This and That

Well, school has been in session now for two weeks and today when I asked Anna if she wanted to go back to homeschooling or stay in school, she said school, so I guess that would mean its going well. She is doing great on some things and not so good on others, but she likes it overall. I am very happy with our decision to put her in school. So far it is working out great. We have my mom's help as she picks Anna up nearly every day. It is good for both of them.

Last weekend we had some surprise visitors...my sister and her family came for a visit. I almost cried when they walked into my work. I so was not expecting them to come, but I am so glad they did come. I finally got to meet my new nephew who was 6 weeks old and my mom got to meet her new grandbaby. It was a good visit, even if it was a flying trip. I am so happy for them and I can't wait to visit with them again! Here are some pictures from that visit:

Norman and Micah:

Nanny and Micah:
Graciela hugs Anna:

Anna, Graciela & Micah:

Again, it was a lot of fun and I am so glad they came. We had a great visit.

Today, Anna and I have been a couple of busy bees. We started the morning at Tar*get to get her a new backpack. I found one I liked for her, but she wanted the "pink" one, only because it was pink. Ugh! I didn't like it as well, so I slowly convinced her that the one I found was cute and it has a stuffed animal hanging off it. We ended up with the one I like, because I AM Mom after all. Then headed off the Kohl*s. I love that store. They have such nice clothes and we got some excellent deals. Anna got 3 pairs of capris, 3 pairs of capri leggings, and 2 shirts. I got me 4 shirts. We spent about $50 and saved about $120. LOL!! That tells you how much they were on clearance. All were 70-80% off, except one of my favorite shirts, it was only 50% off. I think we did good and I'm happy with our purchases.

Anna and I then headed home and painted her finger nails and toe nails. ELECTRIC BLUE!!! LOL!! I found it at the local discount store that I dislike shopping at and bought it. It was a fun color. Here are some pictures from that:

We followed that up this afternoon by making a batch of no-bake chocolate cookies. YUMMY!! Now, if they would ever harden, we can eat them all up. LOL! That was all today. I'm off for two more days, whatever will I do with my time. I'm not used to being off, let alone a 3-day weekend. We have had so much fun today. Hope we can keep it up.

1st Day of School

Today was literally Anna's first day of school. We are not homeschooling this year. Instead we found her a nice Christian school to go to and we went full force with it. Anna was excited and scared. She should be, its all new and she hasn't been away from us hardly at all in the last 3 years. (The year before that she was in daycare, but that was all play.) Anyhow, after much prayer and deliberation, we decided that it was in our best interest to put her in school. Public school is just NOT an option for us, so we are paying a good deal of money to have her in a good school. Anyhow, she tested into third grade, which is right where she should be and so here we are....Anna's first day of school!

Love this picture and the way she posed her legs:

At the school waiting:

This is how I left her, a little nervous, but okay:

Anyhow, she did great and had a good time. She will adjust and said that her favorite thing was recess. Her favorite subject is of course reading. No surprise there as that was her favorite when I was teaching her. She's good at it. Anyhow, here's to a new year full of new adventures, including school! Praying that we made the right decision for her and for our family. Thank you all for your continued support and prayer.

Dear Lord

Dear Lord....Help me to be strong and brave and not have fear. I don't like fear. Thank you. Amen.

Changes!!!

Well, lots has changed in the last few weeks. Not only did I get the key holder position, but I also went full time AND in 23 days, Anna will be starting school. She will NOT go to public school, as I don't think that is a good fit for our family. She will go to a private school. I am praying that this is the right decision for our family. Truthfully, I love being at home with Anna, but I did not like being fully responsible for her learning and frankly, I didn't want to be home anymore. I wanted to be out and about. I'm just not a home body. I love being out. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change being home with Anna for 3 years for anything, but I was starting to not enjoy it. We were homeschooling for all the wrong reasons. Most people have no idea why, and I prefer that they never do, but we were mostly homeschooling out of fear. I am letting go of that fear and letting God take care. He is taking care of everything.

Anna tested into the third grade, which is exactly where she should be. We will work extra hard in math so she can be somewhat on level. I really am trying to make sure she gets down the addition and subtraction facts in the next three weeks. We are drilling flash cards, which is my least favorite way to do it, but time is short for her to learn it and learn it well. I am very happy with the school we have chosen. It was a short test, but I really think the placement will be wonderful. She will wear a uniform one day a week and the rest of the time she will wear regular clothes.

The next few weeks will be trying and hard. We have registration to pay and then tuition all in one month. We even have to buy school supplies and some new school clothes. We also have no child care this summer, so it means finding someone to watch Anna every time I work right now. I also am trying to learn all the things that go into my promotion at work. It is a lot to take in, but we will make it. God has provided the means and we are taking it. It is a life-style change for us. We have gotten used to either Jeremy or I being at home with Anna almost exclusively for the last 6 years. He stayed home with her while she was younger and then I stayed home with her the last 3 years. (She spent only 1 year in day care when we first moved here.)

Anyhow...there are a lot of changes in store. They are scary and exciting all at the same time. I pray that these changes will be good for our family, for our marriage and for Anna. I pray that God will take care of all that needs to be taken care of. I also pray that Anna does good in the next school year. I am trusting God with all the details. It will be good.

Hold that thought

Ok, So hold that thought on my last post. I got a promotion at work this week, but only cause I asked for it. :-) It was a position that had been previously only allowed for full-timers, but since so much at work is changing anyhow, I asked if they would consider a part-timer. I got it and so far I'm happy. I hope it stays this way for a while. Unfortunately, I've come to realize at work that a lot of bad things happen in cycle with everyone's monthly cycle. LOL!! Guess tempers and moods flare at certain times. I guess it makes us cranky...you think? LOL! Anyhow, I got the promotion and I am learning new things right now which makes me happy for a time. Praying for the best, cause lately I've been known to speak my mind. Have a good week.

Wanted: Read On!

Wanted:
New Job!

Requirements:
*Appreciate the workers you have and the hard work they do.
*Talk with respect to your employees.
*Know how to make a schedule.

Date: Two Weeks from today

RSVP: ASAP

Contact: Me

Comments: UGH!

Getting Tall

Everybody keeps commenting on how tall Anna is getting, so lets put statistics to it. Last month when she went to the Dr, she was 4'3". This month, only 30 days later, she is 4'5". She has shot up 2 inches in only 30 days. She is in fact getting very tall.

She is also very beautiful. She has long dark hair that is still got some perm in it from 2 years ago. Apparently it REALLY stuck to the ends this time. LOL! She is our little princess in every way. I love her very much and wouldn't change her for the world.