School Days

So ofcourse with 2 kids involved in 2 different schools we stay quite busy these days. Tuesday especially was one of those days. First off I had Bible study. again I am loving this study of Sermon on the Mount and already learning so much! I am also soaking up the time for just me! On Sundays and Wednesdays I teach the preschoolers so this is the time for me to really get filled up with the Word so that I can pour out for others. 
That day after school Lindsay had a picnic with her class. It seems like yesterday I was doing this with Colby. I wished Austin and Colby could have come since it was a Family Picnic but it was nice to be with my girl and soak up time with her and her little friends. As always it was precious. We got to visit with Mrs. Susan and other parents. We also got to see them sing the Hokey Pokey and enjoy their cookies that they had made at school that day. 

That evening Colby had Family Read Night. This was our 3rd one. Its always a fun Family Event. This year they didn't do a meal so it was a little different. We arrived and took the kids first to the book fair. We were happy that Austin got to come with us again. The kids each picked out 2 books. After that they had popcorn and Monster Juice outside so the kids enjoyed a little snack. We then went into the Worship Center and quickly found his friends. Nijel and Mia were there and the kids had a blast running around and visiting with them. They have a time set aside for the kids to enjoy their books with their families and friends. At the end the teachers put on a little skit. This years theme was Monsters so it was really cute. Its always nice going to school events and seeing him interact with his friends. It'll be really exciting next year when they are both in the same school! 

Friday I volunteered to help with the end of the book fair. I picked Lindsay up from school and we had a quick lunch with my parents then went to the school. It was kindergarten and 1st grades day to see the book fair. OMG it was wild in there! I helped field kids and make sure they actually had enough money to pay for their books and also to make sure they were making good choices. Once we got them all cleared out I helped Erin pack up the book fair. Lindsay was a lot of help and actually a trooper and very patient! 
It was a crazy week with so many school activities and also church! We are enjoying our Wednesday night crew as well. We had 9 kids this week. I felt it was a little less hectic then the first week. I am enjoying getting to know some of the 2 year olds better b/c they will be in my class next year on Sundays! 

Its been a great week! 

Settling back into Post Vacation

When we got back from Disney we had to hit the ground running back into normal life. That Monday both kids started back to school. That Tuesday I started to Bible Study. That Wednesday we started back to church and that Thursday we started back with Cubscouts! It was a busy and tiring week and we were all ready for some downtime by that weekend. We had a very low key weekend and stayed home mostly which was nice! Friday afternoon I did have a picnic with Lindsay and her friends at City Park. That was fun! We had a good time but it was hot! 
This week has been pretty much the same. The kids are back into the school groove. I am enjoying my ladies Bible Study once again and learning so much! Wednesday has been great we have had LOTS of preschoolers so that has been an adjustment but a good one to make. We have had 11 and 9. And most are 2 year olds so its a very busy group! The kids are enjoying the extra time with friends though! 
Thursdays has become the day I keep Lindsay home with me. We like to have breakfast at Chickfila then run errands and come home and play. 
Looking forward to the weekend. Not sure what we will do yet. Possibly the Cubscouts Zoofari but no definite plans either way. 

Lindsay's First Day of School

I am so far behind posting about this! Lindsay started to school a few weeks ago. Well actually she went one Wednesday for a Meet and Greet. She is so excited about returning to school and has her friends from last year Layla, Zoe, and Claire returning as well. In there class there are 8 kids 5 girls and 3 boys. As far as I know everything went well and she is loving Mrs. Susan and all her friends. So far they have learned about Friends and Family. She's come home talking about things like Bones and the Pledge as well. I am excited to see her do a little more academics this year but also spend the majority of her time learning through play. She missed the actual first week of school while we were on our cruise but jumped right back in that second week. Its neat seeing her go through the same teacher and class as Colby. I think this will be a great year for her. She has grown so much since last year! We will miss AUMC as this will be our last year there unless we have another kiddo. She attends 4 days a week. Its a 5 day program but most Thursdays I will just keep her home with me. I feel she needs a break plus she's only 3 and I want to spend time with her while she's still little as well. It also helps my crazy schedule. I spend so much time in the car now that she goes those 4 days. I look forward to all the fun and adventures that this year holds! 

