Back to school!

So... haven't blogged in around 7 months & I've missed it!  Our laptop is a dinosaur & Cam is always snagging it, so I've gotten lazy about the whole process.  I have zero patience, so when a blog post should take twenty minutes but instead is taking an hour & twenty minutes, it's just not happening!  We're talking about buying me a personal laptop that Cam is required to keep his sticky fingers away from, so hopefully I'll get more consistent with blogging in the near future!

Speaking of Cam & his sticky fingers, this kid is starting 3rd grade!!  How did this happen?!  It is incredible how time is slipping by so quickly.  I feel like he was just starting kindergarten a second ago!

Cameron is such a big kid; he'll be taller than me before I know it!  A growth spurt must be in the works too because he's sleeping 12+ hours a night & it takes me waking him to get him up. He's had a nice, relaxing summer & we've been trying to get him mentally prepared for the strict routine of school these past few weeks.  He is extremely addicted attached to video games so we really have to be on top of his gaming or it gets seriously out of hand.  He will play all day long if we let him!  God forbid we tell him we're going out to dinner & he will likely throw a hissy fit because like an addict, he doesn't want to be away from it.  Yep, addicted for sure.  With school starting though, we have to ban video games Monday-Thursday because he can't balance it.  If we say he's allowed to play after homework, he will want to fly through his work so he can get to the games.  Unfortunately, it's all or nothing & to his dismay, we've chosen nothing.

Despite his video game antics, I absolutely adore this child!  He can be such a stinker but he is also incredibly sweet, loving & funny.  Cameron is very kind & thoughtful too.  He loves to play flag football & baseball, adores the Chicago Bears, the color orange, eating tomato soup, waffles, pancakes & cereal.

Because of the more laid-back schedule of summer, it's been so nice having the past couple of months to hang with my Bubba more often!

Speaking of awesome children, this little gal is off to KINDERGARTEN!!!!  She had a taste of it last week when she attended kindergarten camp & she loved every second of it.  Every time I'd pick her up from the summer camp program, she would tell me her day was AWESOME!  I think she's going to have a great first year of elementary school!

 

I clearly breed large children when you see those stats above!  Wowza!

This girl is truly something else!  Reese has such a sunny, positive disposition.  She's always up for anything & she has a smile doing it!  Having her in full time school on my Wednesdays off will definitely take some adjusting because she is such good company. 

Reese loves to swim, go to gymnastics, ride her bike, snuggle during family movie nights, color & eat snacks.  Oh boy does she like to eat snacks.  As we rein in Cam's video game playing, we have to also rein in Reese's snacking.  The girl loves to eat.  All day long if we let her.  No joke.  Being home more during the summer with extra free time on her hands has only amplified the love of snacking.  Getting back into a good routine of the school year will help curb that habit!

 It's so fun seeing the kids grow & change in their own ways.  I'm always amazed how different & unique they both are, despite coming from the same parents! 

I'd be lying if I said I was purely excited for the new school year as part of me is not looking forward to the rigmarole of the strict, busy schedule.  On the other hand though, I have a feeling it will be a great year & the routine will be good for all of us!

Back to school!

It's very hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that today kicks off the school year!  Summer went by way too quickly. 

 

My big guy started second grade today!!  Cameron wasn't able to meet his teacher last week during the open house since we were in Georgia on vacation so he walked into his classroom blindly this morning.  







I took the day off today so I could get them to school without the added stress of racing to work after.  Cam was as cool as a cucumber & totally unphased by the fact he was starting school today.



Cameron's kindergarten teacher totally "got" him & his quirky, silly nature, so she suggested his current teacher, Mrs. Arguelles, feeling that she would also get him & be an awesome fit.  She seemed like a doll when we met her this morning, so I'm confident it'll be a good year!



I had a nervous stomach as we walked Cam to his class, just as I did when I was a kid on my first day of school.  He did awesome until we were saying goodbye & giving hugs, then I noticed he was trying his darndest to hold back the tears, which he succeeded.  Unfortunately, I didn't succeed so I bolted at that point because I didn't want to make it more difficult for Cam.  It's so bittersweet watching your kids grow & transition into new phases since it's only a reminder that time is passing by so quickly.  When I get impatient with their constant demands, I remind myself that I will miss these days terribly.



