First Day of Preschool!

Myah had her very first day of Preschool today! She was so excited this morning she could not stop smiling! We did not put her in last year because she was not potty trained so she is in the 4 year M W F program. We love her teacher Ms. Becky, she had her last year in playgroup and I was thrilled to find out that she was the new preschool teacher for this year. We LOVE her ! She is now our friend and it makes me feel so good knowing that she is in good hands. Myah was disappointed to find out that it was a shorter class today but she was more upset that I had to stay the whole time! She wanted me to leave! It actually did not hurt my feelings at all, she was so happy to be there, what more could I ask for!? The nice thing about this preschool is that it is through our community ed so it is actually in the school that she will attend next year for kindergarten, and the school that Dayton attended so I know the staff and Myah is familiar with her surroundings. I am hoping that will make her transition next year just that much easier. She got her own bookbag today from the school and she gets her own milk, just like the big kids, she thought that was pretty cool. At one point in circle time, Ms. Becky said "Myah are you excited to be here?" sarcastically because she would look back at me with the biggest smile everytime they did something. She was beaming, you could just see the excitement oozing from her!!! So different from Dayton's first day of preschool with him crying because I was leaving, hitting the teacher ( he was never a hitter), and me crying in the parking lot! Myah also starts her dance class tonight, she is very excited about that too! All in all, I think she will have a blast, she is a little sponge and loves to do new things, I am sure this will be a great year for her!My big preschooler!She found her own cubbie right away!
Doing her calendar project

During circle time she was all smiles! Very proud to be there!

The beloved Ms. Becki!
Snack time! She ditched the juice box I gave her for chocolate milk!

Dad's First Birthday In Heaven

Dad and Grandpa were very close. Their birthdays are only 2 days apart. This picture was taken during our little celebration for Dad's 60th and Grandpa's 85th, I love seeing them laugh.

Today on 9/9/09 my Dad would have turned 62. I have thought about him so much over the past few days leading up to his birthday. I am missing him so much. I keep trying to forget about those last few days of his life and focus on the good times with him. He loved to laugh, especially as a family, we are a crazy, joking family and Dad always had the funniest, craziest stories to tell and was the best joke teller I ever knew. I love that he gave me the gift of laughter, it has helped me so much this past year, I am not a very serious person, always the jokester and trying to see the humor in things, I get that from him. Just this past weekend, our family sat around laughing at "Dad" stories. He was a character. Life is much more boring without him in it that is for sure. I know he is sharing his birthday with those he loved so much who had gone on before him, certainly he and my Uncle Cleo and Uncle Pete are throwing a party like nobody's business! What gives me the most comfort is knowing that he is with Jesus, he was so ready to meet him. Even though we all miss him terribly here, I would never wish him back the way he was. He is at peace and that is the greatest birthday gift he could ever receive. Happy Birthday Dad! Here is the video that I took on his last birthday a year ago today. (Dad loved the Doobie Brothers so I put one of his favorites on here, we used to sing it Karoke with him all the time)

1st Day of High School!

My Freshman!!! It was very dark this morning when he left!
( He did tie his shoes before the bus came!) I love that he wore his Livestrong bracelet, so sweet!

Sniff, sniff, my little boy is walking into the high school today as a Freshman, where has my little boy gone? We sat him down last night and gave him the high school pep talk, I am sure it went in one ear and out the other but at least we feel better knowing that we laid a foundation for him. And a set of rules! Gosh, it is kind of scary, on one hand I feel like we are throwing him into a pack of wolves and on the other hand I am so excited for him and can't wait to share in this special four years of his life. I remember my first day of high school like it was yesterday, everyone seemed so tall (so was their hair) and their pants were so tight!! Ah the 80's! I am so proud of Dayton, he is joining the tennis team today after school, at orientation several of his friends came up to him and said that they needed more players and that he should join. We know NOTHING about tennis but he said he enjoyed playing in gym and was the doubles champ in 7th grade so we will see what happens. We bought him a racquet yesterday, Mark bought one too, someone has to hit the balls back to him right? After breaking his hand last month we are hoping that this will help strengthen his arm again for baseball. Plus I think it is a great way for him to get "plugged" in to the whole high school experience, meeting new people and trying new things. He told me the other day that he was "pumped" about going to high school. He goes to a fairly large school (especially compared to mine) and they have really tried hard to make the Freshman year a great experience over the past 2 years. It was a shock to our systems being up at 5:15 am this morning, especially since he has not been getting up until 10 am during the summer ( he has really grown alot over the summer), but I am sure we will get used to it. I was ready for school to begin, he and Myah need some space.... we'll just leave it at that! She starts preschool next Monday so it is nice that I have some quality one on one with her before that.

I am anxious to hear about his day, it was only a half day today, he is done at 10:30, so I am not sure how much he was really able to learn yet today but at least it is a start! It seemed so strange to me this morning, he is only a year younger than I was when Mark and I started dating. I thought I knew everything back then, now in my older years I look back and know better. I am praying to be a supportive parent to him during these years and be someone that he can trust and lean on when he needs me. Lord give me strength!!! I have been bit mushy all day, tomorrow will be my Dad's first birthday in Heaven, Dayton's first full day of 9th grade on 9/9/09, Dad would have got a kick out of that. Last night when we were talking to Dayton I felt like I was echoing so many of the same words that my parents had spoke to me during my high school years, I wish Dad was here to refresh my memory!

Chicago! Chicago!

Well, I am still unpacking from my trip to Chicago and my head is spinning! I wish I had more time to play with my new images and edit some photos but life has needed me instead. Dayton is at his Freshman orientation right now and Myah is taking a much needed nap so I played for a few minutes. Here are a few of the hundreds of images that I took. I had a great time, learned alot and have a huge list for Santa! It was fun to meet some bloggy mommas that I have followed for a long time! This red thread thing is pretty amazing!