First Day of Preschool

This picture was taken on his first day last year. He has grown SO much this year!! Wow.

Today was David Franklin's first day of Preschool! He is in the 3 year old class and Mrs De Witt is his super sweet teacher. She will have her hands full with lots of little boys in there this year! We are thankful for St. Luke's school. We love the laid back atmosphere, the impressive curriculum, and how much they love on our kids. David Franklin was so excited to go today and that is a true gift to us all.
He got a great report on his first day.  He went to Spanish and Gymnastics and was even the line leader today :)  I think it's going to be a great year and he's going to learn so much.  He came home and even did a craft with me on the table, and usually getting this boy to do crafts is like asking him to eat his vegtables.

The Zoo Crew

Today we did the Wild Thing! We loaded up with the Halls and went to the Little Rock Zoo.

We went early, but it got HOT quickly. Some highlights were the penguins, turtles, lions, tiger, giraffes, rhino, crocodiles, and the lemurs. The train and playground were also big hits.

Nora wasn't much into the animals or her stroller for that matter but was a happy girl with her snacks and following the big kids around. It was fun taking her for her first time today though.

David Franklin's favorites were the big cats. He was hoping for a roar but they were pretty sleepy today.

The last 30 minutes everyone was maxed out with Zoo time, but it was lots fun and we always love time with the Hall family. It was a great last hurrah before school starts. The babies preferred a human stroller at the end, poor Kim!

Phone pic round up

It's been a long week, Nora and I have both been sick but it's behind us now and we managed to have some fun times too! Before we got sick the Halls came for dinner and to play.

That play pen idea lasted about 3 minutes tops, but it was wet and slick and well, we tried.

Then Avery's birthday football party was so cute and so much fun! Franklin got into the theme and made a new name tag to go above the Franklin logo on the helmet. Sadly it wasn't worn once... Of course David Franklin wanted to be a superhero so he was a "flash the football player". You can take the boy away from crime fighting, but you can't take the crime fighting away of the boy.

Pre-Church Photos

Before church on Sunday, we went outside and to take a few pictures of the kids. Mainly because Nora is wearing my mom's dress that Aunt Lois made for her over 50 years ago. Aunt Lois made things to last!!  She looked so precious and David Franklin is was one Handsome Big Boy.  They have formed a sweet relationship lately and love being around each other.  Well, mostly Nora trails him around and would follow him anywhere to do anything.  She adores him and he takes care of her.

The other day at the HSCC pool, a big group of moms and kids were in the baby pool area and she escaped through the gate without me noticing and was heading for the big pool.  I heard David Franklin start crying hysterically and I thought he was hurt or or something but he started yelling "Nora, no! Mommy, Nora got out!" He wasn't hurt at all but truly worried about her and letting me know.  I was so proud of him and the other moms were stunned.  She wasn't even close to getting to the water yet but he was looking out for her and he got big praise for that!  I can't believe that our summer is winding down!  We still have a few more items on the Summer To Do List, but not many.

Back in the US of A!

We are back home and had a wonderful vacation!!   Franklin wins a PRIZE for the amazing dad he is.  I never doubted his skills, but I thought he might get overwhelmed and worn out but he didn't seem to at all.  Nora has decided he's the mommy and follows him around saying Ma Ma! :) 

DF seemed to be unfazed himself.  This is the child that cries when I walk the dog in the front yard because I'm "leaving him" ...I thought it could be disastrous, but Franklin said he was probably the easiest with everything.  It really shows me that he has my number and can play me like a fiddle when he wants to.  Perspective is so valuable, my tunnel mommy-vision is widened and necessarily so.  My batteries are charged and I'm SO happy to be back with my family! I missed them like you wouldn't believe, however  I think it was good for all of us. 

Ciao!

My mother and I are about to board a plane to Switzerland and then going on to Florence and Rome to meet up with my brother and SIL. We will be gone 10 days and it's by far the longest I've been away from my family and I've had a lump in my throat for weeks thinking about saying goodbye to them. I also know its a chance of a lifetime and can be a positive experience for us all. As I was walking out the door I scrambled to find pictures small enough to fit an old locket I have. I will wear it everyday with my babies close to my heart. And my wedding rings obviously represent Franklin so he's not forgotten by any means!

I was experiencing anxiety about leaving my babies yesterday and a wise lady told me; "Amanda, go, enjoy yourself, and freely accept God's blessings and you'll come back a better wife and mother."

My goals for this trip are to do just that. As well as to unplug, relax, enjoy seeing beautiful parts of the world, accept this blessing gratefully from God, gain perspective, eat lots of pizza, drink wonderful wine, and make some fun memories with my old roommates :)

David F told me his plan while I was gone is to "eat lots of candy" so seems he's going to have a little holiday of his own!

Proud to be an American!

This 4th of July was a wonderful one! The 3rd was great too because we were invited to a neighborhood parade that was truly small town America at its finest. It was too cute and so much fun!! Hot dogs, face painting, Popsicles and kids galore! The kids decorated their riding toys and took off after a wonderful rendition of the national anthem and the pledge of allegiance from some grade school aged kids.
We decorated the double stroller because we thought David F would ditch his bike a quarter of the way but come to find out- that would have been longer than he lasted in the stroller when he saw the hot wheels! He tried to ride in the back of James' tractor but kept falling off so he got to catch a ride with his favorite older lady friend in her pink Barbie car! Nora and Aubrey Kate didn't love the stroller either so I really struck out on the parade- ha! Nora was happy with a mouthful of Vanilla Wafers though so we kept them coming!

I'm proud to be an American, and proud of what the stars and stripes, hot dogs and Popsicles represent and are thankful for those who came before us to make it all possible.