Five on Friday!

I'm back! Blogging has taken a back seat lately but I sure miss putting my thoughts into words. Here you go - a super quick Friday Five!

 

Playdates: We have had several play dates this week! It's always fun to get together with other kiddos and their Mama's. I met up with a friend from college and her precious two kids this week at a new park in Nashville. She was in town visiting her sister and it was so fun to catch up plus find a new park. Evie had a friend come over on Wednesday and they immediately stripped down and started playing dress up. Guess who joined right in the fun? Henry was ready in his rainbow fairy outfit.

A Simple Stitch: Courtney introduced me to this amazing site. LOVE these shirts and they are a great price point. I just ordered a bunch for birthday presents. Don't be surprised if you get one from me! Check out Katie's precious shirts. These are good for older kiddos too. Henry is dying to wear his pumpkin shirt already. Check out her page on Monday's for amazing deals.

 

Henry and Evie: I am still in awe but Henry and Evie are beyond infatuated with each other. It's been an entire week without any craziness and they are just loving each other so much. It does thrill my Mama heart. Henry's second word out of his mouth when I pick him up is Sister. At least, he still says Mama first!

My Job: I am really enjoying my job! It feels terrific to be back in the classroom. Although, part time is more than enough for me. I teach two classes on Tuesday and Thursday: 4th Grade Lit and 6th Grade Comp. It's super fun to be a teacher with all the amazing Pinterest ideas. Wow, technology has really changed since I resigned in 2009 to be a Mommy. Parents email a lot more now that they have smart phones and kids are super technology savvy. Yesterday, one of my 6th graders emailed me which really cracked me up.

Labor Day Weekend Plans: We are off to South Carolina to visit Carl's parents. Evie and Henry are excited to see their grandparents. We are looking forward to a fun weekend on the lake with our new swimmer!

Life with Two Kids - 2 years later!

It's always fun to look back at my posts on life with two kids. Life has definitely become easier since my last post at 18 months. Evie has grown up so much and Henry is talking which helps out a lot!

Going Places: Evie puts her own shoes on and usually helps Henry with his shoes. She buckles herself in the car and will buckle Henry too if she can wrangle him. Same story, when we get home, she unbuckles and puts shoes away. Both kids are relatively easy in public. Evie does best when we are meeting friends or there is a possibility to make a new friend. Henry is mostly content to run around a bit and eat snacks with an occasional check-in visit with Mama. It's thrilling that I can finish conversations, check my email or jot down a quick note without losing my kids!

School: Evie and Henry both adore school but Henry gets upset if he sees sister at school. He cries a lot and wants her. This gets Evie upset and the teachers tell me that Evie takes her role as sister very seriously. She walks him in and out of the school by the hand and keeps up with his stuff.

Sleep: Evie has completely given up her nap and Henry is finally napping 2-2.5 hours at a time. Rest time was enforced during the summer months for sanity sake. Evie is at school four days a week so my house is cleaner and quieter. Both kiddos go to bed about 7 and they are ready for bed. They sleep until 7 or 8 which is nice. I wake up before them to get ready for the day, drink coffee and have my quiet time.

Playing: Evie and Henry are playing really well together and create some imaginative scenarios to act out with each other. Henry is always game for Evie's grand ideas except when he is not and then the screaming is awful. I was not prepared for the amount of screaming and fighting that takes place in this house. Occasionally, I worry that they fight too much and then another mom shares her sibling rivalry issues - that always makes me feel better.

Two kids thirty months apart is an undertaking but we are so thankful to have the chance to experience this crazy, chaotic life with our two children. Every day is has good parts, hard parts and parts that we wish would just evaporate.

Lately!

 

Another week has come and gone! Time is just flying now that we are back in school. It's hard to believe that this is our third week back in school.

We have been keeping busy with our new schedule plus trying to squeeze in workouts, play dates and fun outings. Evie is still in great spirits after school which allows us to venture out a bit. Henry is beyond exhausted on Tuesdays and Thursdays so we stick to parks or quick stops.

Henry and I are having a ball on Monday and Wednesdays while Evie is at school. Courtney and I worked out for a bit while the boys played at the Y. Henry thought that was so fun and then I took Henry to Shipwrecked for a play date with his little baby friends.

It's so much easier to just have one kiddo but I sure miss Evie. Kindergarten is going to be five days and it's a long day so this is good for us to prepare her for next year.

Fridays are our fun day although I overbooked this past Friday. We had a play date with The Porter's, picked up groceries, bought a present on the way to Andrew's party and then got home late from the party. We all hit the hay early that night but it was so fun to celebrate Sweet Andrew!

Saturday, I hosted a Sip and See for my friend Phaedra with some other friends. It was tad bit stressful getting ready for the big shindig so Carl took both kids to the pool. I thoroughly enjoyed two hours in the house by myself getting things accomplished.

