Amazing

We had an amazing time at the beach.

We had an equally amazing time at the Outpatient Surgery Center today.

Reese is doing well and recuperating from inguinal hernia surgery. More from our beach weekend and the surgery story tomorrow! **That is a mosquito bite on his forehead.**

School and Spanish mode

Is it really September 1st? I'm pretty sure I blinked and this month was over. I gave this little guy a haircut and now he looks three. I can't stand how big he is already. He can climb on to the couches, chairs, ottoman and even get himself down safely... most of the time. He laughs ALL. THE. TIME. Seriously. If he cries, he either wants some milk, food, or he's ready to go to bed. Love, love, love this little guy.

Our house is still available. Two new families moved in on our street this past weekend. They are both renting. We've had two calls about renting ours. Guess no one is really interested in buying a house right now. I don't blame them. I'm not very interested in buying one. But I am pretty interested in selling one.

We started school this week and it has been really fun. I'm still trying to determine the best times {read: least interruptions from younger brothers}, but I do think Elle is enjoying it. I might be having as much fun as she is. We've been reading Winnie-the-Pooh, the original version by Milne and laughing at the silly old bear. We've been studying through the days of creation, making a creation book and learning the hymn This Is My Father's World. Lots of alphabet review in the introduction too. I know we are only three days in to it, but I love the freedom. We are learning at our own pace, doing tons of fun things, still having time to play outside and play with friends. And I won't go in to how smart Elle is or how proud I am of what all she knows because I am, quite possibly, a little biased. Did I mention she was reading?

We also decided on an impromptu beach trip for Labor Day. Now I'll get some pictures of the kids at the beach! And Steven will be with us! We are so excited! We'll return just in time to get a good night's sleep before Reese goes under the knife for his hernia surgery on Tuesday, September 7th. And speaking of surgeries, my brother is having knee surgery tomorrow morning to repair a torn meniscus. I would love any prayers for their successful surgeries and quick healing and recoveries.

On the family note, just a quick shout out to my sister. She started high school this week. She's going to a brand new school, with all new people. High school is tough no matter what, but especially this way. She's hanging in there and I am very proud of her. Not sure I could've done this when I was her age.

And last, but certainly not ever least, a little Spanish mode Buzz dancing by Grady. I downloaded the Spanish version of You've Got A Friend in Me, and boy, has he got some moves. Can't wait to laser some more whales this weekend with him in the Gulf...

Some adorable tshirts

I know most of you probably read her blog anyway, but I wanted to pass on Darby's new adventure: Honey Bee Tees. They are super cute and very inexpensive!

We are officially starting school today! Let the adventures begin:).

Random Pictures

Elle's first dance class

He wanted "the wrong Buzz" cake. This would be the Buzz from the toy store, with the blue utility belt, not Andy's Buzz. As he was eating it, he said, "Mom, this cake is AWESOME!".

The marketing people for Toy Story are smart people.... And wealthy:).

Even cowboys have to take potty breaks.

And one of this little pumpkin.

Savannah recap with no pictures

If you haven't been to Savannah, you should put it on your list of places to see. My mom and sister moved downtown and they live in a home full of charm and are surrounded by extremely old, cool houses and extremely old, cool trees. It is just beautiful. We took walks every morning and found a new park to explore. We walked to my sister's new high school. We went to several park squares that had playgrounds. We went down to River Street one night for dinner and got to see huge barges with stacks and stacks of freight coming in and out of port. We went to Tybee Island and played in the ocean waves and sand, saw lighthouses, and chased seagulls. And Grady ran from Ninevah and the whale {we've been watching VeggieTales Jonah}, and then he would jump in to his Buzz Lightyear stance and laser the whales out in the ocean. One time he got water in his eyes and he took off for the nearest towel, which happened not to be ours, and folded himself up in the beach chair in the process. Thankfully, the three ladies to whom said items belonged, did not seem to mind.

We went to an Art museum downtown and I'm positive every patron in there could hear every utterance out of Elle and Grady's mouths. There was quite an echo, but it was a cool museum. We went to CiCi's Pizza and ToysRUs, where Grady walked in and said, "It's BEAUTIFUL!" and my sister knocked down the bigger-than-life cardboard Buzz. We put together my sister's new IKEA dresser and realized why "already assembled" furniture is so much more expensive.

I was really sad I didn't have our camera. It was Reese's first trip to Savannah and all of the kids first {and only} time at the beach this summer. Oh well...

We packed up and headed to Atlanta to stay at the Embassy Suites, by the airport, for two nights. This particular hotel holds many memories for me because it is where we stayed both before leaving for Kazakhstan and when we returned. After a bumpy start to our stay {fridge not working and not very clean room}, we ordered room service and had a relatively peaceful night. The next day, a friend drove up with her two girls from Athens to meet us at Imagine It!, which is such an awesome place. Steven came in to town that evening for the car auction. We had dinner in the hotel, hit the chlorine overloaded indoor pool, visited with Aunt Rhonda, and called it a night. I made the trek home the next day with the kiddos while Steven worked some more. All in all, a fun way to end our summer.

Is he really three?

I am sad to say that I forgot to take my camera with me on our Savannah/Atlanta adventures. I hope to at least write them down soon because we had so much fun and there were many hilarious things said. Mostly by this guy, who is THREE today! Happy Birthday little cowboy! Mommy and Daddy love you so much and are so thankful for you and your life. You manage to make us laugh so hard. You also challenge our parenting skills daily:). We pray God grants you a full life knowing Him and loving people, whether you are a cowboy or a space ranger. Or sometimes both!

Lately

When I was last here, I was getting ready for a weekend trip to Atlanta. It was a lot of fun and a great break from the wonderful, but somewhat monotonous, daily grind of motherhood. My mom and sister showed up a few days later for a week long stay. Mom left {to return to her teaching!} and my sister stayed. We have filled the days with trips to the library, Pump It Up, the McWane Center and another new kids' play place here in Calera.

Grady got to participate in some early birthday presents:

Which resulted in a lot of dressing up

Today we are driving to Savannah to return my sister to her rightful home and help them "break in" their new home downtown. We are stopping in Atlanta for a few days on the way back to meet up with Steven while he's working and do a little more playing before our summer is officially over. I am homeschooling Elle this year for kindergarten. She will also be taking a weekly Ballet and Tap class. We are busy trying to come up with a name for our "school" as well as a mascot and school colors. Very important things for a kindergarten homeschool:).

Time to go! More later...