And then it was June...............

Where has this year gone? I know I say that often, that time goes by too fast, that I blink and things are over. But really, it is crazy. This has been a great year, Ashley finished her first year in elementary school. Peyton had his best year of preschool yet with the best teacher he may ever have! Such a loving and sweet lady and I miss seeing Mrs. Prevatte every day. In April, I decided to put Peyton in full day Pre-K in the fall instead of a 4 day half day preschool program. I hope he does well and likes it, he will be in the same class that Ashley was in last year. The teacher is amazing and I know he will love it. If all goes well, he will be starting kindergarten in one short year!

My sweet sweet Charlotte just turned 15 months. She brightens my day and makes life such a better place. She is still a shorty, but slowly growing. Her hair is light blonde, not as blonde as Ashley's was, but pretty close! She is crawling and cruising all over the place. No walking yet, but I think she will get it in the next couple of months. She talks up a storm and I am amazed at all the things she says! Her favorite thing to do now is sing "Let it Go" from Frozen. She will repeat almost anything we say and my favorite words she says are "apple" and "poopy" because she is just so darn cute. Big changes coming up in the next couple months for her child care, but I think it will all work out (fingers crossed!).

We are still in our current house and making it work for now. I recently read Dave Ramsey and am in debt payoff mode, so if all goes well, the only debt we will have early next year will be our mortgage. I cannot wait! I would love to save for another year on top of that and then make a decision about buying or building. We have not felt led to do anything and a part of me thinks there is a reason why. I feel something may happen in the next year or two that will really let us know what we need to do (whether it is a job change, a move, change with schools, etc). And for that reason alone, I want to stay put, pay off our debt, save money and let the cards fall into place.

Ashley only has 3 weeks left of summer vacation until she starts first grade. To say she has been difficult would be an understatement. I do not know what has gotten into her. My patience with her is so thin and I really need to work on it. I am scared I am going to say something to her I cannot take back. I don't know if it is because she has been on a new schedule or if things are just coming to a head with her "issues". She had a great end of the year, her report card was stellar, all 4s (which is above grade level) and her reading is above grade level as well. But I don't think her teacher was in tune with her (or any of the kids) as her other teacher, so a part of me fears that she really didn't "improve", but more that her teacher just didn't "get it". I guess we will see how first grade pans out. I have spoken to her principal and requested a specific teacher for her for first grade, but we will see how that pans out as well.

Happy summer!

2014

I have been such a slacker with the blog, I know it is partly because I cannot figure out how to upload pictures and it almost seems pointless to post unless I can include pictures.

We had a wonderful Christmas, it was nice to spend time together as a family. Ashley and Peyton really did drive me crazy though. I think they are used to being on the go all the time and being on a schedule that over two weeks of no schedule was really too much for them. And too much for me! At least in the summer we can get out to the pool. We were stuck in the house most days and I really thought I would lose my mind by January 5th.

Charlotte turned 10 months on January 18th! In less than two months, she will be one. We had her 9 month appointment last week (a little late, huh?) and she has fallen off the growth chart for height. I know she is short, but I did not realize she was THAT short. She was 26 inches, which is around the 1st percentile. She had been around the 13th percentile. She was 17 pounds, 9 ounces, which is around the 35th percentile for weight. She had been following a curve, a small curve, but a curve none the less and now her height has dropped off the curve. The doctor is not concerned, but she said we do need to keep an eye on it because it could be a sign of a growth disorder. But other than that, she is great! She is still my sweet smiley baby. She is laughing all the time and saying "mama" and "dada" and I think she is trying to say "dog". I don't know if she associates Ryan and I with those words, but it is cute to hear her say them. She has turned into a fabulous sleeper, she may be my best one yet! And she is getting up on her knees, scooting backwards, rolling all over the place and trying to crawl. I stood her next to one of Peyton's classmate's sister today (Charlotte is 10 days older than her) and the other baby is literally TWICE the size/height of Charlotte. Charlotte looked like she was about 6 months younger than the other baby. She may be taking after Ryan's mom, but I really hope she will be taller than 4'11.

Ashley has a new teacher for kindergarten. The last day before Christmas break, we received a letter that her fabulous teacher, Mrs. Garner, accepted a job as director of preschools for Montgomery County. To say I was crushed is an understatement. Ashley loves school, but is having her normal issues of focusing and zoning out and also silly behavior and Mrs. Garner knows how to interact with her and redirect her. I am hoping her new teacher will be able to do the same. Ashley seemed excited about her new teacher, but she did get a little upset last night when I think she fully realized that Mrs. Garner is not coming back anymore.

With everything we have been through regarding teachers and schools, I think I should be prepared for anything by now!

So far 2014 has started out very slow and tedious, but I am hoping for a  fabulous year. We are hoping to take a family vacation (other than the beach) this year and I am trying to convince Ryan to go on a Disney Cruise. More to come on that.........

How Is It December Already?

Wow! Just wow! I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by. I cannot believe that Christmas is only 16 days away. And I cannot believe that my baby girl will be one is almost 3 short months. This is my favorite time of the year, but it always makes me a little sad because I know how quickly it goes by. I am trying to treasure every moment of the craziness, but a small part of me longs to hold on just a bit longer because I know in a short time, it will be over.

Things are going really well for us. Charlotte is FINALLY sleeping through the night, normally from 7p-7a. She has had this schedule about a month or so. She is starting to eat more "grown up" food and not just purees. She loves my oatmeal and I have given her some pasta, peas and bits of quesadilla. There is not much she doesn't like except plain Greek yogurt. I think I ended up wearing more of it than her :-)