Sunday, we just relaxed around the house trying to catch up on the week. Hope everyone has a terrific week!

Lately!

It's almost been a week since I posted - time sure passes quickly! Evie and Henry had a terrific first week at school. Both of them adore their teachers and are having fun learning new things. My first week back went well too - it's the best teaching job ever because it is only 5 hours per week. My students are bright and full of personality. It feels terrific to be back in the classroom.

 

My parents came on Thursday to visit for a long weekend. We had a nice time just hanging around the house. Carl was out of town until Friday but was happy to see everyone when he arrived. Evie and Henry had a ball playing with Ipop and Nana all weekend. 

We went to the library, the farmer's market, the Parthenon and played outside a ton. It was such a nice weekend. 

Some friends had us over for brunch this morning - that was fun and delicious. Not much better than a mimosa and bananas foster for dessert. 

 

Evie and I went to take dinner to a friend with a new baby this afternoon.  It was Evie's first time to hold a baby and she was in heaven! So sweet to see how much Evie loved the baby. 

Evie has been working hard to fill up her kindness jar. It has taken about a month of kind deeds but she finally made it. She selected a new baby doll as her reward and has already started filling up another jar. It works like a charm - time out does not do a thing at my house and I have found that spanking just creates more physical interaction between Henry and Evie. The kindness jar is just her ticket - positive reinforcement works best!

 

Carl took Henry on a jog and Henry fell asleep. Poor little guy was exhausted from our busy schedule.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Henry and Mama's First Day!

Henry and I both had our first day of school today! I am happy to report that we both had wonderful days. Henry walked right in to see Teacher Bell and was happy as a clam to be at school. Bell sent me a text with a picture of Henry having a blast at school which made me so happy! 

I am teaching a few hours a week at a home school tutorial. It's been a wonderful experience and just what this Mama needed to get out of the house. I have two classes, Literature 4 and Comp. 6 with 9 students in the class. The students were handpicked to attend and they are all bright, sweet children. I am excited to be back in the classroom and think this is the perfect way to have the best of both worlds.

My day went super fast and it was time to pick up my sweet little kiddos. Henry gave me a warm welcome and came flying across the room to leap into my arms. He is such a cuddle bug! Evie was in the middle of "Bathroom Partners" which just means the teacher brings two kids in at a time to go to the bathroom from the playground. She was excited to see me too!

Everyone was exhausted after a busy day! We watched a show, played outside, had a carpet picnic, some books and it was off to bed. Henry does not nap at his school - they just have a quiet rest time for about 15 minutes but he was fine. Ready for bed at 6:30 but content all afternoon. Evie is exhausted after only two days of school. Sister is going to be pooped by Thursday after 4 days of 9-2:30. 

First Day Jitters?

Evie had her first day of PreK today and it went off without a hitch. She told me on the way that she was a little nervous to go for 4 days but that she was a big girl now and that's what big girls do. I was a little teary before we left thinking about my baby girl growing up so fast. 

We arrived a few minutes early and had a chance to relax before rushing into the classroom. Evie was thrilled to be there and felt so special that her teacher noticed her beautiful dress. Evie sat right down and started her morning work. I asked her if she was ready for me to leave and she said, "yes, after a hug and a kiss." Of course, that sounded good to me. Henry wanted to stay in the Giraffe class with Evie. Sister pointed out that Henry is not a giraffe because he is a Koala.

I thought about Evie all day and could not wait to see her. She was so excited to see me and tell me about her day. Evie has decided that she wants to go to school 10 days in a row. I am thrilled for such a wonderful first day of PreK and thankful for sweet teachers for Evie.

Meeting the Teacher!

Evie and Henry were so excited to meet their teacher on Thursday night! Both of them have such kind, outgoing teachers that are thrilled to be in the classroom. That makes me so happy! Henry had already met his teacher at his one on one visit but Thursday was a chance to play in the classroom with his friends. Evie thinks she is such a big girl since she is going to school 4 days this year. PreK is going to be a blast for her.  She spotted some familiar faces which always makes things easier starting a new school. I am just thrilled to have them both in the same school for one year.

Fair Fun!

We love a good county fair! Evie has been counting down the days until the fair comes "to our town." Yesterday, was the day! We had a blast riding rides, checking out exhibits and eating yummy food. Henry was a little short for some of the rides but he still managed to ride a handful of rides.

Henry loved the tractor and the cows! Evie was all about the rides and cotton candy. She was so excited to ride the "roundy thing" with her Daddy. That's the Ferris Wheel. Evie told me that she could see all the way to Africa from the top.  It's hard to believe this was Evie's 5th year at the fair. Time passes so quickly!