Our Adventure called Life

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a nervous wreck the first day of Pre-K.  It's not because it was Paisley's first time going to school or because I was worried he wouldn't do well; we were entering into a "big" school, the local elementary school.  Gone were the days of the private nursery school and here we were with supply lists and book fees.  I wasn't ready, but the little guy was.  And that's all that mattered. I think I was embarrassing him The day before his first day of school, Paisley asked if we could run into town to get a few things he "needed" for school.  Knowing we had already purchased his school supplies, I asked what items he needed.  His response, "bath gel (peach scented) and a haircut."  How could I deny a boy who wanted to be well groomed and smell good? Scott and I were very upbeat and excited towards Paisley about his first day at his new school.  I swallowed my fear and put on a smile as we ate a ...

On the eve of our boy turning 5, I can't help but go back to the night in the hospital before his birth.  The clarity of the details of the evening and early morning hours are so crystal clear.  I can feel the emotions that coursed through my body and the energy of the operating room as I was quickly brought in.  I am so grateful to remember those details so strongly and welcome their visit on this one night a year. Earlier in the day, we kicked off his celebration and headed into town.  He picked Mr. Gatti's for lunch followed by a trip to the mall to ride the carousel.  Since he will spend 1/2 of his birthday at school, I wanted to let him do a few fun things the day before!  I'm pretty sure he thinks 2 days of celebrating are the norm! Our sweet 5 year old birthday boy rolled out of bed with a smile on his face.  He knew it was a big deal to be 5.  I swear he even looked a little taller!  He requested breakfast at Denny's and Nan...

"I'm Free(3)!!"-Lila   This little girl was so excited to climb into bed, knowing in the morning she would be "3."  Although she is still undecided on if that makes her a "big girl" or if she's still a "little girl" she was excited to put up another finger to show people her age. She started her birthday week taking cupcakes to share with her friends and library staff during story/craft time.  After requesting (and eating) her favorite breakfast (oatmeal) on her birthday morning, we went to Donut Bank for donuts.  Nana and Daddy surprised our little 3 year old and she happily scarfed down sugary treats and opened a few surprises. Mini-breakfast party Our next stop was Toy's R Us!  Paisley got to celebrate his birthday a little early as the store gave both kids their birthday crowns and balloons.  I also let both kids pick out a birthday present.  I never walk into a toy store and let the kids pick something out, but I w...

Finding beauty amidst the sadness Despite the date lit up on my computer screen, I couldn't believe it'd been over 15 years since graduating high school.  I still remembered the sound of lockers being slammed, the excitement of pep rallies, and the smell of the cafeteria.  When information about our 15 year class reunion began circulating a couple years back, I smiled at those days so long ago then deleted the information.  I still spoke with those I was close to but didn't feel a need to attend the event.  Without giving it a second thought, the class reunion came and went. A few weeks ago, via Facebook, I learned that one of my classmates had gone missing in Kentucky Lake. He was someone whom fought and beat cancer, not once but twice a few years before.  Over the next 24 hours I kept my eyes on Facebook hoping for news he had been found alive.  Roughly 48 hours later I got news that his body had been found.  He was gone.   The news hit...