Disney Day 8

So our final day of vacation we were going to spend another day in Magic Kingdom. We all woke up refreshed and rested and ready to go! We had a quick breakfast at the hotel then took the bus to MK. When we got in the gate we had been told that Marie from Aristocats was on Main Street so we stopped and waited and had our picture with her. We then made our way into Tomorrowland. Our first ride was Space Mountain. My parents stayed with Lindsay and Colby rode this with us. I am so glad he actually rode a coaster! I think he liked it but said he wouldn't do it again. We then did the Buzz Lightyear ride which they both like. Afterwards we did the Carousel of Progress. We all enjoyed that and ofcourse its always a nice little break as well. Afterwards we went to Fantasyland and rode the Little Mermaid ride. Lindsay LOVED it! I then rode the Teacups with them. We then had a Fast Pass to the little race car ride. Austin rode with Colby and I rode with Lindsay. Again it was a fun time. We stopped and took a break for lunch. As always lunch was a welcome break in the cool and time to sit down. We rode Dumbo after lunch and then let the kids play in the AC. We also rode the train around the park. That afternoon we had a fast pass for the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. Colby was freaking out at first but he ended up loving it! Lindsay said it was her favorite ride! We did Mickey's Philaramagic after. It was a welcome break and the kids loved it. They wanted to head back to Adventureland so we thought that sounded like a good place to rest and get a Dole Whip. They had wanted to ride the Magic Carpet ride again but by the time we finished our little snack break it had started raining. They did get to the the Tree House with Austin though. 
By this time it was raining pretty hard so we hit the gift shop then headed back to the hotel. Once again we cleaned up a little then went downstairs to dinner. We had reservations at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. It was a fun and yummy dinner. The kids loved that they had Lincoln Logs to play with while you waited. We turned in pretty early that night. I think we were all tired. 
We had a good trip home on Sunday. The kids were so good throughout all the traveling and craziness. Lindsay got a little upset on the plane when her ears were popping. She even fell asleep for a little while. We had such a great time but it was good to get home too! 

Disney Day 7

So we had to start our 7th day bright and early. We had to be in the lobby by about 7am. It was hard to drag the kids out of bed...especially Lindsay did not want to get up! We finally got downstairs and quickly went through Customs and got on a bus headed back to Disney World. The kids were tired and we packed some cereal for them to snack on. We got to our hotel around 9 I think. My parents were there to greet us. We invited them to join us for the 2nd part of the trip. We got checked in and brought our luggage upstairs then were ready to hit the road to Magic Kingdom! I was so excited to be back! The kids were 5 and 2 the last time. Both have grown up so much! We took a few pictures then headed into Adventureland. The kids spotted the flying carpets and remembered that from last time so that is what we did. They both loved it! We then rode the Jungle Cruise which I think they both enjoyed too. Our next stop was Its a Small World. Once we rode that it was time to head back for our lunch reservation. We had made reservations at the Crystal Palace. We haven't eaten there in MANY years! We were very pleased though! We all loved the food and all the Winnie the Pooh characters were there so the kids thought that was fun as well. It was a nice break from the heat. It was then time for our Fast Pass to Meet Ariel. Lindsay loved this! I think it was the hightlight of her trip! Afterwards we rode the Haunted Mansion.  We then decided it was time to use our Fast Passes for Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. Colby for whatever reason chose not to ride either and Lindsay wasn't tall enough so my parents took them to the Country Bear Jamboree Show while Austin and rode the 2 mountain rides. It was fun having about an hour together. I felt like we were like kids again. We met them back after the show and sat down to cool off. By that point the park was getting crowded and it was SO hot! We decided to go ahead and leave at that point. We got back to the hotel and had about an hour to cool off. We then ate dinner downstairs at the Quick Service place. We had a nice low key dinner and fun visiting. We then took a walk around the property outside and found a playground and walking trail. I was glad we were able to have that time outside and a time to just slow down. It was a nice end to the day. We tried to get the kids to bed early so that they would be ready for another day! 

