September and the fam...

So, I am not a big fan of people saying "Oh! I am just so busy!" Because really, I mean how busy can one be? We all choose to be busy- it's not like someone is making us be busy. I can imagine that Bill Gates may actually be busy, and maybe our Presidents...though our current one does seem to vacation and do a whole lot of talk shows. Anyway all that being said, I will be the first to admit that my pregnancies were not immaculate conceptions...I am well aware of how babies are brought into the world; so again, my level of business is/was a choice. But I am telling you, having 3 small children at home is a busy life. And I think most parents of school age children will agree that the months of May and September are the craziest of the year. So this September has proven to meet that expectation.

The biggest adjustment is having school every single day. There is always a drop-off and a pick-up schedule, plus a morning and afternoon nap schedule, plus a nursing schedule, plus 3 meals a day, plus snacks, plus diapers, homework, school projects, help in bathroom, bedtime, plus just spending time and having fun. This list doesn't even include chores and errands. :-) So obviously I am not performing brain surgery, but seriously to make it all work, and work well for us all, requires a certain level of busy-ness. And we do have fun- everyday. And that is what my goal is for everyday. To remember that I am staying home to make my children a priority and to do that I have to spend quality time with them. And with all that has to be accomplished in a day, it is easy to say that running errands with little people in the backseat is "spending time" or that merely being in the house with them while folding laundry is "spending time"- but kids don't like to run errands and fold laundry. Kids like to read and play outside and show off and be pushed on the swing. So, our busy schedule includes all of those things too.
Our sweet Leah is a terrible night time sleeper. Awful. Up 3-5 times a night. But she is so happy and sweet during the day it is hard to hold a grudge.
Isaac loves shoes. His daddy loves this picture.
My princess. She is the youngest in her K class and she is kicking booty and taking names. That's my girl. Just started reading her first words this week. My heart swelled with pride.
Uncle Ben sent us Oregano the Orangutan... he is a huge hit and he is huge.
Isaac sporting Daddy's triathlon gear after his race two weeks ago.
Sid and some of his buddies roomed together at the White Lake Triathlon. Sid's buddy Gary is a big guy- but the shower is tiny anyway. Gross.
Leah tackling daddy at the pool- the last weekend it was open. We miss the pool so much.
Isaac and Daddy digging at the museum in Durham...hoping to find some dino bones.
Nana with Leah. Check out the rolls on that baby. I am so proud!

And finally- Isaac got a new bike. He was way too tall for his old one and way over-due. He loves it and is now, officially, a big boy! :-(

Grace's First Day of Kindergarten!

Grace started Kindergarten today! She attends at Bay Leaf Baptist Church about 4 miles from our house. It is a half-day Kindergarten taught by a teacher with 32 years experience. Her teacher taught at a much larger Christian school in our area for 25 years. There is also an assistant and a total of 12 kids in her class.

Grace has been waiting for this day since summer began. And she is ready. However, it has been a little hard on me the last few days. I am thrilled for her and so happy that we made the decision to enroll her in this program, but sad for me. Grace and I have been together constantly over the last 5 years. Kindergarten marks a new time of school and friends and, well, separation. :-) Hard to let go.

We all went to school today to see her off. We had to do a little hair redo in the parking lot. Daddy had the baby and took pictures and Isaac was probably off peeing and saying "poop."

Here she is at the front door. Smile bigger than that ridiculously large backpack!

And here she is outside of her classroom. She went right in and found her name. She was so excited I was afraid she was going to kiss a boy. Fortunately a little boy named Isaac sits at her table, so hopefully he reminds her too much of her brother.

Yesterday she got to meet her teachers. This is her classroom. Her teacher is the one in the turquoise in the back.

When I picked her up today she had the biggest twinkle in her eye. She said she had so much fun but it was a lot of work! I was relieved that she was not exhausted and overwhelmed as so many of our friends' kids have experienced after being in school for over 7 hours as Kindergartners! However, she did throw out all of the Tupperware I put in her lunch today. That was the only bummer.

I am so proud of my daughter and the little person God is molding her to become. She is brave and smart, sweet and thoughtful.

Our New Wheels

Please note we did NOT buy a minivan as foretold by lots of friends! :-) This is our new Yukon and we love it! I can fit all 3 carseats in the second row so we don't even need the 3rd row. However, the 3rd row is huge and also seats 3 people. And even when using the 3rd row there is lots of storage behind it. The kids love the car for only one reason...it has a DVD player in it. They were really bummed when they first found out we were not getting a minivan. I couldn't figure out why...then I discovered it was because they thought that only minivans have DVD players. Pitiful. Anyway, they love the big truck now and how high they sit up. I love that we are super safe (I think only a semi-truck rivals this thing) and that I have Onstar! So wonderful. I highly recommend GMC cars if only for this option. My kids will never be locked in the car and I can never get lost! This car has already blessed us in many ways. Isaac now sits up close instead of the very back. We have fun conversations in the car and everything including strollers, groceries, and pool toys all fit at the same time. This is my very funny little boy wearing Strawberry Shortcake. Grace and I were in stitches over this one.