Our New Home

      Last night we hosted our first cookout in our new home. Friday, our new carpet came in, so we had our families over to see the house now that it is finally coming together.

      Nonna bought the kids a bubble machine as their housewarming gift. They absolutely love it. We now have plenty of yard space for them to enjoy it, too.

      The food was great, but the company was better. Everyone seemed to have a great time and the night really could not have gone any better.

     The kids were excited that there were a few presents to unwrap. We are so spoiled by our families!

    Ryan is excited about his new "toy". We are so thankful for the people in our lives who are always there. Ryan's parents came over Friday night after the carpet was installed and helped me get all the furniture where it needed to be and put beds back together. They are always here when we need them and that is the best feeling in the world. It's something that has been hard for me to get used to because I never had that. I am truly blessed with the best parents (I can't even call them in-laws anymore because that doesn't cover it at all.) in the world!

      They also surprised us with this awesome fire pit! We are going to spend so many nights out on the patio enjoying this. I am so thankful for our little family and for our new home and I'm so very grateful for all the people who love and support us and came to celebrate our newest adventure. We have worked so hard on this house. I've never worked so hard on anything in my life. But it is so rewarding to see all our hard work pay off, and now we get to enjoy our beautiful home.

    The living room picture from the realtor posting vs the living room now. 

        The dining room picture from the realtor posting vs the dining room now.

    The second bedroom picture from the realtor posting vs Payton's room now. 

    The first bedroom picture from the realtor posting vs Rylee's room now. 

    The master bedroom picture from the realtor posting vs the master bedroom now. 

    The hall bathroom picture from the realtor posting vs the hall bathroom now. 

    It might not look like much, but this is one of favorite additions to the house. I don't have a before picture of this space because before it was just an unused entrance area, but adding these cubbies and hooks has made it the perfect drop zone for us so that we have somewhere to keep our school stuff organized and ready to go. Before we got the house, every wall was a very blah pinky-beige color with dirty off-white trim. We painted all the walls with more flattering colors and painted all the trim bright white. The carpet was so gross and stained and starting to wrinkle up. We put in new carpet that is a bright, light gray. It has given the house such a nice face lift. We have more remodeling we plan on doing in the future, but for now we are very happy with the results. I can't believe this is ours!

Solar Eclipse

         Today there was a Solar Eclipse over much of the United States. We weren't in an area that was able to see 100% totality, but it was very close to it. Everyone put on their special glasses and went outside to see.

     I was a little nervous about taking my Pre-K students outside because of all the talk about possible eye damage, but they did great with keeping their glasses on and I'm glad they got to see it.

     Our class was seated near Rylee's so we got to watch it together. She was so excited. Until it was over. Then she was very mad. She expected there to be something more and was mad she had to go in without seeing what she had expected to see. She had a complete and total meltdown that lasted the rest of the day. She screamed and kicked and cried and had to be carried back into the building and spend the rest of the day out of her classroom because she was so upset.

    Payton Joy was having nap time during the eclipse, so she missed it, but she wanted a glasses picture, too. Haha! My little ham! She can't miss an opportunity to have her picture taken.

First Day of School

     Last Wednesday was registration day which is a half day for students. Rylee was in a great mood that morning checking out all the decorations at the school. Our theme this year was PEACE- Positive Energy Always Creates Excellence. Everyone was dressed up in tie dye, and it was super cute..

     Rylee wanted to take a picture with Ms. Beth and Ms. Tiffany, but when it came time for her to go to Ms. Jaime's class she got very anxious. I had to leave her in her class so I could go lead Pre-K Orientation for my incoming students' parents. And when I had to leave, she got very upset. I am so thankful we have such amazing caring teachers at MES, because while Ms. Jaime was busy helping her incoming students get their paperwork complete, others stepped in to help Rylee stay safe and eventually calm down. I went to get her after she had been in there for about 2 hours, and she was playing with some of her classmates. I'm glad she came around.

     Today was  the first full day of school for this school year. Payton Joy is moving up to the 3's & 4's class at PreSchool this year and Rylee Love is starting 2nd grade.

        Aren't they just the cutest?! I can't believe how growny they are! It doesn't seem right. Payton Joy doesn't actually officially start Preschool for a couple more weeks, but she wanted to take her pictures with sissy. She loves school and is a little social butterfly. She is very smart and the only complaint I ever get from her teachers is she is very talkative. I'm so proud of her and how big she is getting!

      Rylee was still pretty anxious today. She was very resistent to me leaving her in class. She didn't want to sit with the other kids, so she chose to sit at a table in the corner by herself, and she didn't want to complete the task Ms. Jaime had put out, so she was given a blank piece of paper to draw on. It's hard for me to see other kids interacting and excited about a new school year, and her hiding away from everyone else. It doesn't seem to bother her though, so I guess I shouldn't let it bother me.

     After a slow start, Rylee actually ended up having a great day. I came to check on her at lunch and she was all smiles. She was so excited that she got to see Ms. Beth and she LOVED that Ms. Jaime let her hold her hand in the hallways. It looks like this is the start of another great school year!

Goodbye, Summer Break

       We spent our last weekend of Summer Break enjoying every minute. Friday morning, we finally got the last load of stuff from the old house and got it all cleaned up so we could turn in our keys. Whew! Friday night, we went to bounce With Us with the Joneses. The kids jumped and played their hearts out.

      Saturday, we went swimming at Nonna and Granddaddy's. It was so much fun. Rylee was so excited to show her daddy her "new trick". She spent the entire afternoon treading water. I can't believe her legs didn't get tired!

     Yesterday, we went to church and then came home and changed and ate some lunch before heading to The Emoji Movie. It was so much fun. After the movie, we did some back to school shopping. It was a lot of fun. Today is the last day of Summer Break. We are just taking it easy and trying to make sure we are caught up on everything before the craziness begins tomorrow. Wish us luck!

Catching Our Breath

      The last few weeks have been absolute insanity. We have been working on the new house from the time we wake up every morning until late most nights, but we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

     We started sleeping in the new house last Thursday night, so we've been living here for about a week. We moved the bulk of our stuff in last weekend. Moving is so exhausting. I pray we never move again! We still have a few things left at the other house, but we are mostly moved in at this point.

      Tuesday, Liz had to work, so Kaden came and spent the day with us at our new house. The kids had a blast playing games and keeping each other occupied while I was busy unpacking and organizing.

     After another long day of trying to get the house together on Wednesday, the girls and I went for little swim at Nonna and Granddaddy's Wednesday afternoon. It was a lot of fun and a much needed break from the madness.

     Rylee Love even learned how to tread water on her own. She also jumped off the latter and went under a few times. I'm so proud of how brave she is getting. At this rate, she will be swimming by the end of next summer.

      Thursday, we went up the the school to start working on my classroom. I had some great helpers, and I was really glad Ryan could come with me this year so I didn't have to move all the furniture around on my own.

     Tonight, we went to dinner with Mary and Bailey and then to Bounce With Us. The girls had a blast together. I am so proud and Rylee and Payton and how well they have behaved throughout all the work we have been doing lately. I am glad they have gotten a couple of fun nights in this week and hopefully life will slow down a little soon, so we can enjoy more time together.