Disney Day 6

So our 6th day of the trip we were on the boat all day. It was a nice morning to sleep in a little and not be in quite as big of a rush. We did make our way to the breakfast buffet though and enjoyed that. The kids were already in their swimsuits so as soon as they finished breakfast we took them to the pools. They are always SO crowded though on that last day. We let them play about an hour. After that we had all we could take so we took them to get dressed and cleaned up. We decided this trip we would do the little Mouse Detective Game on board. Both really enjoyed it. It sends you on a hunt all over the trip. We did about half of it then decided to break for lunch. We ate lunch by the pool again. Afterwards we went to rest. While Lindsay was still sleeping the boys got out and finished the hunt. When she woke up she and I went to the coffee cafe. We all enjoyed some more downtime in our room that afternoon before dinner. Dinner that night was at Enchanted Garden. It was bittersweet knowing that was our last night we had with those people who actually become like family during the week. We did the show that night as well. I think both kids liked the show but Lindsay LOVED it! Especially all the princess parts. We tried to get the kids right to bed b/c we knew and early and long day faced us! 

Disney Day 5

On the fifth day of our trip we got to Castaway Cay. We had learned from our 2 previous cruises that the best way to enjoy the day was just to skip all excursions and just head out to the beach early. We ordered room service so we could do exactly that. It worked out beautifully. We were able to eat our breakfast in our room while we got ready and avoid the crowds. We also got off the boat early and were able to find seats in a nice shady spot. The kids were super excited about playing in the sand and water. Austin took them into the water a few times and they enjoyed building sandcastles. My favorite part was just laying out and reading my book. It was very relaxful. There is a big BBQ lunch offered on the island which is also very yummy. We cleaned up and went to that at 11:30. It was nice to get out of the sun and eat. Austin got a little over heated and was feeling sick. We ate and did a little looking around then walked back to the ship. We had a low key afternoon. Everyone cooled off and rested. It was really nice again to have that time in our room. We did our dinner that night back in Animator's Palate and it was Pirate night. Again the kids had a blast! The meals were always done so wonderfully! Afterwards there was a Mickey Pirate Party so we took them outside for that. When that was over we brought them back to the room to take baths and relax. At 10:30 they were doing fireworks. We wanted to atleast have them bathed and in pjs so as soon as we got back up to the room they could go to bed. The fireworks were fun! They loved it! Afterwards we all went to bed. 

Disney Day 4

Our 4th day of vacation began with us arriving in Nassau. We woke up pretty early and started our morning with the breakfast buffet. It was so yummy! We then got off the boat and headed out to Nassau. Nassau has never really impressed me. We found out about a Pirate Museum though and thought it would be neat to take the kids. It was a LONG walk and so HOT! We almost gave up b/c we were hot and thirsty and tempers were flaring! We did make it though! It wasn't a very big museum. I was glad we got to expose the kids though to something different. It was a good learning experience for them. After the museum we headed right back to the boat. We had passes to meet Anna and Elsa. I think this impressed both the kids and they really enjoyed it. Afterwards we changed into swimsuits and had lunch by the pool. After lunch we let the kids swim for awhile. They had a blast and loved the Mickey slide. I brought Lindsay up to the room around 2 and Colby and Austin stayed and did the big slide and played some more. That afternoon we just enjoyed hanging out in the room. The afternoons were peaceful and nice to just read and watch movies. We also were able to work on Colby's school work on the ship. That evening we had dinner at Animator's Palace. The kids LOVED this restaurant and were so entertained. Once again Colby and his friend Lewis had a blast! After the dinner we shopped in the stores a bit then went to the show "The Golden Mickey's". Both kids loved the show! Quite a change from when we brought Colby 3 years ago. It was a late night and were all ready for bed once we got back to the room! 

