In Case They Ever Wonder

As school begins next week, and I think about the summer, I'm amazed by all the kids have gotten to do. I'm even more amazed by how much I've not blogged about all they've done. This has been a rough pregnancy, and I haven't been able to keep up with the events as they've happened, but I want to be sure to remember all the fun memories we've made during this long, hot summer! Summer Highlights Finishing up ballet and Sophie's dance recital - Sophie was a "confused chicken" in the ballet! It was the perfect part for her, and she did a great job! Will's first season of t-ball! - I could not have been a more proud mom as my big #6 took the field for the first time this year. It took Will a good while to get the hang of batting. (We kept telling him to hit the ball like he hits Sophie!) And he got a little better at fielding once the cicadas went away! By the end of the season, Will was getting the hang of it, and we look forward to ...

I feel like whenever I write about Lillie I am constantly using words like sweet, precious, and darling. It sounds so cheesy, but if you know her at all, you know that there is something about her nature that is so special. Now, before I paint a picture of an absolute cherub, I should mention when necessary, our little lamb can be quite the lioness! About a month ago, I took her to the doctor determined that she had an ear infection or that something was wrong with my sweet girl. Lillie was being unusually fussy, but she also had begun screaming whenever she wanted anything and sometimes apparently just for fun. Really, more than a scream, it was like a high-pitched screech, like what I imagine a prehistoric bird might make. Her favorite place to let loose was her highchair, or actually, her most favorite was in the highchair of a crowded restaurant, but she also began screeching if she simply dropped something in the playroom and wanted me to pick it up for her! I was convin...

My favorite job I've ever had was teaching second grade. I always suspected I was born to be a mother, but I didn't know until after college that I was also born to be a teacher. Thankfully, I discovered it in time to have four amazing years at a wonderful school teaching the most precious children from families that became dear to me. I can still name each of my second grade students, and I vividly remember all thirteen of my first class of second graders. Several of them I still know and love today. In just a couple of weeks, my first class of second graders leaves for college. I'm still not quite sure how that is possible. In that same couple of weeks, my first baby will head to second grade. I'm not sure how that is possible either, but what I'm more concerned about is the fact that all I did was blink my eyes, move a couple of times, change a few hundred diapers, and teach a child to read in the time between that first day of teaching second grade and the time...