Raegan's dance class

This week was Raegan's Visitor Day at dance class. We got to sit in the class and watch them. It was so cute! She is really enjoying class and getting used to all of the teachers and friends. Here is a video of them doing the Hokey Pokey!

Swimming

Brody has done really well in swimming lessons. He is in a class with only one other boy, who is his great friend from soccer. He has really taken off this session and is now doing the Freestyle! Way to go Brody!!

Halloween 2011

The kids had a great Halloween! It seemed like it lasted for a week, so I was pretty glad to have it over with. Brody's school had "Trick-or-Treater's Paradise" on Thursday night. The kids dressed up and every room in the school handed out candy. The teachers and staff dressed up, it was a really nice event for the kids.

Raegan's school had a party on Friday. She doesn't usually go to school on Fridays, but of course we made it for the party! The 2-year olds were so cute! I enjoyed seeing how Raegan plays at school with all the other kids. They ate pizza for lunch and had cupcakes and juice. She left with a goodie bag and a little pumpkin. It was really nice! Friday afternoon we went trick-or-treating on Main Street in downtown Paris. All of the stores and vendors had candy to hand out to the kids. The kids had fun, despite the really cold temperatures and the rain! After about 35 minutes, they had lots of candy and were cold enough to agree to head back home.

Saturday we carved pumpkins and roasted the seeds. Carving pumpkins with little ones like ours really means Daddy carves while Mommy does the seeds and the kids run around and ask every 5 minutes when they will be done.  They turned out great, thanks Ryan!

Trick-or-Treat was on Monday night. I stayed at home to hand out candy while Ryan took both kids. Raegan ended up only going for about 25 minutes. That was enough for her. She enjoyed handing out candy to the kids more! Brody had a great time and was pretty tired when they returned home. We had a great Halloween this year! Now ready for Thanksgiving!!

Update in Pictures

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated the blog! Two months worth of activity in this house is too much writing, so I'll just get you up to speed in pictures.

Raegan loves to get pedicures with Mommy!

Raegan goes to dance class every week and loves it!

Brody played soccer this fall. He continues to love it and has really improved since last spring!

We went hiking a few times at Red River Gorge. Both of the kids love to hike! Brody has become a pro! No whining and he walks the whole time!

Raegan was really good at being cute!

Brody's Kindergarten class went on a field trip to Evan's Orchard. He had a great time and I enjoyed being there with him!

And lastly, we went to Great Wolf Lodge for a day during Brody's Fall Break. Brody loves this place and it was Raegan's first time there. She's still a little too young, but really enjoyed the water and slides for little bits of time. Brody, of course, loved it!

Wow, that's it! We are busy this week with Halloween parties and Trick-or-Treat is Monday. I will be sure to post about Halloween soon. Brody is Iron Man and Raegan is a Fairy Princess. Both are so cute! Hope you are enjoying this wonderful Fall Season!

Staying Busy

Tomorrow is the last day in August! This summer has flown by, and I am so glad the Fall Season is upon us. Aside from Spring, Fall is one of my favorite seasons! Love the crisp air, colorful leaves, and football!

Brody is doing wonderful in Kindergarten. I was a little worried that he was not making friends very quickly. He is in a class where a lot of the boys already know each other from last year. A lot of them were in the same preschool class and Brody was in a different one.None of the boys from his class are in his K class. But, this week I have seen a huge improvement in that area. He has 2 playdates with classmates this week! Brody's favorite activities in school are P.E., music class, math, and doing projects (cutting, pasting, coloring). He really likes his teacher, which I'm so thankful!

Raegan has started to go to a preschool here in Paris on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She is there from 9am-3pm. They eat lunch at noon and have naptime from 1-3pm. She struggles with me leaving her, but her teacher says she has a great time and is totally fine the whole day. She is singing songs and learning how to draw in circles and is learning to play and share with other kids her age. Raegan is so happy to see me when I pick her up in the afternoons. I'm so proud of her!

While the kids are gone on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have been working at Ryan's office. Ryan's mom is the office manager and virtually has no back-up. She is training me to do most of her duties, so I can eventually take over her position when/if needed. I have learned to do the payroll, billing and coding, and so much more. I always knew my mother-in-law worked long, hard hours at the office. But I had no idea how much work she actually did in a single day. I am so glad I am going to help her out. Hopefully she can now sleep at night knowing she has a back-up!

I am really enjoying working. It has been 5 years since I left my full-time position at Lexmark. It is so nice to be a part of the "real world" again. It has been great for me and I'm even looking forward to working more as Raegan gets older. I love my kids and miss them when I don't see them. I wouldn't trade staying home with them for anything. I feel so blessed that I have so much time with them both. But, working a couple days a week has been really awesome for me.

Brody's 5th Birthday Party

Brody turned 5 years old on Monday, August 15! I can't believe I became a mom 5 years ago. Before that, all of my other titles in life were very insignificant compared to "Mom." He was born a big boy and has continued on that curve his whole life. Brody is a big, strong little guy. He is the tallest in his class, and probably one of the youngest! We love him to pieces, his weird quirks and all!

Brody had his first "friend" birthday party this year. We had his party at Monkey Joe's on Sunday the 14th. My mom was nice enough to stay home and watch Raegan. We felt bad not having her there, but she is not a fan of Monkey Joe, and suffers thinking about him for a few days after seeing him. We didn't want to traumatize her anymore.

There were 8 kids who came to Brody's party. They all had a great time playing, bouncing, and running around. They had pizza and drinks for lunch, followed by cake and present opening. I tried to hurry Brody along with the presents because it was kind of boring for all the other guests! The party was a great success!

Monday was his actual birthday. It was a little hard to explain to Brody why he had a party on the day before his real birthday. We took cupcakes to school, which they ate at snack time. Brody came home with a Birthday crown and they recognized his special day during assembly in the morning. Then, last night, we went to the UK Pros vs. Dominican Republic basketball game at Rupp. It was a great game, and so much fun to see the old guys back. Brody had a blast, and was VERY tired by the end of the game.

Wow, he has had a wonderful Birthday Weekend. I'm so happy to make fun memories with Brody. He's a good boy and we love him dearly. My Big 5 year old Boy!!

First Day of School

Today was Brody's first day of Kindergarten! He has been so excited for school to start since the last day of preschool in May. He loves school, and that makes me so happy. Brody needs structure and stability in his day, and school provides just that. There were no nerves, tears, or jitters. Brody woke up ready to go!

His teacher seems wonderful. Her name is Ms. Hampton, and the assistant's name is Mrs. Rule. Both seem super nice! As I walked down the hallway to pick him up at the end of the day, my first glimpse of him was as he took a great big yawn! I know he was tired, but had such a great day. Brody's not one to go on and on about his day, so I knew when I asked him how it was, I would get a short and sweet reply. "Good." He was happy to see Raegan, but believe me, not more than 5 minutes at home and the two were already back to their usual antics!

I think Brody will have a wonderful Kindergarten year. I am so proud of my son and can't wait to see him grow over the next several school years.