Just life...

 *Phillip and I went on a date the weekend of his birthday. The girls went to their best buddies house, Makenna and Brynlee. I'm not sure if us parents or the girls enjoy our date night swaps more!

*Ashlyn got to plan and cook a dinner for our family. She chose to cook lemon shrimp, cous cous, and roasted squash. That's my girl!
She was so proud and loved every minute of it!

*We always laugh about how expensive dates our girls will be when they grow up. Their favorites are always the most expensive. Shrimp, salmon, fish, avocado, steak, and fresh cherries. What about beans and rice???

*I thought life with one kiddo in school would be much slower. Good gracious was I wrong! I feel so much busier now than before. Up and out of bed at 5:40, half way get myself ready, get everyone up and fed, lunch boxes stuffed (I prepare them the night before), out the door at 7:05, back home and get Aubrey dressed and myself finished, do some chores or errands, play time with Aubrey, lunch, naps, pick up Ashlyn, snacks, homework, play time, dinner, clean up, prep lunches, family time, pick up, baths, bed... then repeat. :)

*I have also learned homework stinks, even in kindergarten. Aubrey thinks it's awesome though. She insists on doing homework too so she sits at the bar next to Ashlyn and colors in her number and letter workbook.

 *I love unexpected "leg hugs". I think they are the sweetest thing ever!

*Ashlyn caught her first bug from school. She had the stomach bug Saturday. It had been going around her class. No.Fun. Although can I just say it's sooo much better once they can "lose it" in a bowl and not all over everything!! I just hope it doesn't spread around the family!!
Aubrey kept wanting to play with Ashlyn and I told her to "give her some space" and Aubrey leans in close and asks "kiss her face?". Ahh no, get back!

*Phillip and Aubrey planted a peach tree Saturday afternoon. Phillip gave her a little hand garden tool to use but it was sub par. She needed her pink shovel. Silly daddy, pink tools make you look cuter while working!

*And no, she wasn't playing in the sprinkler while working in the yard. Our swim suits are just part of our home wardrobe. It's either swim suits, dress up clothes, or shirts and undies. :)

*Ashlyn put pigtails in Aubrey's hair. She sat as still as can be and let her do it. I may start recruiting Ashlyn to do pigtail duty. Aubrey always hollers the whole time I put them in. They never stay in long either, she always twists and pulls at her hair while sucking her thumb. There's not much you can do to manage that crazy head of hair she has!

*Ashlyn absolutely loves school! She has had a couple little fears she has had to face head on but it has been very good for her. She is like a sponge and soaks in everything. I'm always surprised at how much little minds can retain.

Pretty School

A week and a half ago was Aubrey's first day of Mother's Day Out. She has been asking to go to school since Ashlyn started kindergarten.
She thinks she is as big as Ashlyn and should be able to do everything she does. This drives Ashlyn bonkers! When we are out and about we often get asked "how old are you?" (the girls, not me :) ) and when the person hears Ashlyn is five the next question is "are you going to kindergarten?". Aubrey is very chatty and wants to talk to everyone at the store so she quickly offers up her answers. And she always tells people she is five and is going to kindergarten too. Ashlyn finally set Aubrey straight and told her she is NOT going to kindergarten and that she was going to pre-school. So not Aubrey calls MDO pre-school, only when she says it it sounds like "pretty school". Oh Boy!
Let it be known I didn't start getting gray hair until I started raising this little gal! ;) She is a mess and a half!!
Aubrey got a new big girl "pack-pack" and she is so proud of it! She got to carry it for the first time when we went up to volunteer in Ashlyn's class. She literally pranced across the parking lot and modeled it for the office ladies. I'm sure she thought she was big enough to be in kindergarten. 

Here is the big girl on her first day! She insisted on standing with her back to me so I could get a picture of her "pack-pack".

I had to beg, coax, and bribe her to get her to turn around so I could see her face!

She walked right into her room and went straight for the baby dolls. She was so involved in playing I had to call her name three times to get her attention so I could tell her bye.
She had a great day and her teachers always tell me how sweet and precious she is!

One Week Down

In a couple hours Ashlyn will have successfully finished her first full week of Kindergarten. Whew! I'm not a fan of a full 5 days for the first week of school! I was warned by many people and Ashlyn's teacher that we would hit a wall by Thursday or Friday brought on by sheer exhaustion. And they were right!! I am so thankful for two days of rest ahead of us.

