Another "First" (sort of!)

Today was the big day for Grayson and Mommy! I know it's not real school, as in Kindergarten, but it was Grayson's first day away from mommy and home routines. Grayson is going to Pre-K 4 this year and he was so excited this morning. I awoke early, when the clock still had a 6 on it, and got ready first so that we wouldn't be late. I had a few practice runs for school mornings when Grayson did Summer Camp at the church and I had to be at work. I learned that in order for us to be on time for 8:30, I had to get up and be ready first. I knew this day was coming, but I've put it off as long as possible. Did you know that you can stay in your pj's long past noon some days if you schedule it just right?! I'll miss those days, but they are replaced with excitement and new adventures.

I had set his clothes out the night before, all ironed and ready to go. The snack and plastic yellow cup for water was in his new lunchbox. The backpack was loaded down with his new supplies. His "homework" man was dry and ready to be taken in. As he watched one cartoon this morning, I made him chocolate chip pancakes in Mickey ear shapes of course. We were all ready, took pictures out front, and were at school on time!!

This was his first assignment given to him at Open House. The "man" needed to look like him. He did a great job!! I am proud of us both! I resisted the urge to help, except for the glue, and I'm proud of teh job he did all by himself. He was pretty excited how it turned out too!!

He walked right into his room only to find he had a new seat assignment. He wasn't rattled at all. We hing up the backpack and lunchbox on the "Grayson" hook and then he found his name at his new table and sat down. Daddy took a quick picture and we left after last kisses, and a few parting words "have fun, make a new friend, be a good listener, see you at lunch!" We were outta there as the same parents lingered who were there when we arrived to drop off. We did as we were told at Open House...please drop them off, give a kiss, and just leave so the transition is as smooth as possible, I'll call if we're experiencing a meltdown!

The hardest part of just being down the hallway is the detours I take to avoid walking in front of his room all day long and the resisting the urge to just go 15 steps and peek in on him!! It was the hardest part, but knowing that I want him to get adjusted before I come visiting, I'll resist the urge to see how he's doing. I'll wait until at least the first of October!! Plus, I know how things are as a teacher, and having parents pop in always made me nervous and usually set the kids reeling and not always in a good way!!

I loved hearing his first comment, "I had a fun day today!" That was music to my ears. Although I had to keep plugging away with questions to get more information from him about the day, I know it was an absolute success!! WAHOO!! He was even ready to go back the next day.

One of my favorite things is being on the other side of school stuff. I totally know the teacher perspective, but now I get to experience the other side, and that of a parent. I admit it might be a little harder than I thought to just go with the flow, not ask too many "what's up with this or that?", adn just accept things for face value. One of my favorite things though is going to be on the receiving end of the "homework folder". I loved looking through his backpack today adn pulling out that folder that he so carefully chose and peering inside to see what was waiting for me!! He had his first bring home sheet that I will definitely be putting in the scrapbook!!

Can you spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S !!!!!!

Awesome Team!

I know you've heard me say it before, but I am so priveleged to not only serve with these people but to call them friends! We are anxiously awaiting our new year to begin in 2 weeks. As has become an annual tradition, we took over Mike and Kristen's home for the afternoon. Mike grilled, we all ate good food, some played badminton adn volleyball, some cooled off in the lake, some just took it all in and visited. With our largest turnout ever, we all had an amazing time. Lots of laughter, getting to know the newest members (who by the way are already fully initiated into our family!), and just enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon. Thanks Mike and Kristen for hosting us again! It was a highlight and a great way to bring us all together to get set for another year of serving the children of Atlantic Shores! For those of you not there, we missed ya'll!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

It's Official!!

His name is on the door, he has a backpack hook, a ladybug marks his table space, and of course their is a behavior chart, now on "greeen", with his name on it! And more than just that, our names were on a Parent handbook! We have joined "that crowd"...parents of a school-age child!!