Disney Day 3

Our 3rd day of the trip we were able to sleep in a little and get ready for the cruise. We spent the morning enjoying what the hotel had to offer. We had breakfast then Austin took the kids for a swim. I enjoyed some quiet time in the room. Once everyone got cleaned up we took a stroll around the hotel and looked at all the cartoon features then had lunch. After lunch we immediately boarded the bus for the Disney Cruise Line. We got on the bus and it was about an hour drive to the Cruise Terminal. We got there and easily checked in and were able to get into our room. The kids were so excited and loved checking everything out. We got our luggage and were able to unpack before dinner. Our dinner reservations the first night were at Royal Palace. We were surprised to find that we were sitting at a table with others but it worked out well. We sat with a mother and her son from England and a mother and daughter from Japan. Colby and Lewis became fast friends. It was nice that he had a companion at dinner and someone to talk and play with. 
After dinner we just walked around. We did some character meet n greets. We met Rapunzel and Peter Pan. We decided to skip the Villain themed show and have an early night. The kids were pretty tired and it was nice to just unwind in our room that night after meeting some characters. 

Disney Day 2

On our second day at Disney we planned to spend at EPCOT. We got started pretty early and grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel. We got to EPCOT around 9 and were ready to start the day! We began by going straight to Soarin'. We were so excited that they allowed Lindsay to ride with us! She loved it! Afterwards we rode Nemo. This was also Lindsay's first time to ride that. We then had a Fast Pass for the ride in the giant ball. Afterwards we had another Fast Pass for Test Track. We were hoping since they let Lindsay on Soarin' that they would also let her on Test Track but they didn't. We were a little bummed about that. She and I had to wait outside while the boys rode it. We then went and had lunch. It was nice to sit down and take a break. 
After lunch we did the Character Greetings and then rode the Land ride. It was a low key part of our day. Both kids loved the characters although Lindsay was even more shy then the first trip. After that we started making our way back into the countries on the search for more characters. We ended up being able to meet Alice in Wonderland and Pooh and Tigger. We enjoyed just taking our time soaking in the sights of each country. We decided to stop in America and do the show. We never do that so it was a nice change of pace. It also allowed us to rest awhile. Lindsay even fell asleep! Afterwards it started raining so we slowly made our way back up to England. We stopped in a few stores to browse and then waited on our dinner reservation. We loved our dinner in the United Kingdom. We all enjoyed fish and chips! After dinner we decided to head on back to the hotel. We were all pretty tired from the day. 
It was nice to get to the hotel that night and just relax. we let the kids enjoy some downtime in the room. 

Disney Trip Day 1

We just got home from our Disney 2015 trip! My was it a fun one! It was a long trip....we were gone a total of 8 days! We had so much fun though and made so many memories! 
We left Saturday late morning. It was nice to not leave bright and early. It gave us a little more time around the house and didn't have to wake up quite as early. We got to the airport and got checked in and had lunch. The kids were really excited about the whole process. Colby was a little nervous about the airplane. It was kind of surprising since this was his 4th time to fly. Lindsay loved it though. We ran into one of Colby's old classmates on the flight headed to Disney! 
We arrived in Disney and got checked into our hotel. We checked out our room and decided to have dinner at the hotel. We grabbed a quick bite then headed out to Downtown Disney. It was really busy that evening. We did a little shopping with the kids and let them pick out souvenirs. We ran into some good friends Beau and Andrea in one of the stores. We then were able to enjoy icecream with them! It was a fun way to start the trip. We got back to the hotel that night and we were all ready to crash! We liked the Ariel room even though it was bare bones compared to the Disney Resorts we have stayed at. It was nice though and the kids loved it! 

School Days....

