Working in a hard hat?

Well, you read correctly. The school I work for is undergoing a new construction/renovation project. The high school completely renovated (what was) the newer section of the building and has built a brand new, three-story wing and a huge gym. Since the main entrance of the building is not completely finished yet, employees must wear a hard hat to enter their classroom, if it is in the new three-story wing. I have to say it is amazing the progress on the building - and it looks like we'll start school on time.

Hanging out with my children

Aren't they just adorable? I have enjoyed the summer with my children. It is hard to imagine going back to work after the fun we've had reading, playing, giggling...taking mini field trips to grandparent's houses...I'm speechless, which is rare.

To move or not to move....

We have recently placed our house on the market. We are ready to relocate ourselves closer to our family, church, work, and David's school. Driving 20-30 minutes everywhere is getting so old. So...up it went for sale. We have looked at about 12 houses and have already made a bid on one (but we lost it), so we're on to looking at others in our price range. We did find one recently, but we are cautious, as the first showing for our house is tomorrow. We want to have some assurance that our house will sell before we buy another one. Swing loans are not ideal.

We're on the mend...

Well, I can happily report that everyone is doing better in our household. David returned to school today (and so did I for training). All-in-all it was a great day, but I am wiped out. So...it is time for me to retire (that is to sleep, not from working - how I wish!) On a side note, here is my favorite picture of Mike and David. Mike had just built, out of a huge box from work, a little house for David to play in.

No rest for the weary

I am exhausted today. Everyone is sick in my family, except for me. How much longer will I have to cope with runny noses, coughs, sleepless nights and irritable dear ones? David is finally down for a nap and Hope will go down soon, so I have found my reprieve in updating our blog. Finally, some "me" time, except I am not entirely alone. I have two beautiful little eyes on me, watching my every move. Here is her expression...a typical one since she has been sick. Actually, her expression encapsulates how I feel...

Mommy is emotional now that David is in school

I cannot believe David is in school already. It blows my mind. I was so depressed on his first day of school, that I went to Burger King for lunch and had Jr. Whopper Meal. I had to keep busy to prevent me from thinking about the fact that he wasn't at home. He is growing up too fast.

David was okay on his first day at school. He found a truck he really liked when we first arrived at his school, but then he later threw the truck over the divider door in anger that we were leaving him. We felt so embarassed, but the teacher told us that he had an excellent first day of school!

Here is a picture taken right before we left out the front door to take David to school.

Our Family Vacation

It is hard for me to believe, but Mike and I actually packed two children (and a whole bunch of baby/toddler stuff) in our van and drove 14 hours to Georgia for our family vacation. I am still amazed we made it to and fro in one piece. We had an awesome time, as the reason for our travels was to attend the Frye and the Brown (my mother's maiden name) family reunions. I haven't seen some of my cousins in 15 years. It was a wonderful time to catch up with relatives and for my grandmother to finally meet my children. Amazingly, we actually got to relax some too! I hope you enjoy the following pictures! Make sure you click on "older posts" at the end of the page, as I have many more photos to share!

While on vacation, I had an awesome opportunity to visit with all of my cousins - on both sides of my family. Here I am with my cousins on my mom's side, at my aunt's house, in order of birth. Notice how I am ALWAYS the shortest one in the picture.

This is my favorite picture from our vacation! I'm amazed that we all look half decent - considering it was another long, exhausting day in the humid southern air.

Here is my grandmother with all the great grandchildren. Notice David's expression...he is about to tip Hope over into the grass. If you look carefully, it is an action shot. She tumbled into the grass seconds later. She wasn't hurt though- just scared.

Here is David with his great grandmother ( my dad's mother). As you can see, they got along great.

Here is the entire family at Aquarium. Michael and I decided seconds before this picture that we were going to leave VERY soon. Don't get me wrong - we had a blast, well, for a few minutes. It was just that there were SO many people! It was hard to maneuver, even if you were only there by yourself.

David and I posed for a picture...you would never know that I was so frustrated with the child and exhausted. Sign us up for acting school...

I couldn't resist posting this picture of my father...he was intrigued with the fish.

Thankfully, my parents were along at the Aquarium. Here is one of my favorite pictures from the day. My dad and David are watching the huge fish swim in the tank.

While we were on vacation, we decided to take a trip to see the Aquarium. It was an extremely frustrating day, as David was hard to deal with (no nap). However, you would never know from our pictures that it was a frustrating day!