We went to Open House at School tonight, and met Grayson's teacher and saw his new classroom. We are excited for Grayson for this new opportunity. He got a chance to talk to his teacher, and I'm glad to know her a little already. Grayson actually opened up and talked to her as she opened the bag of goodies that we had picked out to give to her. I heard her ask if he was excited about school, and his response was "Yes, but I'm a little nervous too". She smiled and told him everything was going to be great and that he would love it there.

Although I am excited about him being here and all the wonderful things he is going to learn and do, I am most anxious to see how he will react day after day. I see some resistance in my future, but praying that it will not come. My sensitive soul can be wounded very easily, and I am thankful to have seen a mild-mannered boy sitting beside him at his table. We have also seen this incredibly "perfectionist" side of Grayson coming out lately and I worry about meltdowns if something is not done as he feels like it should be. Before you say so, yes, I know where he gets that from. Mom, maybe you can give me some tips as to how you dealt with "perfectionist" children!! Please pray that Grayson will just flourish in this environment. He is going to love the academics, will be fine with the routine and structure, and is going to love all the "specials" of gym, music, art, etc. It is the socialization, shyness, and being so hard on himself that worries me most. Overall, we are all excited about this new adventure for Grayson and know that he is in a great place!! We're ready for Monday morning-no kleenexes necessary!!

Santa's List

Thanks to Craig and Heidi for their friendship, the playdates, the laughter, but mostly for this...

...this latest addition to his Santa's Wish List for Christmas this year!! We'll need a house with a garage first, please Santa!!

Is this a vision of 12 years down the road?! Two hands please, at 10 and 2!!

Jumpin' Jellybeans!!

My goal for this week was to squeeze some fun time in as I've been working and he heads off to 5-days a week of preschool next Monday. Monday his best friend Candace, our sitter, came over and played while I had my weekly meeting at church. He just loves Candace to pieces and is already asking when the next time is!! On Tuesday, I decided to try something new with Grayson. We love Kanagroo Jacs, but knew there were others in the area. Coupons were in the Tidewater Parent magazine for Jumpin' Jellybeans, so we decided to go and give it a try. I put the call out there for anyone who wanted to come and join us and so Heidi and Katy came with the kids and met us for the morning. Other than 1 family, we were the only ones there. Yes, it was a little more expensive, entrance fees and snacks, but we had an absolute blast!! Grayson has said that this one is now his new favorite. They just seemed to have more of a variety than Jacs. We lasted 3 hours plus and then it was time to head out as a bunch of much older children swarmed the place. What a fabulous time, even for me as I always don socks with Grayson for a few things!! Jumpin' Jellybeans for sure!!

Oh, those 2 boys tried everything to stick to that wall, but all the stickiness must be gone!!

What's Up Doc?!

Grayson is starting school, and that means a doctor physical/check-up. I got a fabulous recommendation from Natalie, but her wonderful pediatrician isn't accepting new patients. Katy gave hers a glowing recommendation so we booked him. All Grayson wanted to know if he was going to have to have a shot. The last time he had one, he was so sick with strept throat and it was a terrible experience. He hasn't had a "real" well-check in forever, so it was great to hear that he is perfect in every way! 42 inches (tall for his age), 37 pounds (a little on the skinny side, but okay), teeth that were pegged as a thumsucker's that a orthodontist is going to love one day, and 20-30 vision. I got a little giggle watching him do the vision test. One of the pictures he didn't know, not because he couldn't see, but he didn't know what to call it. He did better than me, some of the pics were blurry to me!! The hand looked like a strawberry!!



We weren't sure what was going to happen with this appointment as we opted to not complete all the regimen of vaccinations with him as an infant. We knew we wanted him to receive some of the shots now, as we felt they would be good to have going into a school environment, but not sure if we could opt out of 1/2 and have the other 1/2.

