Summer is here...now it's gone :(

Where did our summer go? It seems like just yesterday I was stepping out of the school doors for a glorious 6 week summer break. And today? Well, I'm stepping back inside those doors to begin a new school year. I can't believe summer break is already over.

Just where did those 6 weeks go? Let's see...

The first week flew by with VBS. Reagan really enjoyed going to Bible School with so many of her friends (from church and school). As for Nick? Well, let's just say that he didn't enjoy it quite to much. He had a good time once he got there, but getting him to his room was a struggle at times. He'll have more fun as he gets older, I'm sure.

The second week was filled with Cheerleading camp. The cheerleaders at school sponser a camp for young girls every year. Reagan loves cheering and dancing, so I signed her up right away. She loved coming to work with Mommy that week so she could go to camp while I got some work done in the media center. Nick had a great time with Mommy, too those mornings eating snacks and watching movies while I was able to catch up on a few things.

Next, we spent a weekend at Hilton Head Island with some friends of ours. Reagan and Nick had a great time playing on the beach with Ryan and Cole, while we adults got to spend some time catching up on things. It was really a nice and relaxing weekend. We'll definitely have to do that again soon!

The day we returned home from HHI, we repacked and left for Atlanta so I could attend the NECC Conference. The conference turned out to be very informational and resourceful for me. I learned lots of new things about copyright and open source resources, and got lots of free things to bring back to the teachers. We were also able to squeeze in a trip to Stone Mountain and the Atlanta Zoo while we were there. Brad & I learned just how much our children love train rides!!

After a few days rest, I decided to take Reagan & Nick to the waterpark here in town. We had a great time! Reagan is turning into a little mermaid! :) She loves to go down slides and pretend she's a dolphin in the water. I'm so glad she is no longer afraid of the water! And Nick? He loves splashing around and kicking hard enough to get everybody around him soaked! He really enjoyed his trip to the waterpark!

The Fourth of July was a fun filled day. Brad's mom's birthday is on the Fourth, and we had Brad's family over for a cookout. I grilled hamburgers and had pasta salad and cheesecake. We had a great time talking and the kids had a blast in the wading pool we have. Joanna was exhausted at the end of the day, after spending most of the afternoon with Reagan and Nick outside! After a quick rest, we changed and headed to town to watch the fireworks. Reagan really enjoyed watching the fireworks, but Nick had other plans. He was terrified! Maybe it will be better next year.

Apparently, we were not ready to rest yet, because after a few days of catching up on laundry and cleaning, we packed again and headed for Jekyll Island for another conference and beach trip. This time, it was Brad who attended meetings, and the kids and me hit the beach for three days. I can't say it was a very relaxful three days on the beach (with two very active children), but it was one of the most enjoyable. The kids loved when I took them out into the ocean so we could jump the waves, or just let them hit us. We also took walks down the beach to collect sea shells. Reagan had a great time in the hotel swimming pool, too. I could have easily stayed several more days, but alas, we had to come home.

We returned home on Wednesday, and then on Sunday, we had a party to celebrate Nicholas turning THREE! It's hard to believe my baby is already three years old. He had a great time blowing out the candles on his Lightning McQueen birthday cake and opening his presents. His favorite "toy" was a coffee jar full of change that his Great Nana and Papa gave him. He loves to empty the jar in the floor and "count" his money as he puts it back in the jar.

Then, after an outlet shopping visit to Hilton Head, and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese, I am back at work today. This will be one of the best memories I will have...my first full summer vacation with my children. I was definitely a busy and exhausting summer, but one filled with fun and lots of memories. I'm already looking forward to next summer and hope it is just as fun...and hopefully not so busy!

There's a new addition to the family!

Not from us, though! My first cousin is a daddy!

Kendall Rafe was born Friday, August 4th. He was 8lbs. 6ozs big! Nikki had a pretty rough labor, but mom and baby are both doing well now. Brad & I went to visit them Saturday afternoon. I don't think I have ever seen Justin happier. He was on cloud 9!

We are happy for the proud parents! Seeing little Kendall almost gave me baby fever...but I quickly came back to my senses. I love my two with all my heart, but I don't think I could ever have a third. Being a Mommy is hard work, but it is so rewarding.

Kindergarten to High School...We Have it Covered

This past Tuesday was a first for all 4 of us Andersons. For Nick, it was his first day in the Two's at daycare. For Reagan, it was her first day in Kindergarten. It was my first day working in the media center with high school students. And for Brad, it was his first real day working with employees as Assistant Superintendent. Man were we exhausted at the end of the day!

Nick's two's teacher is Reagan's favorite daycare teacher, Ms. Branigan. From what she has said, Nick had a hard time adjusting to the new classroom and new rules, but I think he has now gotten over that and is liking his new class. He has almost completely stopped pitching the fits he was throwing in the one's and is taking good naps, too. Now, we just need to work on sharing. He has a hard time with that.