This will also be the first year that I'll have my usual Wednesdays off with NO CHILDREN in the house.  I started Wednesdays off when Reese was around 6 months off so as Cam started pre-K, Reese was home with me.  Now my baby girl is starting pre-K and will be gone from 9:30-12:30!  My gut instinct is to feel sad but all of my friends think I'll eventually enjoy the 3 hours of silence.  I will definitely be more productive, that's for sure!  I already got a workout in uninterrupted which was fab & I'll be heading out to get her in less than an hour.

 

 

Reese was super excited that she's finally able to bring a backpack to school!  Her transition is easy this year because she's been at this school since she was 3 months old.

She'll be in class with her best friends so there was nothing but excitement in her morning which made drop-off a breeze!

She is in a different building from where she always has been, so that made her morning even more exciting.  You could tell that she felt she was such a big kid today!

We've been on vacation for more than a week, so when she came to the playground, there was a VERY warm welcoming as this kids yelled her name & surrounded her for hugs.  So sweet.

Photo shoots are always interesting when it comes to kids... you never know what to expect!  The day I took these pictures, Cameron was completely cooperative but Reese was in a total mood.

Eventually she came around, thank goodness!

Overall, we had a really good summer, but these two are just in a long phase where they sometimes cannot be in the same room without constant fighting.  Maybe those three quiet hours on Wednesday mornings really will be blissful?! 

Hopefully this will be a smooth, successful school year!

Goodbye 1st grade, HELLO, 2nd grade!!

Today was Cameron's last day of first grade!

Our kiddo learned so much this year; his reading has improved by leaps & bounds & he's a math whiz!  We do need to continue to work hard on neater handwriting, but I'm proud to say that he had an awesome year.  It's funny because he ended up having a lot less homework than he had in kindergarten. 

Over the course of the school year, my guy grew 2" & gained 4#!!  Pretty soon, he'll be towering over my 5'3" frame!  This summer, Cameron will be spending his days at the school wraparound program, called PLACE.  It's only $60/week & they go on two field trips each week.  Much better than the $175/week we paid last year!!  Wednesdays he'll stay home with me & Reese... yay!

As you can see from Cam's chocolate coated face & shirt, it was ice cream & movie day for his last day.  The past few days have basically been time wasters & Monday he was only in school from 9-11:30 because of the tropical storm that swept through Florida. 



A couple of weeks ago I left work for a bit to catch Cameron's awards ceremony.  I'm so glad we were both able to make it because the look on his face when he saw us coming in was priceless.

His teacher gave out candy that was fitting for each personality.  Cameron was given the "Fun Dip" award since he brings fun to the classroom activities.  I felt it was very fitting, though if I had my choice he would have gotten Goobers!

They decorated a paper runway to walk down as they accepted their awards & Cameron drew dinosaurs & wrote, "I have the #1 Mom and Dad.  My Dad is so cool.  My Mom is so fun."  So sweet! 

I'm always ready to welcome summer break because of the more relaxed schedule, but this summer is especially exciting because this bad boy is going to be in our backyard!!  Next Tuesday starts the four week install process & I cannot wait!  Our pool will look exactly like this, minus the handrail.  It'll also be screened in since I cannot handle bugs.  It still hasn't sunk in that we're actually getting a pool... CANNOT WAIT!!!  Happy summer!

Back to school!

It's back to school today & there was a lot of excitement last night & this morning.  I knew it was a good sign when I picked Cam up from his last day of summer camp on Friday & he told me that he wished it was Monday!

On top of Cameron starting a new school year, I found out Friday that Reese was also moving up to a new class today.  Too much to handle in just one day, but I did very well this morning & no tears were shed by anyone!

Me & Lo Lo getting in on the action!

Saturday we had a fun photo shoot with my talented friend, Jill, just as we did last year.  The pictures turned out awesome & I'm thankful since I love updating our framed family photos each year.

 

 

 

Tay Tay & Reese

It's funny because Taylor has always called Reese, "Baby" Reese & we're starting to wonder when that will stop!  Mind you, they're only 6 months apart, so it's pretty funny!
 

Cameron, Avery, Reese & Brooks

 

 Last Thursday we had the opportunity to check out Cam's school & meet his first grade teacher, Mrs. Marzullo.  She seems super organized & on top of things which is right up my alley.  They're using an app/website called Class Dojo to track behavior/points to redeem for good behavior.  I love being able to see how he's doing in class & this is so much more with the times since I can check in remotely.

It's crazy to see just how much Cameron's grown in one short year; 2.5" & 9.2#!!

 Despite the crazy, busy evenings, the start of the school year brings so much excitement!  Looking forward to a great, new year!