The pediatrician couldn't have been nicer, the office staff and nurses were all wonderful. I was very pleased with everything, other than the fact that we were there for 2 1/2 hours!!! After talking with the pediatrician about our concerns with the vaccines, and finding out we couldn't opt out of some and not others, we decided just to go ahead and get him caught up with the vaccines. Some of the vaccines weren't necessary anymore because of his age, and he actually didn't have to have that many to get caught up. Although he did need 5 shots, we were shocked when the nurse came back with the tray and she was preparing to administer all 5 at once!! I was like "5 shots, all right now...is that okay?" Grayson was a champ, and has only said that his arm hurt once the next day.

He was taken out for his favorite supper, his choice, when we finished seeing as he was such a trooper! And where did he choose..."The cheeseburger place with the peanuts on the floor!!" Known to us as Five Guys!! So he is all vaccinated up, doing great, and ready for Pre-School!!

Perfect Day!!

I'm working odd hours this week because there is no more summer camp for Grayson, so I'm taking the opportunity to do some fun things with Grayson before he starts school. I called up Heidi Tuesday morning to see if she and the kids were up for a last minute trip to the beach. She said it was absolutely what she needed, so we packed up and headed over to the quiet and close Chicks Beach. Thanks Sue for introducing this fabulous spot to us!!

What a great day! The weather was deceiving as the wind was a little cool, and so suncreen did not get lathered on as it should. Thankfully I was the only burnt one, as Grayson's sun blended in nicely by the evening. Couldn't hide it from Daddy though!! That, and Grayson tattled on me that I hadn't lotioned him up! Oooops!

The boys and I had a really good sand tunnel-moat system going! We had the water travelling under 2 bridges into a pool below! Obviously I had as much fun as the boys. Grayson was glad that the waves weren't as strong and high as at the Oceanfront, so he enjoyed going into the water himself and "jumping the waves". What a great day! Thanks Heidi for the great conversation and comraderie as always, and thanks Bradley adn Alayna for coming to play with Grayson!! We'll have to do it again!

A Beach Day

I have been telling Trevor that we have been so busy this summer that we have not gotten down to the Ocean for some sand fun at all!! Well, Saturday was the chosen day, although it wouldn't have been my choice. But seeing as I had been talking about it, we packed the house up and headed down. It was unusually slow and the weather was perfect.

Trevor sunned and rode waves while Grayson and I did our "sand thing". We always have the best time building a castle of sorts, roadways for the trucks, and a huge moat. We weren't able to make the moat work this time as we were too far away from the water, but we did something new. For his birthday he got 2 great digging shovels, so we tried to "dig to China!!" Well the hole got big enough for us to get in, although I had to do it first to show him that it was okay to be all covered up with sand!! Oh my sweet cautious boy! What a great day together, followed up by burgers on the grill!! Perfect summer day!

Movie Day

I have continued to look over the movie titles for another opportunity to take Grayson to a movie. Well, finally there was a good 4-year old selection that I wouldn't mind Grayson seeing, so off we headed again for a free summer movie. We called our friends Heidi, Bradley, and Alayna to join us. As we were waiting in line, Grayson got a special treat. The alarm had gone off in the building so who should arrive, but the fire department. It may have been the highlight of the day for him!!

The movie was Clifford, the popcorn was good, the company fabulous, and even Alayna stayed put for the majority of the 90 minute movie. After we were done, although we were filled up with snack food, we still headed over to Chick-Fil-A to enjoy some lunch adn get the wiggles out on the playground.

Another fun summer memory. Thanks for joining us friends!! I'd say let's do it again, but the free movies are over, so the next movie day might owrk iout better at our house on the "big screen"!!

Look How Far We've Come, Baby!