Ashlyn loves school! She comes home so excited and in the best mood. It's fun listening to her tell me all about her day and the friends she is meeting. She always tells me that she "stayed on green" and who was on yellow or red by the end of the day. (They chart behavior by a color scale) Our school received a grant to start a program called PE for life so she has PE everyday, which I am thrilled about. (Don't get me started on the short lunch times and lack of exercise kids receive at school) She also has several special classes that she rotates through during the week. So far Art and Spanish are her favorite. Although she was a little upset the art teacher didn't bring out the big guns for the first day of art class, she only got to draw a lame picture with crayons. :) 

I love her school and the staff. He teacher is wonderful! She is kind, seems to be extremely organized and structured, and treats the kids like "big kids". I am so impressed with how the staff interacts with each other. The first four days I walked Ashlyn into the building and the teachers were always laughing and chatting together, they seem to have a great team of staff and teachers. I am also surprised to see her principal sharing the "grunt work" like helping with the crosswalk and car pick up line. He seems very hands on!

Aubrey and I are slowly starting to adjust to our new schedule. 5:20am comes very early each morning! I know I'll adjust and it'll be my new normal but goodness me I'm pooped! I do have to admit it is very nice to get home after drop off and be able to start my day. Tuesday when Aubrey and I got home I started to mop the floors and laughed when I realized I've never in my life mopped floors at 7:30am!! It only took Aubrey the first day to get used to Ashlyn being gone. I thought it would take a bit longer. She loves having all my attention, running errands with only the two of us, and being able to play with whatever toy she so chooses from her sister's room! But she does miss Ashlyn though. She loves going to pick her up and they play non-stop once snack and homework is over!

Phillip has been gone on business this whole week. I hate that he missed out on so much this week but I am grateful for his job! Ashlyn is used to his crazy schedule, that's all she knows, so I am grateful she wasn't bothered by him being gone this week. August was a hard month! Phillip had three trips in four weeks. We are so glad to be on the flip side of all the August madness!

This weekend is Phillip's birthday so we have fun stuff planned! Honey, if you read this before Sunday please understand by "fun stuff" I don't mean getting to fly and airplane. ;)

Kindergarten

Today was Ashlyn's first day of school. A day that seemed so so far away five and a half years ago. Goodness, how did my baby grow up so fast!

School starts very early so I had to wake Ashlyn up. She was very sleepy yet super excited. She got dressed then ate breakfast of her choice. Scrambled eggs and toast.

After dragging Aubrey out of bed (literally) we headed out the door.

Ashlyn was very brave walking to the building. As soon as we walked in the doors I think it became a bit overwhelming because she reached over and wanted to hold my hand.

Unloading her backpack. 

So proud of her desk!

I turned around to take one more peak and she was already busy coloring her paper. I was so proud of her!

I didn't tear up in front of Ashlyn and I didn't really start crying until Phillip called to check on me. I would call that a successful kindergarten drop off. :)  

After dropping Ashlyn off Aubrey and I met three other friends for breakfast who also had kids starting school. It was a fun time to catch up and get our minds off of school.

After breakfast Aubrey and I went to Walmart. When we got back in the car she asked for the second time if we were going to get Ashlyn. When I told her not yet, she got a little upset. Poor girl missed her Ashlyn!

After lunch and Aubrey's nap it was time to pick up my sweet kindergartener! I was so excited to see her and hear about her day. We decided ice cream and milk shakes were the perfect treat to a great day at school! 

I have heard her teachers name no less than a hundred times and she's been teaching Aubrey all about school. She is going to do so well and I can't wait to watch her grow and enjoy this first year of school!

'Twas the day before

Tomorrow my sweet baby girl will start kindergarten. She is so so excited! When people ask her if she is nervous she looks at them like they are crazy. She doesn't know she should be nervous. I on the other hand don't know what to think. I am thrilled for her yet I'm going to miss my little buddy. Poor Aubrey girl is going to be the most shook up. She follows Ashlyn around all day and copies her every move. I know once she adjusts she will love having so much time alone with mommy.

Ashlyn will be going to a wonderful school. It has a great reputation in the community and her principal is a Christian man who loves his job. His wife and I used to be in MOPS together. We are most thrilled with her teacher! Phillip and I know her from our old Sunday school class from a previous church we attended. God has answered my prayers for a wonderful Christian teacher!

Yesterday afternoon we wanted to have a special time with Ashlyn. We all went to Fast Lanes and played games and Ashlyn and Daddy rode the go carts together. Aubrey wasn't old enough and was absolutely heart broken! After playing games we headed out for pizza, Ashlyn's choice. She also got some ear rings as a special gift.

