August 2016

August went by so fast! It seemed like it was just starting when it was over. I was pretty busy all month with various activities, but there wasn't as much going on family-wise.

One milestone we did reach was taking the back off of Aubrey's booster seat. I know this doesn't seem like a huge deal, but Aubrey was ecstatic. This is the last step before she completely comes out of the booster in January and I'm still a little sad about it. We could have taken it off ages ago, but the part of me holding on the little girl in her made me wait.

We did a lot of shopping this month and Aubrey conned me into taking her with most for most of it. Taking kids school shopping is such a chore, but taking 1 kid seemed a lot better than 2. I enjoyed spending that one-on-one time with her, so it was a good trip. She also conned me into buying her lunch while we were out and I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Mason started his next season of soccer and moved up to league soccer this year. He was so happy to be back out on a field and playing a sport. I love that he is such a sports kid.

Aubrey started her 5th year of dance this year. But, this year, she was invited to join the competition team so its not the once a week deal anymore. My mind was a little overwhelmed at first because I competed for years and I know the work and dedication that it takes from the dancer and the parent. I am glad her teachers have the confidence that Aubrey is ready, I just don't think Aubrey knows what she is in for this season. So, she lives at the studio 5 hours per week and keeps us burning Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road up as we run her back and forth. Its exciting and overwhelming and I can't wait to see how it plays out when competition season starts in the spring.

National Dog day was in August and the kids begged me to take a picture of them with the dogs. Getting all 4 of them to cooperate for a picture was, um, a challenge, so this is the best that I could get.

On our last day of summer vacation, I took the kids to the airport observatory to watch planes take off and land. Mason was thrilled to see the planes up close and it was awesome to watch him get so excited. I love going to the observatory and spent many hours there before I met Todd. Its a fun place to just sit back and watch and relax for a bit.

We wrapped up summer when Aubrey started back to school on the 29th. The schools started so late this year, but I was glad to have the extra time with no schedule or routine to follow for them. Aubrey tried to tell everyone all summer she wasn't ready to go back, but as soon as we met her teacher, she was all ready to go. I think her teacher this year is awesome so I am hoping for a better 2nd grade year than 1st grade for her. I also realized this is our last first day of school picture that won't include both kids going to the same place. Sigh......

I finally got my call from LuLaRoe on the 15th so I got to place my initial order and get some pretty clothes to sell. The order came in 4 big boxes and it was mind boggling how much was in those boxes. Its now official that I am a small business owner. Scary and exciting all at the same time.

So, August has come and gone. I am so ready for fall and all that it brings. Our lives are pure chaos right now, but its all fun and exciting from here on out.

July 2016

July was a pretty low key month for us. While I was super busy with LuLaRoe planning and studying for the GRE, the kids spent a lot of time playing outside and at the pool.

We started the month with our traditional trip to Mooresville on July 3rd for their fireworks. I started off the afternoon with a flat tire that required a quick trip to the tire store to fix. The weather was pretty yucky as it had been the past few years, but we made the best of it. The kids got to take pictures with some fun characters roaming around the site so they were pretty happy about that. The kids also enjoyed playing in the rain before the fireworks. The fireworks were a little shorter than usual because of the rain, but the kids still had a great night and that is what matters.

July 4th was pretty All American. We took the kids swimming in the afternoon, picked some blueberries from the garden, grilled hamburgers for dinner, played with sparklers,  and then watched fireworks in the neighborhood.

The rest of the month was pretty quiet and low key for the family. The kids kept themselves busy with playing and being creative while I studied and Todd worked and took care of the house.

This was one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

They created a show called "Beauty and the Shark." It was Oscar worthy, I promise!

So, that was July. Not exciting, but still entertaining for all.

June 2016

So much for my grand ideas to catch up over the summer. I think the summer was just as crazy for me as the school year. But, I think I need to accept that this season in life is about running behind and doing what I can when I can.

June wrapped up 1st grade for Aubrey. First grade seemed to go so much faster than Kindergarten. I know part of it was that life has been so crazy, but it really did feel that the school year had just started when it finished.

First and last days of 1st grade

We celebrated the end of school by having our first miniature golf day. The kids enjoyed it at first, but it really was too hot, so they were over it by the end. It was fun and we do hope to go back again.

Being out of school meant more time at the pool. The kids love being in the water and it gave us some time to sit down and relax while they played.

Another bonus of summer is being able to watch movies outside. We took the kids to see Cinderella outside at the Shoppes at Northcross. It was a free event and perfect weather, so it really was a perfect night.

Aubrey had dance camp for a week so I got to spend some extra one on one time with Mason. We found a cute little park near the studio and battled through the heat to play on the equipment. I love spending one on one time with the kids because its not that often so it was fun to hang out with the little guy.

Our exciting news for June was I made the decision to join LuLaRoe as a fashion consultant. I had been researching for about a month before I finally got the courage to talk to my sponsor and make it official. Getting Todd on board was a little harder, but once we talked numbers, he was a little ok with the decision. My hope in selling is to make enough to supplement the income I will lose when I go back to school. My paperwork was submitted on June 29 and entered the queue to wait for my call. More updates on this journey later!