Presents a month early...

I have told Justin that we will not be celebrating my birthday this year due to the fact that it is the first anniversary of my 29th birthday and I am not doing so well with that.  He told me a while back about the possibility of going on a mini-vacation to celebrate, but then we decided it would be foolish to spend so much money to go to our destination for just a few days because I can't take off any longer than that.  So, yesterday he allowed me to order a few things I had been wanting and then we are going to take a longer vacation this summer when we can be gone for about a week--and we will be taking the kids.  We are almost certain of our destination which I am incredibly excited about and I will be sure to share the details once they are finalized.  And of course one of my gifts will certainly come in handy to capture the memories of our first family of four vacation...

Courtesy of http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E60D/E60DA4.HTM

Yep, I am finally getting my camera upgrade.  I have loved my entry level DSLR camera, but I think I am going to LOVE my new Canon 60d.  It should be here on Friday.  And yes, I did sell my old camera on Ebay and it is currently in transit to Russia as we speak.

And my other awesome birthday present...

Courtesy of www.toms.com

Toms shoes are so comfortable and these will definitely be worn a lot.  So, yes, I know I am spoiled so I guess the 1st anniversary of my 29th birthday won't be too bad. :)

Beginning of School Craziness...

Whew...that's about all I can say.  For the seven years I have been teaching, the first two weeks of school have always been the busiest/craziest, but this year it seems to have intensified.  Between writing lessons plans, doing my responsibilities as a team leader, writing tests for our curriculum, learning how to incorporate new technology into my classroom, and so on and so on, I feel like I haven't had time to breathe for the past week and a half.  Well, I literally haven't been able to breathe some days due to my allergies, so that has just added to the stress and chaos.  Most days, I am counting it a success if I have time to get dinner on the table and tuck the kids into bed.  I am hoping to have about 1 more week of the craziness and then having things settle down a bit, but it appears my schedule is pretty packed all fall.  I simply have to remind myself that this too shall pass--I just can't wait to be on the other side.

Preschool

Yesterday was Makenna's first day of preschool.  Well, technically the preschool doesn't start until Thursday, but it was her first day of going to the daycare part so we just counted it as her first day.  Thankfully, she has LOVED the first two days and she didn't want to leave when I picked her up today because she was playing with her friends in the "clubhouse" (aka: a Little Tykes house on the playground).  It is very reassuring that she tells us about her day with great excitement and that she has made some new friends.  She already knew 2 of the boys in her class so that has helped, but she has already met some other kids that she plays with as well.  Hopefully we will continue to have good days, but it still hard for me to believe she is already in preschool.  I really don't know what I will do in two years when she starts kindergarten.

The End of Summer

Today is the last day of summer vacation.  On Monday, I go back to work, Makenna starts preschool, and Beckham goes back to daycare. Where has to summer gone?  Last night was "Meet the Teacher Night" at Makenna's preschool and she seemed very comfortable there.  She loved the playground and thought her teacher was very nice.  It will be so different taking her there every morning instead of dropping her off with Beckham, but I know she will enjoy school.

Now for some pictures I haven't posted yet--some of Makenna at her last night of soccer camp (it was crazy hair night) and some of our recent trip to the zoo.  We only visited a few animals at the zoo because it was SO hot, but Makenna got to do what she wanted--feed the giraffes and see the new baby giraffe.

9 month check-up

This morning we went for Beckham's 9 month check-up and got a good report.  He weighs 19 lbs. 14 oz. and is 28 inches long.  Everyone says he looks so big, but he is in the 25th-50th percentile in both categories.  He is right on track (or above) on everything developmentally and I was also told that the bump I have been worrying about on his head is only an lymph node and nothing to be concerned about.  We are so blessed to have healthy children.  I thank God for that everytime I read about a sick child with cancer, heart defects, etc. because I know that it could easily be Justin and me in their parents' shoes.

This morning we also got some much needed rain and a break from the HOT, HOT, HOT temperatures.  My car only registered 74 degrees on my way to the gym this morning and 76 on our way to the doctor.  Currently it is only 82, which sad to say, feels very nice.