The school year is in full swing now and we've finally established a routine of sorts. It involves lots of juggling of schedules, tired children, and very little time to shower, lol. In any case, the big kids seem to be really enjoying school and the Benster is loving his "alone" time with Mommy.
A few weeks ago Kayla's classmate hosted a class swimming party. I was simply awestruck at the size and beauty of the host's home. It was in East Memphis. The parents were very laid back and made us feel right at home. I hope we get an invitation back again someday. This morning, I actually saw the mother walking her daughter to school. She has two little ones she was pushing in a double stroller and she walked her two older daughters to each campus. Honestly, if she does that regularly, it's no wonder she's in such good shape. I'd have to say the funniest aspect of the swimming party was that AJ misplaced his shorts. He said he left them in the bathroom, but they were nowhere to be found when it was time to leave. We got a call last week telling us they had been located....under the sink in the cabinet. I don't really know what to make of that. The shorts have been returned though and now we know where to look in the future:) Here's a pic of the girls that made it to the party:
The kids and Daddy have joined a bowling league so we've snuck in a couple of Sunday morning practices. The bowling alley has an all you can bowl and all you can eat breakfast bowling on Sundays from nine to noon. I've got to say, three hours straight of bowling is quite a workout. Here's AJ bowling:
Yes, he just kind of runs over and throws it:) Gotta love it.AJ has started soccer and he may have found his calling...if only he could find the ball. The kids had their first game and it's hysterical watching a bunch of four year olds chasing down a soccer ball. AJ is slowly but surely starting to gain some focus. He has great skills and he's starting to run faster, but he still just kind of runs up and down the field. Soccer must be the sport for girls. We don't have any on our team, but the three teams we've played have all had girls and they are just vicious players. I can't believe it. They're all quite tough and they don't let anyone steal the ball if they have it. Here are some pics of AJ from his first game:
We took the kids to the Annual Ice Cream festival to benefit the Ronald McDonald house. It was really a lot of fun for everyone. There were several companies there giving out actual serving sizes of their products. We could have eaten enough ice cream to last us a year, but....in one sitting that's kind of tough. There were a few activities for the kids. Kayla really enjoyed a ride they had there at Autozone stadium.
AJ got to experience roller skating for the first time this past Friday. I'm sure it won't get many any awards, but it was so hard not to laugh. He started out unable to stand and ended up the night doing laps on his own. He almost took third place in the age group race. We got a cool video of him skating which definitely does more justice than the pictures. I just can't believe how much he's grown. He had so much fun and he was so independent. He just loved it. He's talked practically nonstop about when he gets to go again. It was a good $2.50 investment:)
Ben has added a new word to his vocabulary. STOP!!! I guess he probably hears that enough these days. Upon inspection, it looks like he's up to nine teeth as well. The biggest Benny news is that he took his first steps on August 30th. He walked to his big sister. Awwww! He's almost a pro now, lol. He's getting more and more confident with each new day. He's also learned how to climb off the couch and onto his riding toys. Talk about growing fast!!!
More news!!! We're moving. We found a house around the corner (literally) with about 700 more sq. ft. for the same as what we're paying now. It has a separate dining room and eat in kitchen and the best part....drumroll please....it has a giant room upstairs we're designating as a playroom for the kids. The yard is huge as well which is a plus and a minus given that we have to mow it. We're moving on the tenth of October and the kids are super excited. We went and picked out new livingroom furniture yesterday. We've only been looking for about five years so it's about time. We'll finally have enough furniture for everyone to sit on when we have guests over and the kids are going to have the old couch and recliner upstairs in their playroom. Here's a pic of the new house:
I can't wait to have more space and to finally not be tripping over each other and our stuff. This was really a perfect find for us and it couldn't have come at a better time. Of course I'm not to keen on the whole packing and moving part, but it'll be worth it. I've already promised the princess a Halloween party and she's talked about it everyday, lol. We signed a 21 month lease so that we won't be moving in the middle of another school year. Hopefully our next move will either be back up north or to a house we'll want to buy or both:)
