First Day of School!!!!!

Our Kindergartner!!!

Today Myah started kindergarten!!  I don't know where the past 4 years have gone!  And to top it off, Dayton is now a Sophomore!!  He boarded the bus at 6:30 and I had to spend the 1/2 day with her.  Tomorrow is our first full day of instruction and Myah is insisting that she rides the bus.  She is soooo ready for school, I don't remember Dayton ever being this "ready", is it a girl thing??? 
It is so fun to take her to the same school that Dayton went to, the teachers recognize us and can't get over how big Dayton has become.  Speaking of him, he is still recooperating, we had a small set back with his leg and we will go to the surgeon on Friday to see what she has to say, we might have to have the  plate and screws removed, or else he has a stress fracture.  Poor kid has been through the mill.  But he has stayed positive throughout all of it and is really excited about getting back to school, ( I think the friends/girls have something to do with that! yikes!).

So here are a few photos that I took today, gosh they sure are growing up aren't they?!!!!

I only have a few of Dayton because that is all he will allow!!  It was still dark out when he left, not when I took Myah though!

She drew a whale at her table while mommy filled out paperwork

So proud to be a school girl!!!

Her teacher is brand new to the district but she is a doll!!! We are very excited about having her this year.

Things are always windy up on the hill!!!

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!

Last Day of School 2009 and 8th Grade Dinner

First Day of 8th Grade..... Last Day of 8th Grade!

Pictures from the 8th Grade Dinner and Awards Banquet The dinner is held in the high school cafeteria for the 8th graders. It was a semi formal event, the girls were really dressed up.

After the awards we snapped this shot, Dayton had already untucked his shirt.

Zach, Andrew and Dayton have been good friends for years, both boys are moving to new schools and we will miss them.

My good friend Debbie and her son Zach (one of Dayton's good friends too)

Kelly and Linda after hearing Austin's name announced, see Miss Whitney there too!

Doesn't he look thrilled to be taking this picutre!

Dayton and some of his good buddies.

Dayton and Big Gene, I am always amazed at the size differences at this age.
Myah and Whitney loving their time together.Myah and Kayla, she received so many wonderful awards that night. Kayla is Myah's babysitter and good friend (her twin brother is Justin in the next picture)
Dayton and one of his best friends Justin, they were walking around together checking out the "chicks". Oh boy.

Today is Dayton's last day of 8th grade, that means that in an hour and a half he will be going into high school! It will take me all summer to let that sink in! We are so proud of him and the young man that he is becoming. He attended the honors award banquet and received the 2 year honor roll award. Our good friend Austin received Outstanding 8th grade student that evening. We were sitting next to Kelly and Linda (his parents, remember them, they are Whitney's parents) when it was announced and they were so emotional. It was a great night. 44% of Dayton's 380 students were on the 2 year honor roll, that is pretty good I would say. They are a great class, full of great kids. We are very fortunate that Dayton has surrounded himself with good friends with great families. I am sure the next 4 years are going to go by very quickly but we are all excited and anxious to see what the future holds!

March Madness!

A few glimpses into our week:


Dayton had a band concert at the high school, it was a Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser, it was alot of fun, can you see the band way up there?


Myah and Joni riding bikes at Ready Set Play
Me and my Grandma, sister, cousins and 2nd cousin (in belly!)

The mommy and daddy to be! I remember holding Jed when he was a newborn! Now he is going to be a father! So exciting!

Miss Myah is keeping busy during Taylor's basketball game

Uncle Mark and Taylor after the victory, he was high scorer that night!
Myah was pulling a retractable string thingy on Taylor's jacket, I was just waiting for it to come up and hit him in the face. He was so cute with her.
Mark and Dayton during the game, this picture cracks me up because it appears that Mark is short! So funny, he is 6 ft 2 inches, Dayton is 5 ft. 3 inches! It won't be long before he is taller than me though, only 3 more inches to go!

