School Starts 2011!!

I'm a day late posting this, but we started another school year yesterday! This year Cade started 7th grade, Carson started 1st grade, the girlies started Kindergarten, and I began my 11th year teaching! Time flies, and this "back to school season" has been way difficult for me! I know it's the fact that my babies started "real" school! I just wasn't ready! Even though it's saving me a house payment in school tuition! :) Also, Cade started junior high at Gunn JH yesterday, and that's a whole 'nother animal! As you will see in this post he's not in any picture. :( This is the first time since he started school in the 3 year olds class in 2002 that I haven't captured him on his first day. He just was too nervous about his first day to even ask to be in pictures, and I totally understand 7th and 8th were some pretty nerve-wracking years for me too!! He had a rocky first day, but today was better!! This morning he started his football practices at 6:45 am ugh!! However he had a positive attitude about it, and came home with good things to say! I was so relieved!!
Gosh!!! The emotions of starting 2 in Kinder and one in junior high have really gotten the best of me!! I saw a good friend in Wal-Mart last night at 9:00 pm (junior high gives supply lists the first day of school-who knew??), and poured my heart out to her. Poor Stacey! I was bawling and laughing for over an hour with her on one of the school supply aisles, but it was just what I needed!!
So here's the story of the 1st day....
After everyone was ready for the day we went out in the front yard of dead-dying of dehydration grass for some back to school pics, and who did we see???? of course the little flock of 4 guinea hens!!! :) We love them! They make little annoying pits in our yard and squawk when the sun comes up, but you have to appreciate how they never leave our neighborhood! In Arlington TX of all places this kind of thing is rare!! Kinda makes me feel like I'm living in the country!!

My sweeties!!! Ellie snuck Raffi into the pic!

Mommy with the babes!!

So-So had to get in on a pic! Emmy is holding her!

New backpacks!!!!
After pics I headed to school on my own. Sam always takes the kids on the first day because I have to be in my classroom to greet my kiddos. However, I always make sure Sam makes a stop at my classroom before he walks them to their rooms!! That's when we get our family pic next to my room. I have a family pic like this of Cade every year from K-6th!! I love that we spent those years together!

Sam snapped some pictures of Carson and the girls getting their days started!

Ella

Emmy wouldn't give him a smile at that moment! :)

When Sam was leaving the school he passed the camera off to me, and I got to head to their lunch to get more pics!! It just so happens that Kindergarten eats lunch when I have my conference period!! I'm so lucky!!! I can walk 10 feet and see my girlies eating!! I've been a little of a hoverer these past 2 days!! I told the girls tomorrow I'm just going to peek in the cafeteria and wave! :) Here is Emmy with Quinny!! They both brought their lunch on Monday, but today they bought lunch! They loved going through the line and getting trays!! They even got to put in their lunch numbers in the keypad!! I would've loved to capture that, but decided not to be annoying with my camera for a second time in 2 days!


Ella and Grayson

Mommy even got lunchtime pics with the girls!! Ellie first..

Then Em!!

Right after the girls eat 1st grade comes in, so I got a picture of Car-man!

After school in the hundred bajillion degree heat we got a 1st day of school pic in front of the marquee.

Then we came back to the room for popscicles!! I'm so lucky!! I will never forget these days with my babies!

A First Day of Kindergarten Letter to My Girls

My sweet precious angels, how can it be? In 5 days you will start Kindergarten. I can't believe the time is here. It truly just hit me yesterday that this day was coming. Don't get me wrong, I'm certain that y'all are ready. You are going to be perfect little kindergartners! However, your mama might not be ready to accept that her babies are going to "big kid school".

It seemed like just yesterday that I was getting a sonogram, and the dr told me that I was expecting twin girls. I know it's cliche, but time flies by so very fast. I cherish every single memory I have from that day in October 2005, to the present.

I know y'all will love school! I am beyond blessed that you get to come to school with me. Y'all truly began in Key Elementary!! Ha!! I got pregnant with y'all in May 2005, during my first year teaching at Key. I taught through my pregnancy, until the day before I had you. A week before I had you my tummy was so big I couldn't see my feet, and I tripped while walking up the stairs near my classroom. I have so many good memories of my pregnancy with y'all inside the classroom where I am still teaching!! I always thanked God that y'all were a picture perfect twin pregnancy, and I never had to go on bed rest. My perfect angels, you've always been healthy!

