I don't want to be one of those crazy, crying Mom's who have an unhealthy attachment to their children; however, I can't help that little part of me that wants to burst into tears any time I think about my baby going to elementary school. Brent's excitement to start kindergarten trumps my anxiety, so I think I'll be able to hide it all pretty well and put on an excited face. It's SO cliche, and I've heard every Mom say it, but it seems like yesterday that I was 10 days past my due date, thinking I would NEVER have this baby boy.....and now........he's about to start kindergarten.
Sophie starts preschool again and is excited. This will be one of the first times that she embarks on an adventure WITHOUT her big brother, so it will be really good for her. She is such a shy thing (sometimes I wonder how it is possible for me to have a shy child) that she needs to be forced out of her comfort zone and not cling to Brent. I'm excited for her! She just had her 4th birthday and is VERY happy not to be 3 anymore. She is my little shadow and loves helping me with the dishwasher, laundry, and vacuuming. She is constantly following behind me with a bottle of nail polish begging me to paint her nails. She's fun.
And little Lily. What a little stinker she is! She turns 2 in two weeks and we've DEFINITELY hit that terrible 2 stage. She is still so, so tiny and doesn't say a word so it's really easy to still baby her. I finally came to the realization that although she looks (and acts at times) like a 13 month old, we are doing her a disservice to keep coddling her and treating her like a baby! So she's starting to get some tough love and she's not a fan. :) She started the early intervention program a few weeks ago. She was evaluated for speech and she's really behind. Every other area in her development is fine, so they aren't worried. She just doesn't want to talk! She is signing and there are a few words that I KNOW she can say (more, being one of them) yet she prefers to sign. Whatever! Funny how you get more laid back with each child. I stayed up at night making myself sick worrying about Brent when he was a late talker. Brent taught me a lot and now I'm pretty calm about it all- if she doesn't want to talk until she's 3- OH WELL! :) I do have moments of worry, but overall, I'm not concerned. My gut and mother's intution (which hasn't ever led me astray) tells me she is just stubborn and will talk when she's ready.
I'm excited for the fall with the cooler weather that it will bring. Sophie starts dance (tap/ballet) again next week, Brent will start fall baseball in September, and I am FINISHED with school in October!! I won't graduate and walk until December, but my last class finishes in October. I am so, so excited. I feel like I'm on a roll and I've debated going to grad school in January, but I need a break. Azusa Pacific University has awesome grad school programs, so I do know that when I am ready to get that masters degree (most likely in education or school psychology), I will go back there. I've been so happy with my choice to finish. I remember when I got accepted to University of California at Riverside, I thought that is where I should go because it was so well known. But the more people I talked to, the more great things I heard about Azusa Pacific. I love that it is a small, private liberal arts school with such strong Christian principles. We pray in every class (the professor leads the class in prayer) and although I pray a bit differently, it's still prayer and I LOVE that the university brings God into the classroom. I remember thinking how CRAZY it was that we prayed before the start of every class until I remembered that BYU does the same thing. In the end, I know prayer is the only thing that has allowed me to finish my degree with 3 kidlets and a crazy life at home. I think I'm the only LDS person there, but no one cares. It's been a great experience and I can't believe I'm almost finished!
Scott is so busy with work (a good thing) and I love that he works so hard for us. He's in Palm Springs, San Diego, Orange County, or Los Angeles every day (sometimes all of those places in one day), sits in CRAZY traffic, and then sifts through paperwork and reports until midnight or one in the morning every night and never complains. I love that guy.
Here are some pictures from our summer travels: Get ready for a picture overload!!!
I'm 99.99% Lily was pooping in this picture...
On a walk with Grandma..inspecting a strange insect.
Ready to party, 4th of July style! It is interesting to note, this was taken outside of a burger joint and just prior to the photo op, an ambulance took away a man that was eating inside. Try and picture a tiny, hole in the wall burger place with an ambulance, fire truck, paramedics, EMT's, and our crazy kids running around- OH- and I am PRETTY sure there was no air conditioning in this place (in July, in South Texas).... it was awesome. The burgers were SO good (and greasy) that it gave someone a heart attack right on the spot! Kinda made me lose my appetite... :)
Going on a walk with grandma and grandpa. Brent LOVED holding Roxy's leash. Roxy (in the background) and I had quite a rocky relationship during my stay in Texas. She's like a weird step-sister that I didn't like. My parents got her after I left the house, so I never built any type of attachment to her. By the time I left, I guess we came to some type of understanding. My kids loved her though, and that's all that matters... :)
Sophie hanging outside of Mamacitas. Ohhhh Mamacitas. You hurt so good.
My little cowgirl.
My sister and I at Up-N-Jacks.
Shooting BB Guns with Grandpa at the creek.
The BEAUTIFUL Guadalupe River that runs right through Kerrville. Everytime I go home to visit, I forget just how pretty it is.
Lily and Lillie Fay! My Grandma loved showing off her little namesake. We celebrated my Grandma Lillie Fay's 80th birthday. She makes 80 look good! I love her.
Grandma Lillie Fay and Sophie.
Of course Brent got horribly sick when we were in a tiny town with no urgent care or pediatrician office open...we went to the tiny town ER (that's all that was available) and the I could hear the lady that took my insurance card yelling everyone in the background, "HEY Y'ALL!! It's LILLIE FAY'S grandaughter in there!!" Then she peeked her head in and said, "Hey, what's your Daddy's name? I probably went to high school with him.." I said, "Charles"..the curtain flies back shut and the next thing I hear is, "HEY Y'ALL!! It's CHARLES' girl and grandbaby in there!" Cracks me up. I LOVE the hospitality and friendliness of small towns. Good thing I don't care about privacy laws.... haha.
Looking for who knows what with grandma!
How gorgeous is this?! Just a few minutes from my parents house is this little peace of heaven.
Sophie and her cousin Charlie got stung by a jellyfish at Oceanside beach. Crazy day.
Luckily, Sophie doesn't hold grudges and had forgotten all about the jellyfish incident at Huntington Beach.
Lily and Aunt Katie
The Hellers
In the back of grandpa's truck watching fireworks
San Diego Zoo..all the cousins with grandma
Uncle Bob makes reading scriptures at night SO much more entertaining!!
Sophie waiting patiently for her turn at swim lessons
That's our summer so far, in pictures!! I will try and not wait another month before updating again. :)
3 comments:
So. Much. Fun.
It's fun to catch up on your life through your blog. I still miss hanging out with you! Hope Brent's first day of kindergarten goes well...I am already dreading that day for Ethan.
I knew all of that and still enjoyed reading every word! The mark of a true writer! Love seeing pictures of the Crabtree Kids at any time of the day!
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