Back To School!

Today is a very big day. Today marks the 2nd year of marriage for Mommy and Daddy. Today is the first day of Mommy's pre-planning as a big girl grown up teacher. Today was our little girl's first day of school.

Wait.....what???? That's right, y'all! Lily started preschool today and had a positively marvelous time! Kinda. The morning was a bit rough, but I'm told she perked up throughout the day. What makes this place so great is that I get a worksheet with a run-down of all her daily activities. What time she ate, how much she ate, what she liked, what she didn't, how long she napped and even when she was checked and changed. While dropping her off this morning was crazy difficult, I can't tell you how relieved we all are to know that she is in such good hands during the day!

Backpack and lunch all packed and ready!

Yummy eggs and juice for breakfast!



"What exactly do you expect me to do with this?"

While today technically was her debut into the school system, I am trying to hold out on too much ceremony until the angel starts kindergarten. So, today, I did not cry, I did not worry about my little girl growing up too quickly, nor did I go crazy with the camera or label maker. I don't think any of us are truly ready for the "first day of school". So for now, we'll just look at this as if it were a two-year summer camp. OK? OK! Good luck to everyone this upcoming school year!

In The Past Few Weeks...

In the past few weeks:

Lily said "goodbye" to her exersaucer, and now keeps up with her toys and reading materials with a bucket and shelving unit - all in high heels, of course.


Mommy became a super model:



Daddy began rocking Police Man School:

And today, for no particular reason, we all went dancing in the rain. Mowgli even joined in:

Soaking wet and laughing hard; smelling like sunscreen, sweat and the afternoon rain. I hope you're all enjoying these last few weeks of summer as much as we are!

Flash Flood Alert!

Watch out, y'all, the diapers are flying off. Ordering extra bloomers this week because the little angel seems to enjoy feeling fresh air in new places. Baby girl just won't keep that diaper on! Lord, give me strength!

Navarre For A Day

Foggy camera alert! This weekend we went to Navarre beach for the day to meet up with part of the family. Uncle Mark, Aunt Jane, and cousins Devon and Conner came all the way from Chicago. We also met up with the Pensacola gang and had a fabulous (albeit far too brief) family reunion! It would have been 100% if Po and Uncle Will could have joined us for the trip. Po is off saving the world one court case at a time and Uncle Will is in Kansas at a Catholic leadership conference. One day, we'll get everyone on the same beach at the same time! Now for the photo shoot:

Supermodel Parents

The cousins (sans Uncle Will)

The whole gang (sans Nana, Papa, Po and Uncle Will)

Little piece of Heaven

Couldn't resist!

Family, food and fun. Wish we could have stayed much longer! Next weekend's adventure: scalloping! Post to follow!

Dear Santa...

Tommy Bahama. That is all. Kisses!

Someone's Growing Up....

... and it's not just the baby! Jason and Kayleigh (parental posts are rare so it's a nice break to use our Christian names rather than our usual "Daddy" and "Mommy" - small favors, y'all) are finally gonna be Big Kids! Sure, marriage and children tend to help that process along, but now our journey to Big-Kidhood (not to be confused with "adulthood" - ew) is almost at an end. The parents have announcements to make and we have a whole blog post just for us! Check it out:

Jason will be fulfilling a life-long dream this summer by beginning his training at the local police academy. Seriously, he's wanted to do this since before the day I met him, and now we are finally in a place where this is possible! School starts in July and he will graduate in December. Merry Christmas, you're living your dream! I am SO proud of him and I can't wait to see all of the wonderful work he will do for this city, keeping it safe and sound - and doing so in a dashing uniform, which is almost as important as the work itself. Kidding. Kinda. Congratulations to Jason for beginning this new chapter in life!

I'm going back to school, too! Just in a different way. After what seems like ages, (in reality it was chump change compared to the wait most people are struggling through) I have accepted a job teaching at the local Catholic school. You are reading the words of a newly elected Middle School English teacher - lucky you! What makes this job opportunity even more wonderful is that it is with the school I, myself attended. So fabulous to come full-circle, is it not? Congratulations to me for landing a big-girl job!

Jason and I have always been hard workers. Especially since the arrival of little Lily, we have taken on as much as we could to keep our heads above water. Each juggling multiple part-time jobs, finishing school and trying to keep our sanity, I'd say we've done a pretty good job holding it together. I cannot convey in words the relief we feel at these new opportunities with which we have all been blessed. To have a job I can grow old with and not just another stepping stone. To have the power to catch the bad guy and right a wrong. To know that, because of these opportunities, Lily can climb a tree, break her leg and we can handle it without having to sell one of Mowgli's kidneys (oh yes, did I mention benefits? Love me some health insurance). To know that, for the time being, we can stop crossing our fingers.

Not to say we will stop working hard, or let our Praying Knees get lazy. We got this far, and we'll keep going with our own good work and a lot of faith. We are just so happy to be at a point in our wonderful life where we can worry a little less, breathe a little slower, and smile a little wider. Big Kid jobs. Won't Lily be proud of us?

Two crazy college kids back in 2006. Who'd have thought we'd go so far?

Summer Celebrations!

A few family happenings! Aunt Brenna, sporting peep-toe pumps, graduated with style last weekend at the civic center. She's off to nursing school!

Walking in!

We're all so proud!

Waving to the adoring fans!

Family shot! It took us forever and a day to find her outside in the sea of red caps and gowns, but we eventually got everyone rounded up!

The next day, Jason and I got some much-need "us" time and headed to the wedding of one of Jason's childhood friends. We had been to a wedding the previous weekend and we had brought the Baby Girl along. We learned our lesson! This time, Lily stayed a few hours with Kiki while Mommy and Daddy got to enjoy the ceremony and festivities!

Wine and grits. Among other yummies. There was a grits station with all les accoutrements: Cheese, chives, and - now this is genius, y'all - Bradley's sausage! Genius, I tell you. The rest of the food was amazing, but really, this was all I needed to be happy as a clam.

And the real reason for the whole day... kidding! Kinda.

We did miss our little girl, but I must say it was the best choice to leave her behind for a bit - a diaper bag would most certainly not go with this dress! Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Stuyverson!

Be on the lookout for our next post. Our little family has some pretty big changes coming! And no, I am not pregnant. Repeat: not pregnant. More on that later! Have a fabulous weekend, y'all!