We spent this morning at church and are now relaxing and resting before our exhausting week ahead. Ashlyn didn't have to go to her room for quiet time. I let her stay up to paint her finger nails and now she is watching Mary Poppins and eating popcorn. When the movie is over she is going to get her outfit and shoes ready. Nails, check. Outfit, check. Shoes, check. We're ready for kindergarten. She's all girl! :)

Last night Phillip was tucking Ashlyn into bed and he laid down with her for a bit to chat. This morning as we were leaving for church Ashlyn asked me if I was going to cry when she went to Kindergarten. I asked her who told her I would cry and she said "daddy, last night". I'm pretty sure the talk went like this "Ashlyn, when mommy takes you to school she is going to cry. If she gets hysterical just tell her you'll be fine and to come back at 2:30 to pick you up." Haha!

I am so proud of the little girl Ashlyn is becoming. She is very sweet and tender hearted. She is a quiet observer and often labeled by others as "shy" but when she sets her mind to something there's no stopping her. She is very determined. I know she is going to do so well in school. My prayer for her is that she will learn to stand up for what she knows is right and be a godly example and light to all those around her.

Life... according to my iPhone

I recently realized I've neglected my poor blog a lot this year. That's pretty sad to say considering we are over half way through the year. It started when we put our house on the market and life was consumed with showings and paper work and phone calls, then we moved and life was occupied with boxes upon boxes, and then well I was out of the habit of blogging. Much to the grandparent's delight I promise to try to do better. :)

So, here is our life lately...

Ashlyn's new job is to check the mail. We live on a nice quiet cul de sac so I don't have to worry about cars zipping by like at our old house. And, this is one of her favorite outfits. :) Yes I let her choose her outfits, I believe it's good for kids self esteem and independence.

My girls have the best daddy in the world.

I bought a ton of fabric on sale earlier this month to sew curtains. I have three windows and a sliding glass door on my current list. I finished one and am now working on the sliding glass door curtain.

Pawpaw and Nana oblivious to how scary a two year old with greasy french fry hands can be! :)

The girls love to make baby doll slings with my belts. They also are not fans of real clothes while at home.

Ashlyn is all set for school. She is so proud of her school supplies.

Ashlyn loves to work puzzles. She will work a couple 100 piece puzzles during rest time. Did I mention she doesn't wear normal clothes while at home?

Ashlyn made a paper chain to count down the days until Kindergarten. The first thing she does when she wakes up is remove one of the links. I'm excited for her to start this new chapter in her life. I know she is going to love school!

Little Miss Jo Cool in my back seat.

One of my favorite memories as a young kid was my mom reading chapter books to my brother and I. We checked out the Boxcar Children this week at the library. Ashlyn can't get enough of it.

 My phone is off limits to the girls. I don't let them play games on it or watch movies. Someone was caught red handed or shall I say bare footed this week.

Aubrey has always twisted her hair while sucking her thumb. Her new thing is to wrap her hair around her toes. One of these days she's going to get it tangled and her foot will be stuck to her head.

A special visit

My parents came up for a visit last week. They wanted to visit before Ashlyn started kindergarten. We had such a great time!! Pawpaw and Nana spoiled the girls rotten, I think it's their favorite hobby.

Sunday morning we went to church together as a family. The girls looked so cute in their new matching dresses!  

After our afternoon naps Phillip grilled for dinner and had fresh fried okra from my parents garden. For dessert we cut open a watermelon that my dad also grew. It was really good and have already cut into the second one he brought up. 

When it cooled off a bit we headed to the park. My parents have two puppies that the girls just love so they got to tag along too. The girls attempted to walk them along the trail but two curious puppies and a demanding two year old that insists on having her way makes for one big fiasco. We were quite the show! 

Aubrey managed to sweet talk Pawpaw into swinging her once she was too tired to play. My dad and these two girls are quite the site. They can get their Pawpaw to do just about anything. :)

Monday we went shopping and out for lunch. My mom has a favorite store she must visit every time she comes since their isn't one in her area. My dad walked Aubrey around while Ashlyn and I hung out with my mom. We were really surprised that Ashlyn chose to stay behind and shop instead of play with Aubrey and Pawpaw. She is growing up so fast!

Tuesday we ran a couple errands in the morning then came home to take naps and rest up for a busy evening. After dinner we went to the pool and swam. The girls had the best time showing off!

Our after swim snack was apple slices and dark chocolate peanut butter. Someone licked her bowl clean...
 

Wednesday Ashlyn had swim lessons and loved having Nana and Pawpaw there to watch her. The past couple weeks she has really gained confidence in the water. She has always been very timid in the water so it's fun watching her slowly lose that fear and start to push herself. 

Thursday morning my parents had to head back. Poor Ashlyn is starting to grasp time and know our visits are spread apart because of a 12 hour drive. :(

I am so thankful for parents that love me and my little family and are willing to travel all day to come and see us!!