soon be going back to school and won't be able to join us for many park ventures! He picked Confetti Park which is always one of our favs especially in the summer b/c of all the shade. I asked Lindsay's friend Stella and her mom to meet us. I figured since Colby had a playdate earlier in the week it was her turn!
I thought the kids would have a blast and we would be out there for about 2 hours. Well we first stopped at PJ's b/c momma needed her coffee and Lindsay needed her banana bread. Usually Colby won't eat the bread but today he said he wanted to try it. So when we got to the park I split the bread in 2 pieces. They ate their bread and played for a little while. Colby though was demanding and in a whiney mood the whole time. I should have known something was up. After about 30 min he came over to me looking really pale and saying he needed to go potty. He had asked about a bathroom earlier but I thought nothing of it. Well I knew he couldn't hold it so I left Lindsay with our friends and quickly escorted Colby out the park down to the local coffee shop. On our way he ended up PUKING all over the sidewalk! I started to get really concerned that he had a stomach bug! I expected full blow diarrhea in the bathroom. Luckily it wasn't. I think he really just got overheated and the pjs bread probably sat heavy on his tummy and then a stomachache and BOOM sick feeling! He was ready to leave after all that bless his heart! It was hot anyway so we all packed up and headed home. We came in and all relaxed and tried to cool off. I gave him a little while for his tummy to settle then offered a light lunch. He ate and seemed to feel better after relaxing.
The day has been pretty low key. I am starting to feel a little lazy but I know in 2 weeks we will be wishing for the lazy, hazy days! We have been able to play outside though in the evenings which is good. I am also getting back into cooking more which is also good for the wallet and waistline!
This weekend will be pretty much the usual: tennis, swim and church on Sunday. Austin is working all weekend so its just the kiddos and I again. Again I am just enjoying our time together and enjoying the rest and the laziness b/c soon that will all be changing!