Reagan felt like such a big girl. She started Kindergarten! I think it was harder on Mommy than it was for her. I walked her into class, she took her teacher by the hand and that was it. I had to ask for a hug goodbye. I tried really hard to fight back tears as I walked down the hallway, but a few had fallen by the time I made it back to my vehicle. When I picked her up from the daycare that afternoon, I asked her what her favorite thing about school was. Her answer?...riding the bus. She gets to ride on the bus to the daycare after school with Kelsey, Brylie, Emily, Marlie, Christina, and some more friends of hers, and apparently, that's the highlight of her day. I know she likes other things that happen during the day because she will talk about those too, but the bus ride is at the top of her list. My girl does like to be on the move!

Open house was extremely stressful for me. I could barely move when I walked out of the school building that night. But, the first day of school was the next day, so I knew I had to hurry home to get some rest. I'm so glad Reagan & Nick both decided to sleep well all night in their beds. They must have known just how tired I really was. After I dropped Reagan off the next morning, I drove on into town for my first full day of school as a media specialist. My first day in the media center with students was a little stressful at first, but I quickly calmed down and it went very well. Students were coming as a class every 15 minutes to get their textbooks. I was expecting the worst, but it really wasn't bad at all. Many of the students had already gotten their books before school started, so this was a nice surprise!

So far I have really enjoyed my new job. I have met some really interesting students and am learning new vocabulary and fashion tastes every day! In just two short weeks, I have learned how to read SHS schedules, memorized what textbooks are for what class, mastered cataloging new inventory, make ID's, work the computer that checks out books, been introduced to over 75 faculty and staff members, met about 10 students who are student workers in the media center throughout the day, and figure out how to print a report in SASI. No wonder my head hurts at the end of the day! Tomorrow we are having a little reception for the teachers to show off our new arrivals to the media center. Amy & I went shopping at Wal-Mart today for the party supplies. I'll have to let you know how it goes!

Brad has really been busy too these past few weeks. Friday was the first day of school in his district. He said that overall it went very smoothly too. Since he is in charge of transportation, Friday was a very busy day for him. He didn't get home until 7:30 Friday night.

Brad's job title changed last month. He went from Director to Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services. Nothing much about his job has changed, just basically his title. It was a good move though for him and we're very proud!

We have lots of things to be thankful for from this past week. Nick is doing well in daycare, Reagan loves being a Kindergartner, I've had a successful week at my new job, and Brad had a pretty stress-free start to a new school year. God is really good to us!

My first day in the Media Center

I began work on July 18th. As you can tell by the amount of time that has lasped since I last posted, I have been pretty busy. My first week at SHS went very smoothly, I think. Amy & I get along very well and work very well together. She told me it would get busier, and boy was she right!

The teachers came back today for the first day of pre-planning. Add that to the almost 100 students coming in to get their schedules, IDs, and textbooks, yep, we were swamped today! I know I probably gave out wrong textbooks to students, but the good news is they are coming through the media center on the first three days of school anyway, so they'll be able to easily exchange them. It will get easier, I'm told.

I really miss all my old co-workers, but I am already enjoying my new job too. I thought really hard about the decision to change jobs before I took the job, and every day I'm getting more confident that I made the right decision.

Nick is TWO!

Nicholas turned two on the 16th, although is party was on the 15th. He had a blast at his party! I tried hard and wanted to do a Clifford the Big Red Dog theme, but I fell short. We had his big Clifford dog for the start of decorations, and I made Jello Jigglers in the shape of doggie bones, that were served in a big doggie bowl. That's where it ends, though, sad to say. I knew I was not creative enough to pull off making a Clifford cake, and I could not find a store anywhere that could make one. So, we ended up buying a regular white sheet cake decorated in red, and I wrote "Happy Birthday Nick" in red icing. (I'll post pics later!) It didn't look like I was expecting it to, but it really tasted good, and Nick really enjoyed digging into his THREE pieces!

The birthday boy got lots of goodies. His favorite gift was from us. We bought him a big boy bicycle. Even now, he does not want it outside, so we have a bicycle indoors. He can't figure out quite how to peddle, which helps since it's still inside, but he is so focused on it, I don't think it will be long before he gets that bike moving all around the house!

It's hard to believe that my baby boy is already two years old. Where has the time gone?

She's Reading!

She has been so close for so long, but it finally clicked today. Reagan is reading! She has known all of her letters and sounds for the past several months, and has tried to put sounds together, but just couldn't quite get it. Today, she suprised the heck out of me when she starting reading words, pretty easily too. I was so proud. Just in time for Kindergarten, too! I don't think Nicholas was as impressed as we were, though.

As for Nicholas, our little adventurer, he's working on learning colors. When asked, everything is blue. But, he will surprise you when you ask him to pick colors out from a group. I secretly think he knows his colors, he just wants to pretend he doesn't.

Just a Beginning...

I've been wanting to do this for a long time, and I have finally gotten around to it. I hope to post often, so I won't miss anything that happens in Our Crazy Little Family!