Keeping Up with the Davis': September 2011

Believe it or not, my baby girl started 4 year old preschool the first week of September. She was incredibly excited to begin this new journey of "real" school. We first attended orientation a couple weeks before school began. Kate was so excited to see her friends, Nolan and Emily. Unfortunately, Kate was placed in a different class than Nolan and Emily, thus my anxiousness about her expectations. We had been talking for several weeks about what she should expect and how much fun she was going to have meeting new friends and learning new things. She did show some anxiousness about what was to come. She asked some expected questions, such as "Will I take a nap at school?" and "What snack will I get?"(She loves snack time!); however, when she said to me in almost a whisper: "Mommy, I won't have any friends in my class", my heart broke as I had a small glimpse of what was going on in that little mind. As a mother, you want to protect and shelter your child from as much as possible. The truth is that life is full of uncertainty and regardless of the age, we all face it. So, instead of protecting her from it, the best I can do is to prepare her. We talked a lot and most importantly, I listened. We talked every day about school in an attempt to ease some of her anxiety. Just as I knew she would, although she was a bit shy, she had no problem going into her new class while Mommy and Daddy went to discuss 'no fun, grown up things'. It amazes me what a mix she is of me and Kevin. When placed in a new atmosphere, she starts out very quiet and timid (like me), but quickly opens up to be the center of attention (like her Daddy). After seeing her in her class for a mere 20 minutes, I was certain she would adjust just fine.

After orientation, Kate was ready to start school. We counted down the days and talked about what fun she would have until the big day arrived. Up to this point, I had been so focused on preparing her that I hadn't even thought twice about the fact that the first day would be harder on me than it would be on her. Kate attended Goddard for 2 years, which is somewhat like a preschool. As a result, I had no concern about being emotional as I dropped her off on the first day. Was I ever wrong! The first morning of preschool was pretty typical, we hadn't gotten too far out of the routine of getting up, having breakfast and getting dressed to go to Goddard/work, which made things run a little smoother. Daddy stayed home with Monkey and I loaded up our big girl and headed off to this new chapter in her life. She talked all the way to school and got herself unbuckled as soon as we pulled into the drop off line. She hoped out of the car, gave Mommy a big kiss and off she went. As I slowly pulled away, watching her walk into the door, my eyes got blurry and I couldn't hold it back. My baby girl is growing up and it is happening so fast.

She decorated her bag all by herself!

Ready to go! Toothpaste stain and all :)

Pretty girl

Ready to walk up to her new class

Walking up the stairs as Mommy's
eyes started to get blurry

Eating lunch after school

I know, I know, it has been over a month since my last post! A lot has happened since then and I will provide updates/pictures for each of the latest events (i.e. Kate starting preschool!) very soon.

Tonight, I will start with what is freshest on my mind....vacation! We just returned yesterday from a wonderful week in Ormond Beach. Ronnie and Diane have been so gracious to allow us to spend a week with them in Florida the past several years. With our growing family; however, they may soon retract this offer as our vacations have quickly gone from relaxing to rowdy. With a 4 year old and an eight month old to entertain, Kevin and I are no longer sure what the word "relaxation" means....regardless of our location. Although vacations may no longer be relaxing, they are fun-filled and eventful and we wouldn't have it any other way! With this being said, I must admit how nice it is to have Ronnie and Diane there to help with the kids – it certainly made our week much easier (I was able to read an entire book – the first one since Monkey has been born!)

We had a great week. We visited family, went to Sea World, swam, hunted for seashells (i.e. Mommy bought big shells and put them in the sand so Kate could 'find' them :), ate great food and most importantly, just spent time together. Kate was one lucky girl last week, which would explain her sadness as we packed our bags Saturday morning. Let’s just be honest, the week revolved around her! At Sea World, we watched every show on the calendar (Kate LOVES shows…she chose this over Disney!), we went swimming in the pool and the ocean from the moment she awoke until it was time for dinner and we ate A LOT of ice cream! This, my friends, is a little taste of Heaven for a 4 year old. Not to mention that she had DeDe and Papaw there to spoil her even more than Mommy and Daddy (if that is possibleJ)!

Hayes didn’t have a bad week himself. This was his first vacation, and he seemed to enjoy himself as well. He loved the water. He splashed and giggled while watching big sister jump in. He was amazed by the sand and examined it closely. Mostly, I think enjoyed our morning walks – nothing is more relaxing than an early stroller ride! The poor little guy has been cutting his two top teeth, but as always, he didn’t let it get him down. All week, he remained the happy little guy that I love more than words can describe.

The great part of going to Ormond Beach is that I have lots of family that live either in Ormond or very close. As you know, I lost a very special person in my life only 8 days after Hayes was born - my grandfather (Papa). Because Hayes was only 1 week old at the time, I was unable to travel to FL to attend Papa’s funeral services. Although I was able to see him in December, I felt like I never had the chance to say a final goodbye. This trip gave me that opportunity. One of the first mornings after we arrived, Hayes and I took a walk before sunrise. We went to the park where there is a bench memorializing both my grandfather and my dear uncle, whom we lost 3 years ago. As I sat on their bench that morning, watching the sunrise, I felt like I was finally able to say goodbye to a man that was so important to me and had such a huge impact on my life. I made this a routine. Hayes and I took a walk almost every morning to get a Starbucks and sit on Uncle Mike and Papa’s bench to watch the sunrise.

I was also able to see my dear grandparents, Mamoo and Poppy. While we didn’t get to stay long, it was still a wonderful visit. We talked, laughed (as we always do with my grandmother), and had some great food – all the ingredients for a perfect afternoon. In addition, we were able to have breakfast and spend a little time with my other Grandmother, Mima. Lastly, we met up with a couple uncles, aunts and cousins…I even got to meet sweet baby Aiden, my second cousin.

As you see, we had a wonderful week. I could go on forever about everything we did, but instead I will stop now and just let the pictures tell the rest of the story! I am ever so grateful to have such a wonderful family to spend our vacation with.