So next Monday, the 2 of you will begin your journey at Key!! Everything is ready to go! We shopped for school supplies and backpacks in July. You both chose the same precious backpacks from Justice, but y'all picked different lunchboxes, and I love that! Emmy, you picked a "big girl style" lunchbox with peace sign hearts, and Ella Belle you really wanted Justin Bieber, but since they didn't have a JB lunchbox you chose a Disney Princess one. I love that you can love JB and princesses at the same time sweet girl! Your "first day of school dresses" came in the mail today! They are precious!! Em yours is pink, and El your is purple. They say "Kindergarten Rocks" in little jewels, and they are precious!! Y'all are so proud of them! The 2 of you decided the dresses would look more fashionable with a belt, so off to Target we went! You both found skinny silver belts that are going to be the perfect accessory to your dresses. Twinkle Toes were both of your choices when it came to finding a new pair of school shoes. They sparkle with every color of the rainbow, and they light up when you take steps. Your daddy worried that they might be distracting at school, but I assured him they were ok...ha!! :)

Looking back on the last few years, I never imagined that things would change so quickly! The days when your pacis and Raffis were the most important things to you, have quickly turned into days where you are dancing to your Justin Bieber cd and fixing your hair by yourselves. However, both of you still sleep with your Raffis. He's a pretty sad creature...tattered, torn, and dirty because y'all don't want me to wash him. It's ok with me if y'all sleep with your Raffis for the rest of your lives. I love seeing you snuggle with him...

I know both of you will exceed every expectation that Daddy and I have for you! Always know that the 2 of you are an amazing blessing to us!!
I love you girls!!!
Love, Mommy

The Drive to Destin!

We headed to Destin Saturday (8-6-11) at 9:30 pm with hopes of driving through the night and arriving in Destin by Sunday morning. However, that didn't work out. By 2:30 am Sunday morning Sam and I were both exhausted!! We stopped in Vicksburg Mississippi at a pretty shady Super 8 Motel and slept til around 8:30 am Sunday morning. We ate the hotel's continental breakfast , and we got on the road to finish the 6 and a half hours that were left of our journey! The first thing we saw on our journey was a grass fire in Vicksburg! I decided to break out the camera for the first time on our trip! I wish I would've captured our wary souls at the Mississippi Super 8!! I don't think any of us have EVER been soooo tired!
It was actually pretty nice to split the trip in half...it made it much more bearable! We stopped in Hattiesburg MI for lunch, and then headed to Destin to meet up with our friends!

Here we are about to cross over the Mississippi River!!

Welcome to Mississippi!!! I was a gung-ho picture taker at that point! :)

Ella
Emmy in the back with Cade (who refused to let me take his pic!)

Carson

Our first full day in Destin...Monday 8-8-11

Let me just begin by saying that every single picture in this post is way out of order! I'm blaming it on the way they uploaded!! :)
Our Monday in Destin was absolutely amazing! Our agenda went something like this...
1. I woke up to a sunny room at 6:00am and headed to the spa for a much appreciated run while my fam slept. I even got a small walk on the beach, and a trip to the grocery store by myself!
2. Came back to the amazing condo, and everyone ate breakfast, got "beach ready" and headed down to the white sandy shores.
3. Played on the beach for an hour (Chels and I were insisting, despite little ones who were way ready for the pool).
4. Pool time for quite awhile!
5. Bath time, hair-dos courtesy of Chels and headed for Baytown Wharf.
6. Dinner, yummy drinks, and play time at Baytown Wharf. I didn't take pics, but thank goodness Chels did!!
All in all a totally perfect day!!
Now for the slew of out of order pictures that I love!!

Waking up in our room with a million dollar view!


Happy girl!!



Bedroom window view!

Ella

Emma



Fun times burying Colt!

















Pool time at our condo!






another view from our room! AAAAAHHHH!!!!

Posing!


Hair courtesy of Chels!




Ella posing on the balcony in our bedroom before heading to Baytown Wharf!