Sunday, August 3 was our 12 year anniversary. Trevor surprised me by taking me back to where we honeymooned. Naples was just as beautiful as I remembered...FL that is!! My parents took Grayson for a week, as it was due, and we flew out on Friday morning. Although the flight down was rocky, it was the only dreadful thing about our weekend. Well, that is of course unless you want to count the fact that the only thing that didn't make it into my suitcase was my make-up bag. NO, I'm not joking!!! I was at this fabulous resort for the weekend to celebrate my anniversary, and I had no make-up. Thank goodness I travel at all times with a tube of mascara in my purse!!

Trevor knows how to plan a surprise and no detail was left uncovered. Fabulous accomodations (although we soon learned that they had gotten smart and the AC would no longer work while the balcony door was open!), fine foods (too many great meals, desserts, brunches, drinks, etc. to mention!), unsurpassable service and pleasant staff (I don't think there was anyone on staff who didn't know it was our anniversary on Sunday and didn't go the extra mile!), and lots of extra special additions to the weekend planned by Trevor.

Friday night after we arrived, we had a midnight boat sail. We ditched the sailboat as we both enjoyed the speedboat that picked us up beachside right in front of our resort! Talk about front door service! We spent 2 hours touring the waterways around Naples, and actually travelled much of the Intercoastal Waterway, which surprisingly runs right near our home in VA!! The sunset was incredible as you can see. It reminded me of pics that I've seen of creation when all God had done was separate the firmament. After the sun set we headed back at full speed across the Gulf waters to our resort. After a much anticipated meal of room service (Trevor thinks they have the best burger and fries!!!), day one was at a close.
Saturday was for relaxing and that we did. We ventured to finally look at the clock only to realize we had both slept until 11:00AM. How marvelous was that--a 12-hour sleep!!!! We headed down to the Gulf to enjoy basking in the sun and read and have refreshments under the umbrella. On a pristine beach, a good book, a fruity drink, listening to the waves...does it get any closer to peaceful!! We watched the sunset from the balcony on the 14th floor of the resort as we enjoyed night chocolates and hors d'oeuvres. After a memoriable beach walk, we enjoyed listening to live jazz music being played in the Lobby.

Sunday was the big day!! A spa day had been arranged by Trevor and I was ever so pampered. I warned him later that he had introduced me to spa days, and I was now hooked!! We had a couple's massage, split up to have facials, and while Trevor enjoyed the sauna and jacuzzi, I got a full-body salt scrub treatment. We lounged by the spa's mineral pool, and after lunch I had my hair and make-up done for the evening. I've never had someone do my hair and make-up either, as I did it myself for my wedding! They were so sweet at the spa, and sent us away with a gift-2 of the most luxurious bath robes I have ever felt!! I can't to put it on in the morning!! We went down to dinner at a fabulous romantic restaurant. Waiting for me at the table was a bouquet of yellow roses and wildflowers, my absolute favorite!! We dined over the next 2 hours and a few courses complete with warm tiramasu souffle's!! We went to the Lobby for a nightcap and to enjoy some more Jazz music. When we returned to the room, yellow rose petals were everywhere, complimentary drinks and sweets were waiting, and it was perfect. What a great way to end a perfect day!!

Yes, those are chocolate covered strawberries, and the picture frame is edible too!!

Monday was the day to fly home, but we still had the whole morning to again relax poolside. I finished my book, just in time to go and pack suitcases. The flight home was a million times better, although I looked a little funny walking through the airports. The resort had packaged up my floral bouquet so I could take it home with me. As they said, I looked like Mrs. America walking through the airports with a bouquest of flowers in my arm!! Wish I'd taken a picture of that memory!!

Trevor, this has always been one of my favorite songs. Although 12 years have been far from perfect and we've had more than a lifetime's share of high's and low's, with God at our sides, we're still holding on, we're still going strong, and we're more in love with each other and the people we have become. We have so much to celebrate, and I thank you for all you did this weekend to show me how special and valued I am to you and how much you respect the commitment we have and wanting to celebrate it in true style. It was a weekend that we will not soon forget, and keep us both yearning for the next one. I love you, Baby!!