Unexpected Blessings

Today was Day Three of 2nd grade for Lucy and early morning/routine for the rest of us. Wow - what an adjustment but honestly, it's one that is very welcome. We are out the door at 7:30 to drop her off, home to do chores and then by 8:30, Cole is asking for lunch. :) We get done with our chores and errands so early in the day now, it feels weird to eat lunch at 11 and have naps by 12. But we are so much more productive and I am loving that!

Each school day brings home a better report from my girl and I feel confident that in no time she will love it as much as she did Oak Brook. She is not a morning person and not one for change (but then again, who is?) so it wasn't a huge shock that she would be so prickly after the first couple of days.

Yesterday we got home and saw a little girl and her mom going into the next door house. We knew people had just moved in last week but hadn't a chance to go over there yet. Lucy said right away, "I think she is in my class!' Sure enough, we knocked on the door and now Lucy has a built in playmate. In fact, she is over here now and I am enjoying hearing giggles come from her room while they play.

The boys and I went up to the elementary school today to see about special ed testing. After a preliminary meeting, it was determined that Nate would not qualify for speech (although the teacher wanted him to after spending time with my sweet boy). Cole will go back for further testing next week but I have to say, I was so impressed with everything. The teachers, the classrooms, their efficiency (not what I was expecting at all). We'll see how it progresses but I'm very excited my little one could really get some needs met and soon!

We have celebrated all these fun surprises with a few trips to Happy Hour at Sonic for some 50 cent slushies (which also really help us deal with the miserable heat). I didn't expect God to bless us in such a way while we were living here and am thankful He has. I love how He is so faithful to remind us in small ways how much He cares.

Winding Down

We have less than a week til the end of summer vacation...can't believe my oldest is about to start 2nd grade at yet another new school! She is so excited and has had her first 5 days of outfits picked out for a while now. I'm trying not to be too nervous for her having to be the new kid again.

I am sad about her being gone (she is such a mama's helper) but looking forward to having a routine. She asked very politely if she could be a car rider instead of taking the bus which I am happy to do for her. Of course it will be extra work to get the boys ready to get out the door at 7:30 every morning but it will get us up and going and on our way!

Nate will start pre-k after Labor Day and it will be his first experience to be gone all day! Last year, his preschool was mornings only. He got a brand new superheros lunch box and is really looking forward to it. It helps that the pre-k is also at our church - should be a lot of familiar faces!

We have started the referral process for both boys to be tested for early childhood special ed but with the busyness of back to school, I'm sure it will be a while before either gets services. (Nate was recommended for speech. I have mixed feelings about it because I think the way he talks is adorable. "Tole" for Cole, etc. But I guess it's a part of growing up!)

Cole's new mantra is "I still hun-dry" aka I'm still hungry! Seriously, this peanut wants to eat all day long lately. Still no growth to show for it so we will see what the endocrinologist has to say in a few weeks. He even asks at bedtime, "I get breakfast after night-nights?" And of course I tell him "yes" to which he responds by throwing his hands in the air and shouting "Yay!!!!!" like I've just told him we're going to Disneyworld or something. Funny kid.

We had some fun visits to break up our monotonous long days. Jennifer and her girls came for a day (they live about 2 hours away) and we had a blast. Jennifer and I were college roommates at A&M for the spring semester of our sophomore year and then the last semester there while we were both student teaching (boy, did we share some stories then!) I will always remember that she was the one who woke me in the middle of the night to tell me that Bonfire fell and some students had died.

Here are our kiddos at Chick-fil-a!

We also got a visit from another college friend, Amanda, and her sweet family. Amanda was my best friend at A&M and also great friends with Mark, too. It's always so much fun to hang out again - like no time has passed. She has a sweet 2 year old and is expecting a baby girl in a few months.

We were so grateful to have visitors especially since we still don't have a couch and had to sit and visit on hard dining chairs. Speaking of dining chairs, I just sold our perfectly good set and bought some old, rickety antique ones to refinish. Having major regrets right now but hopefully they will hold up. Here is my inspiration although my color palette is not as bright:

We also got another visit in to see my parents who took us to the new Sea Life Aquarium. The rest of our time there was spent in the swimming pool where all three of my children turned into fish!

Lots of visits and time with Grandma and Grandpa and the kids are looking forward to another sleepover at their house this weekend (which means date night for Mark & I)!

Soaking up our lazy days but also grateful for upcoming events on the calendar. A time for everything!