Happy Office Premiere!

On the agenda today:

1. Morning carpool duty

2. Laundry

3. Playdate (are these for the kids or for me...really?)

4. Lunch

5. Get everyone to take a nap

6. More laundry

7. Strongly encourage children to do their chores

8. Catch up on cleaning so Hubs can come home to a tidy house tonight

9. Work on budget for church job

10. More laundry

11. Dinner

12. Cub scout meeting

13. Bathe children

14. Practice spelling words with Goliath, because I know we will forget to do it in the afternoon

15. Read books to everyone

16. Say prayers, sing songs, say goodnight to boys

17. Welcome home Hubby!

And then.....finally....

Girls' Getaway

This past weekend I joined my Bible Study group for a girls' getaway weekend. It was SO FUN. We stayed at the Hilton in the Southlake Town Squre, travel accommodations courtesy of Madame Expedia (aka Shannon). On Friday night we had a delicious dinner, tried our taste buds out on a fruit and cheese plate--pink cheese, anyone?--and stole the cutest little honey pots from the concierge lounge.

On Saturday morning, we slept as long as our internal mommy-clocks would allow, then enjoyed coffee and breakfast in the lounge. We spent the rest of the day shopping sans kids in the Square--an experience all by itself! It was so great to withdraw for 24 hours, but better still to be in such sweet company. Ladies, we've shared a thousand experiences over these years. You challenge me, you encourage me, you rejoice and you weep with me. How blessed I am to be part of this circle! I love each of you dearly. I am already looking forward to next year, when I will remember to pack my own fan, ha ha!

They're On a Roll!

"Mommy, how do I get God to command my wish?" --Little Middle

My New Favorite Quote

"Mom, you know what? I don't believe in armadillos."--Goliath

Jesus Is My Friend

I FINALLY learned how to post a You Tube video on my blog!!! (I know, I know....)
To mark this momentous occasion, I wanted the first video to be extra-special.

Trust me, this one's a gem. Little Middle and I have watched it over and over again, laughing every time.

*You might want to pause the playlist at the bottom of the page before viewing the video--you wouldn't want to miss a single lyric, would you?

First Day of Preschool

Big day around here...Little Middle, Baby, and I all had our first day of preschool! Our weekday program operates as a ministry of FBC Lewisville. The preschool area is dubbed "The Everlasting Seed Company"--get it? We're planting seeds of faith that will last for eternity. Thus, each room has a garden name. This year, Little Middle is in the Bluebird class and Baby is in the Strawberry room. I teach the Carrots.

We picked out our clothes, packed our lunchboxes, and packed the new backpacks last night. The boys were so excited! I thought it would be a good idea to get a few first day pictures...

First day of preschool, Take 1

First day of preschool, Take 2

First day of preschool, Take 3

Obviously, they were not too interested in having their picture made! We gave up and settled for a semi-cute shot of the three of us:

Here is Little Middle with Ms. Robin, Bluebird Teacher Extraordinaire. Goliath was a Bluebird 2 years ago, and he keeps telling Little Middle how crazy and noisy and FUN Ms. Robin is!

(He was being shy, so pretending to be asleep in the picture made him feel more secure...?)

And this is Baby with his sweet teachers Ms. Gloria and Ms. Renee. Little Middle was in their class last year, and he ADORES them. He, too, has been an encouraging big brother. I am so excited that my little one is with these ladies!

The boys are off to a great start! It's good to be back!

Tidbits

*The week before school started, Hubby and I were going to Austin for a leadership conference for the young adult Sunday School class we teach (to be fair, he teaches. I bring breakfast and provide moral support). We went to Houston first to visit family and leave the boys with my parents. As we were kissing the boys goodbye, I noticed Baby's nose was bleeding...? NO, that was runoff from the Dr. Pepper Jelly Belly he stuck up there. We ended up taking him to 24-hour urgent care. All that got us was a referral to an ENT at Memorial Hermann hospital the next morning. The same morning we were to be in Austin. The specialist couldn't see the jellybean, Baby told us he took it out and ate it (gross!), and we missed most of our conference.

This is a picture of me on the phone with the hospital. My man thought someday I might look back at My Life's Most Stressful Day and laugh. I don't think so.

*I am reading John Piper's Desiring God. Good stuff. I much prefer it over the in-depth study of the book of Zecheriah I am doing with my Tuesday night Bible Study group. Sorry, girls. Prophecy just isn't my thing.

*Speaking of my Bible Study, we are having our first annual Girls Getaway in a couple of weeks. Considering we've met together in some form for about 7 years now, I say it's high time! Those ladies are precious to me and I'm very much looking forward to a fun weekend with them.

*We painted our living room. It took 2 full days and extreme patience, but it's well worth it.

*My Chi flat iron stopped working. I am very upset about this.

*Baby has been running around in the buff for several weeks now for the sake of potty training. He does GREAT when he's naked; it's when he must wear clothes that he seems to "forget".

*I detest potty training.

*I am in desperate need of a good color/cut hair job. My hairdresser is booked, and I had to wait almost 2 weeks to get an appointment! Every day seems to be a bad hair day.

*Nigel the bunny rabbit likes watermelon.

*I want to be covered in the dust of my Rabbi.

*My husband has a real heart for the young adults in our church. He has a vision and really wants to make a difference. I love him for this.

*The first day of preschool is next Monday. Big day for Little Middle, Baby, and me! My class this year is younger than what I had last year. I am trying to be positive about this. Thank God for Shannon!

*My friend Amilee is getting married this weekend. We haven't been to a wedding in a long time, and I am looking forward to it!

*I am a little sad to see summer come to an end! Usually, I can't wait for school and all the routine that comes with it...I had an excellent summer with my man and our boys. I will miss being able to just hang out with them without anything pressing going on.

*I think it's awesome that Little Middle has way more girl friends than boy friends. My son is a player!

Little Middle and his Women

*While we were in Houston, my grandmother turned 84. She wanted to throw herself a birthday party, so we had one--at the Incredible Pizza Company (a glorified Chuck E Cheese).

*3 more weeks until The Office!

*Blue Bell has a new flavor out...Snickerdoodle! I don't know why they didn't think of it before, but I can't wait to try it!

*Goliath's new teacher does not plan to assign homework until the second 6-weeks! After Ms. L, the Kindergarten Nazi, I am stunned.

*Goliath is playing fall baseball.

*I have been disappointed with the clothing selection at Target as of late, but I found a cute denim skirt I want...at Wal-Mart. This goes against every fashion shopping rule I have.

First Grade...Finally

First grade got off to a great start last week! Goliath has learned that God cares about first graders, as Mommy's prayers were answered for a great teacher and special friends in his class. He was thrilled to find out that his best buddy Chandler is in his class! We're struggling a little bit with getting up early, but so far so good......it's gonna be a great year!

Some first day photos:

Ready to go

A little nervous........

Settled in......and doesn't need his mom!