Is this the magic time that I can finally be better about blogging and documenting our days? Probably not....but it's worth a start, right?
After a super fun summer, full of relaxing, swimming, and visiting Ohio, we started back to school this year. It's a whole new ballgame for us as Gavin has entered middle school. So, we now have a Willowbrook Elephant in second grade, and a Bright Field Aviator in fifth grade. We've had an ok start...some anxiety and jitters from Gavin on day one, and the same from Riley on day two. Day 2 was the first time she had to walk into the school all on your own! Instead of Gavin being with her, or us walking her in on the first day, on the second day Riley was independent. And that completely freaked her out. Sadly, enough so that she ended up throwing up at school and I had to pick her up early on day 2. Sigh. Day three was a little better after we had a strategy in place. Ashley H. was going to meet Riley at the door to walk in together, and just as she was starting to get anxious, Ashley was there and off they went. Thursday wasn't very smooth in the morning at home, but again, she walked right in with Ashley. Friday was an excellent morning!
Now, to throw another wrench in the mix....I got asked to start a short term/long term sub position. For three weeks, I'll be a kindergarten aide, which I'm really excited about. So far our mornings are going a little smoother....and hopefully when the three weeks is over, she isn't worse. Again, fingers crossed. It's an adjustment just knowing that I'll be working outside of the home five days a week. I'm already tired, but it will all be worth it.
More updates... After 17 years with Sam's Club, Jarrod moved over to the Walmart side of the business at the end of May, and he's been adjusting to that role over the summer. Of course, as with anything, when he sets his mind to something, he rocks it, and they're lucky to have him over there. I'm still having that feeling of needing to do more than just take care of the house and the family now that the kids are older, but at the same time, I don't want to be taken away from this role. Such mixed feelings. I think when Riley hits middle school and I won't be as involved in the school as often, it will feel more like the right time to make that leap. Right now, I want to make sure I can be available for field trips, classroom volunteering, and parties.
Over the summer, we added a new member to the family. Megan had her second baby boy in July and Logan officially became part of the crazy fam. We headed to Ohio to meet him, and unfortunately hit a deer along the way. Four hours into the drive, in Sullivan, MO, our road trip came to a crashing halt as we experienced the scariest thing ever. It definitely freaked the kids out, as well as us, but after a few hours of dealing with insurance, the tow truck, getting a rental, and repacking a Ford F-150, we finished our drive and spent the week getting in lots of cousin cuddles. Connor is an absolute joy to be around, and Logan was as sweet as can be.
This summer we also grew closer as a family as we started to really tackle Gavin's anxiety. We've noticed some minor things over the past couple of years, but this summer, it seemed to peak and Gavin was having a lot of issues sleeping and started having some anxiety attacks. Together, we learned some breathing strategies, starting writing about his feelings, and recently started seeing a counselor. I'm proud of us for working on this together, and especially proud of Gavin for how he's handled it all.
My memory seems to be getting worse and worse lately, and I know someday, I'm going to forget so many of the little things that mean so much to me right now. I'm really looking forward to more updates and short little blurbs here so that when I'm old and gray, I can look back and smile about all the sweet moments that make me smile and remember the hard days that made me stronger. Cheers to the new school year!
After a super fun summer, full of relaxing, swimming, and visiting Ohio, we started back to school this year. It's a whole new ballgame for us as Gavin has entered middle school. So, we now have a Willowbrook Elephant in second grade, and a Bright Field Aviator in fifth grade. We've had an ok start...some anxiety and jitters from Gavin on day one, and the same from Riley on day two. Day 2 was the first time she had to walk into the school all on your own! Instead of Gavin being with her, or us walking her in on the first day, on the second day Riley was independent. And that completely freaked her out. Sadly, enough so that she ended up throwing up at school and I had to pick her up early on day 2. Sigh. Day three was a little better after we had a strategy in place. Ashley H. was going to meet Riley at the door to walk in together, and just as she was starting to get anxious, Ashley was there and off they went. Thursday wasn't very smooth in the morning at home, but again, she walked right in with Ashley. Friday was an excellent morning!
Now, to throw another wrench in the mix....I got asked to start a short term/long term sub position. For three weeks, I'll be a kindergarten aide, which I'm really excited about. So far our mornings are going a little smoother....and hopefully when the three weeks is over, she isn't worse. Again, fingers crossed. It's an adjustment just knowing that I'll be working outside of the home five days a week. I'm already tired, but it will all be worth it.
More updates... After 17 years with Sam's Club, Jarrod moved over to the Walmart side of the business at the end of May, and he's been adjusting to that role over the summer. Of course, as with anything, when he sets his mind to something, he rocks it, and they're lucky to have him over there. I'm still having that feeling of needing to do more than just take care of the house and the family now that the kids are older, but at the same time, I don't want to be taken away from this role. Such mixed feelings. I think when Riley hits middle school and I won't be as involved in the school as often, it will feel more like the right time to make that leap. Right now, I want to make sure I can be available for field trips, classroom volunteering, and parties.
Over the summer, we added a new member to the family. Megan had her second baby boy in July and Logan officially became part of the crazy fam. We headed to Ohio to meet him, and unfortunately hit a deer along the way. Four hours into the drive, in Sullivan, MO, our road trip came to a crashing halt as we experienced the scariest thing ever. It definitely freaked the kids out, as well as us, but after a few hours of dealing with insurance, the tow truck, getting a rental, and repacking a Ford F-150, we finished our drive and spent the week getting in lots of cousin cuddles. Connor is an absolute joy to be around, and Logan was as sweet as can be.
This summer we also grew closer as a family as we started to really tackle Gavin's anxiety. We've noticed some minor things over the past couple of years, but this summer, it seemed to peak and Gavin was having a lot of issues sleeping and started having some anxiety attacks. Together, we learned some breathing strategies, starting writing about his feelings, and recently started seeing a counselor. I'm proud of us for working on this together, and especially proud of Gavin for how he's handled it all.
My memory seems to be getting worse and worse lately, and I know someday, I'm going to forget so many of the little things that mean so much to me right now. I'm really looking forward to more updates and short little blurbs here so that when I'm old and gray, I can look back and smile about all the sweet moments that make me smile and remember the hard days that made me stronger. Cheers to the new school year!