March came in like a lion so I am hoping that it leaves like a lamb! Mark said the roads were terrible last night while he was working. Yes, he is back to work and we do miss him around here! He is doing great though and can really notice a huge difference in his vision so it looks like the surgery was a success! It was a long week, Myah was not a happy camper for about 3 days after her crown and fillling. She was just so irritated all week. I am not looking forward to Monday when we do it all over again. I am hoping she will cooperate, she has resisted every time I have brushed her teeth this week. Dayton also goes on Monday afternoon to meet with the allergy/asthma specialist. He also has his first appointment on Friday to get his braces tightened for the first time since getting them on. It should be a fun week! Luckily it is Mark's short week to work so I will have help!

I realized that 2 months from today I will have a teenager living under our roof! He is changing so much lately, where have the years gone? We were driving home from the store tonight and I heard the Bon Jovi song "Make a Memory" and I told him that I liked this song and how I used to listen to them in high school. He then said, "was that the really old guy who came on American Idol last year?" Seriously? Really old? I then heard "Living on a Prayer" and told him that this was very popular when I was in school, he then replied, "were they like as old as the Naked Brother's band (fyi, this is a young teeny bopper group on Nickelodean) when they made this song?" Is he for real? Does he think that it was that long ago? Maybe I am getting old after all.
We had a few opportunities to see our family this week, which always makes us happy! Last Sunday I attended a baby shower for my cousin Jed's wife Annie. She is due at the end of March with a little girl! We are so excited! We also went to watch our nephew Taylor play in the district finals in basketball. He had a wonderful game and they won in overtime! We wish him luck in the regionals this week. Uncle Mark is still trying to figure out how we can make the Monday night game!

I have been busy redecorating or should I say rearranging my existing furniture to make it more family friendly. Our basement is becoming our family room. We finished it a few years ago for this reason but just haven't taken the plunge to move everything around. It will be nice when it is done but what alot of work in the meantime! I will have to post some of my progress in a few days! Well, Myah's surgery is set for March 17th on St.Patrick's Day. I am gearing myself up for it. They said we have to stay overnight with her. I am not sure how she is going to handle all of this. Just figuring out how to keep her from having any fluids or food beforehand will be a challenge! She is relentless in asking for food! She did tell me the other day that she does have trouble breathing at night. Broke my heart, don't worry honey, we will fix it!

Thank you all for the wonderful participation in Myah's quilt, I know it won't be for a few months before I even get to working on it. I love all of the emails especially one from Anne W. I hope she doesn't mind me telling you that her daughter was waiting to adopt a little China girl and pulled her paperwork out of the program on Monday. Anne worked with Mark years ago and has been a faithful Myah follower since the beginning. Our hearts go out to their family this week, I know many of you can relate to the painful wait that is taking place right now regarding Chinese adoptions. We were right on the verge of this long wait and a day does not pass that I don't thank God for his timing and bringing Myah into our lives at just the right moment. Anne is contributing a square for Myah's quilt. She has fabric that was purchased for her future granddaughter's dress that was never made and she wants it to be a part of Myah's quilt. Makes me cry. Oh how I wish I could erase the months and years ahead of those who are waiting. We will always look at that square and say a special prayer for those families who have made that same decision. Bless their hearts.

Sorry this is such a long post, it has been a long week and I know this next week will be just as long. I want to say a special thank you to Kim at 3 Peanuts for the phone call this week to check up on me, I thought is was so sweet of her to make sure that I am taking care of myself too. She is so sweet and I wish we lived closer! Happy March Everyone! Spring is coming!!!! Yeah!!!

Valentine's Day Party at School

Today Myah had her Ready Set Play class and she was so excited to celebrate Valentine's Day with her friends. We had a snow day last week so we weren't really sure what to do about a party, I bought some cookies and made valentines for Myah to give out just in case. It was so sweet watching her make her little bag to put her valentines in, she was very proud of it to say the least! She has carried her candy around all day long! (these are taken with my little camera, I am not impressed at all with the quality but it is more convenient for days like this)

Here she is proudly showing off her Valentine's bag

This is Myah's friend Lauren, her daddy and Myah's daddy work together!

She just loves her friend Joni, and I just love Joni's mommy Jenny!

She always looks so forward to snack time!