This week I was able to spend time with Colby at school. They had their Parent Visit Day on Tuesday. It fell earlier this year and I was glad that it wasn't schedule while we will be on our trip. I was a little anxious about how things would go since last year he and I both ended up in tears. 
We started out in the worship center. The principal talked a little and we also were able to visit as parents and get to know one another. they also gave us time to write encouraging notes to the staff. I love this about our school. I was so encouraged by the morning! 
We then went up to the kid's classes. When we arrived they were beginning their math lesson. She had games for them to play on the SMART board! I was so excited to see them using technology. I didn't feel like last year they used the SMART board very much. I know Colby relates very well to that so I am glad to see them adapting for different learning styles. After that they had to do a math page. They were learning about even/odd numbers so they were able to use manipulatives to help them with the work. Again it was such a neat lesson. I was glad to see them using hands on stuff instead of just doing a math sheet. He seemed to really get it and enjoy it. 
Once they finished math one of the parents read Chapter 2 of Pippi Longstocking! I was so excited when I learned that they were going to be reading this book as a class! It was one of my favorite movies as a child! I think I may have to re-read the book to them next summer! Once they finished the chapter they were to draw a picture and write 3 sentences about it. Colby got very stressed out over the idea of writing! I was so happy b/c he had done well all morning but then he hit a wall. Thankfully it was almost time for us to go. Instead of escalating the situation like I unfortunately did last year I just calmly kissed him on the head and said I love you and I had to go. I knew he would be fine after I left. 
I was so impressed with his class and teacher! Such a change from last year! I pray 2nd grade is just wonderful for him! 
He seems to really be enjoying the grade. I was a little sad that evening when he brought home his progress report. His grades were down and he failed a math test. I was shocked b/c he's been doing so well on homework. He usually insists on doing all the work by himself. I talked with his teacher though. I have wondered if he has mild dyslexia. We are going to keep a close eye on him. Hopefully it was just the first test and he will do much better! 
So far we are really loving this year though and his teacher! They are doing so many fun things! they have learned to write letters, they have learned about firemen and postal workers. They have also made cookies and done some fun science stuff! So excited about 2nd grade! 

Boy Time and Weekend

Last week I was able to enjoy some one on one time with my boy! Thursday I dropped Lindsay off with my parents when I went to pick him up from school. It was nice to just be able to chat with him and spend more time with him even doing homework and such. He was so calm and so talkative too and I realized that sometimes his little sis brings him such stress! ;) That night we had Cubscouts! He was so excited to be back. It was mostly just a social event. They were able to play games and eat icecream. I enjoyed being back with some of the moms and having new friends as well. He loved being with his best buds! Again that night it was nice only having the one kid. Friday morning was super easy as well. 

That evening though we went out to the Zephyr game. We rarely go out and do anything on Friday nights b/c we are all so tired and usually just want to stay home. It was a welcome break! We met Austin at McAlister's and had a nice family dinner before. The kids enjoyed the game. Colby sat with Mr. Ryan and Coach Stephen and had fun being silly with them. Lindsay sat by her little friend Luke and they were so adorable talking and being crazy! We left about the end of the 5th inning though. It was already 9 and we knew we would have an early morning. I would love to try and stay some time for the fireworks but this wasn't the night.

Saturday morning we were up BRIGHT and early! I had signed Colby and I up for the K-10 work day. I thought it would be a neat thing for him and I to participate in. Lindsay I felt was still too young. I want to teach my kids about community and service so this was a great start. He really did well. I know he was a little tired and jealous his sister was back with Grammy but he held in there great! I was so proud of him! The kids got to swim after for a short time to cool off! That afternoon I was tired and didn't want to think about doing much! 

Sunday we had church and Austin was off! its always so great to have him off with us on Sundays. He ended up helping me in my class which was nice. We had about 9 kids. I felt like they were all pretty well behaved too. I just feel like we have really hit a good rhythm in there. The kids seemed to enjoy their church and friend time as well. The rest of the day was very low key and we spent the afternoon resting and watching the SAINTS game. 

It was a lovely weekend and I was thankful for a few days of one on one time with my boy! Those days are few and far and I miss him so much during the day!