Don't Blink...

Well today was the first day of Kindergarten for my sweet boy. I seriously can't believe we are here and that he is going to school. The song "Don't Blink" comes to mind so often because it is just like they were babies and now we are entering a whole new phase of life. James decided he wanted to ride the school bus so even on his day to test they wanted the students to ride the bus. The night before he came to me and said he was kinda scared and I saw tears well up in his eyes. So I swallowed extra hard to remove the lump from my throat and to fight back the tears. I explained to him that we all are scared to do new things. Then came the questions about what if he gets lost or if his teacher isn't there to get him off the bus etc. I reassured him that someone would be there and to not worry....but inside my head I was thinking "crap it could happen". So we said our prayers and he went to sleep. The next morning he woke up at 6:30 and came into my room fully dressed and said he is ready to ride the "yellow dog" aka the bus. Thank Shawn for that nickname :). My brave boy was going to do this and with such confidence.  I could hear him on the bus as the doors shut saying "This is great".
The time came for us to walk him to the bus stop and I have to admit my stomach was in knots. He was so excited so we focused on that and before we knew it the bus was pulling up. He got on the bus without looking back. All day I wondered if he made it off ok and how his day was going. FINALLY the time came for him to come home and it seems I couldn't walk fast enough to get to the bus stop. He bounced off the bus eager to tell me about his entire day to include what they had for lunch and how he got to sit in the big cafeteria. He survived...well I guess I should say I survived his first day of Kindergarten.
James is always eager to learn and does well at school. His only complaint is that he doesn't get to watch TV very long at night and that he doesn't like homework. WOW....this early...we got a looong road ahead of homework buddy :).
I am so proud of him.  Despite the moves we make due to the Army he always seems to acclimate so well. He often is my strength to adjust faster to places and get moving. I pray that he gets to enjoy being a child and that other kids don't teach him "stuff" that he doesn't need to know. I pray that he isn't afraid to be himself and to be kind to other kids. Sending your baby out into this cruel world is so difficult. Thumbs up James to a great school year! Go Barkers Mill Bobcats!!!

I was very fortunate to find a Mother's Morning Out program that is 5 minutes up the road for Ethan. Of course he was excited too because big brother was going to school and now so was he. He kept asking whent he bus would come for him and I had to explain that's only for kindergarten. He was a bit disappointed but he was ok. He was so excited at his Jake and the Neverland Pirates bookbag and lunch box. We got to his school and he kissed me and went straight to his seat. I was so relieved because with Ethan he doesn't always adjust as well as James to new situations. After school he was so excited to tell me about his day and that he ate all his lunch like a big boy. He said he pottied 3 times....we are finally potty trained and he wears big boy undies now  :).  His teacher seems so great and I am so glad we found such  a great place for him to enjoy learning and learning aboug God.


Both boys have started AWANA's program here. Ethan started his first year of Cubbies and James is in Sparks now. I love how they both get so excited to go learn about God's word and the memory verses they learn. Definitely something we missed in Kansas. It's such a blessing to find a good church who loves your children!!

Home Sweet Home

Well after having orders for 4 different duty stations we finally got one that stuck. Welcome to Fort Campbell, Kentucky home of the 101st Airborne division. We were very excited and knew God was taking care of us when we got stationed here. It is only 3 hours from home and with issues going on with family it was perfect timing. The boys and I initially went to Clarksville, TN to look at rentals but after discussing things we felt it was a good time to buy. The interests rates were at all time low and new builds were cheaper than renting. I looked at 4 homes total during our time house hunting. When I saw the last home I just felt it was perfect for us. I fell in love with the kitchen and the dark floors. The biggest selling point was all bedrooms were upstairs and we had no backyard neighbors....just a cornfield that was in Kentucky. Yup, our front yard is Tennesee and backyard is Kentucky :).

We love our house and are slowly getting it put together. I was very lucky to be able to leave the boys with Shawn's mom while I unpacked the majority of things especially their rooms. Our neighbors are awesome and James has made a buddy already with their 4 year old little boy. Shawn loves it because we are about 45 minutes from Paris Landing which is great for fishing. We have spent several days on the lake there as well as the new marina here in Clarksville.

We had our first house guests last weekend. Bart (aka Bromance), Misty and Major Brimhall came to visit before they trekked south to Troy, AL for grad school. Bart and Shawn spent their days fishing. One afternoon we took the boys to go out on the boat with them. James water skiied and did such an awesome job!! He stayed up forever. He is such an athletic little boy!

I think we are going to like this area just fine. Shawn is happy to be back with an Active Army unit after being in school almost 4 years for the Army. He will be working with 101 HQ in the G6 shop.

Can it be that Ethan is THREE?

Well as of July 30, 2012 we have a three year old little boy. It still doesn't seem like he should be this age and I ask myself where has the time gone. I must say with a second child things seem to go much faster.  Ethan has celebrated each of his three birthdays in three different states (Alabama, Kansas, Tennessee) which is kind of neat. This year since we were close to family we decided to do an impromptu family meal at Rainforest Cafe in Nashville, TN.  All of Shawn's family came as well as my sister and her boyfriend. We were extra blessed with having Bart and Misty with us since they were visiting before heading to their new home in Troy. Although any planning is stressful things went over very well. Ethan chose the theme Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Let me tell ya finding Jake is like finding Waldo...very difficult :). But in the end we pulled it off and he had a wonderful party with his cousins.

Ethan  has learned to right his bike really well over the past couple of months. He knows his alphabet, numbers, and colors very well. He loves to play with his trucks and boats and will line them all up in the hallway. He loves to glue, cut and make pictures. I am so proud of how smart he is and his willingness to try new things. We recently moved him into his race car bed which was bittersweet for me. It truly meant my baby was a big boy...but he reassures me often he will always be my little boy. I refer to him as my little biggie boy :).

Ethan,
I can't believe that you are 3 and that in just a few weeks you will be starting preschool a couple days a week. The first 1 1/2 years I was wondering if we would survive but with God's guidance and your daddy's patience we did :). You were just testing me :)You are talking so much now and crack us up with your facial expressions and one liners. You are quite spunky and tackle your big brother like you are 10 feet tall. I love how just randomly you will say "mommy I just love you". It melts my heart like no other. You are such a caring, brave boy who has adapted to moving well. Anytime you are faced with a new place or challenge you look at me and say "I brave boy mommy", kiss me and then go in without hesitation. I am so proud of you.  You have completed us as a family and are the missing piece that our family lacked. I know that the future holds great things for you and that you will chase your dreams. I will be your biggest cheerleader while you do so. I pray that you find and accept Jesus and live your life in a way that is pleasing to Him. I pray that you treat people from all backgrounds with respect and kindness. I love you baby boy and am so blessed to be your mommy.