We're back!

Good evening.  It's good to be home and back in somewhat of a normal routine.  A normal routine for only about a week more.  Darbee starts school next Tuesday so the schedule will change once again and we will find a new normal.  I have a TON of pictures to share with you from our trip and I promise to post them soon.  We had a wonderful trip.  Words cannot describe how much fun we had and how amazing it was to watch Darbee's face as she took it all in.  I will never forget those looks.  

Are your little ones back in school yet?  If so, I hope they are having a great year so far.  Darbee is very excited about kindergarten.  Today was meet the teacher.  She was happy to find see several friends from last year's class in her class this year.  Both of her teachers seem really nice and we are looking forward to a fun year.

Here she is right outside her classroom door.  She can't wait for school to start!  

Here she is at her spot at her table.  It looks like a fun classroom!

We are keeping busy and enjoying some different activities.  Yesterday, we began a new adventure.  I have signed Darbee up for a homeschool art class at a local art studio here in town.  Her friend Mia and her brother also attend and told us about it.  We had the first class yesterday and it was awesome.  Since Darbee is only attending a 1/2 day kindergarten, we will be able to attend the class.  I was so glad to sign her up.  

She LOVED the class yesterday.  Each week, they will learn about several artists and their techniques and then create a piece of art related to the topic of study that week.  This week, they learned about ceramics.  They worked with clay and made pinch bowls.  They painted them and left them to dry.  They will then be fired in the kiln and they will have a really cool bowl to bring home.  It was really neat.

Here are some pictures from the class.

Darbee was so excited to work with clay.  This is not something we have worked with much at home. 

The first step was to get the air bubbles out of the clay.  This was accomplished by throwing the clay very hard onto the floor.  This looks fun huh?  Oh yea.

Then, the clay had to be formed into balls.

After that, two thumbs were inserted in the middle and then they began pinching the sides to form a bowl shape.  It was really cool watching it form.  

Then they could get creative and make their bowl look however they wished.  Darbee chose to make her sides curvy and put little indentions in the top.  It turned out really cute.

Last, they painted them with a glaze.

Darbee chose purple, white and blue.

I can't wait to see the finished product.  We are already looking forward to next week's class!

We are looking forward to a fun weekend at the craft fair with Nana and Papa.  I hope all of you have a fun weekend too! 

Until next time....

Do you Instagram?

I have a new addiction.  I must confess.  Along with Blogger, Facebook and Pinterest, I am now an Instagram addict!  Not only am I, Darbee Rae loves looking on there too.  She enjoys looking at the pictures and now that you can post videos, she LOVES watching the videos.  

So.....are you on Instagram?  I would love to follow you as well as you follow me!

You can find me under the name:  enjoyingthejourney82

I look forward to following you!

My How Things Change....

Good evening friends!  I hope all of you have had a great day.  It has been another HOT one here but a fun day for us.  We enjoyed a play date with one of Darbee's buddies from school, Mia.  We met for lunch and the girls enjoyed an afternoon of playing at Monkey Joe's.  We had a great time. 

They were being silly and about to slide down a big slide!

Darbee looks so grown up in this picture!  She is  growing up so fast.  Wow.

Let me tell you.  In my last post, she had just lost a tooth after a LONG battle trying to get it out.  She cried and worried about that tooth for over a week.

Well.....BOTH of the bottom two were loose.  Once that one came out, the other one got very loose pretty quick.  Darbee decided that one needed to come out too.  She has done nothing but wiggle it since then. Yesterday, she showed it to me and said she decided it needed to be very loose so she had pulled on it a lot.  She had succeeded and it was very loose.  It was almost ready to come out. 

Fast forward to last night.  We were watching a movie.  Darbee crawls up in my lap and is minding her own business.  I thought she was watching the movie.  All of a sudden, she screams and puts the tooth in front of my face!  I think I panicked!  She had puller her own tooth!  Wow how things changed from the last one!  She was so excited and so proud of herself.  She said she decided the last one didn't hurt so this one shouldn't either and pulled it on her own!

Now she has a BIG hole! 

Silly girl.

She has one more loose on top but I informed her it is NOT to be bothered for a while.  smile.

The tooth fairy is going to go broke! LOL.  

My little girl is growing up.....

Until next time...

Something's missing.....

Good morning!  It's such a pretty day here.  The sun is shining bright but it is going to be HOT! Where is fall?  I am so ready to pull out the pumpkins and start decorating.  What about you?  When do you decorate? I think I will wait until after Labor day and then bring it all out.  

We have been busy with our last few weeks of summer.  School went back here in our County but thankfully with Darbee being at a private school, she doesn't go back until after Labor Day.  Woohoo!  We can go to the park now during the day with no crowds and we have already taken advantage of that!  We are squeezing in a few last play dates next week and enjoying every bit of time we have before she returns.

I have to say thank you to all of you who commented and sent well wished for Stacy.  He is feeling much better.  I think he is gonna make it now..smile.  You all are so kind and I told him about all of your comments. 

Do you remember losing teeth as a child?  I sure do.  It was always a big deal.  It would be finally loose enough to be pulled and I would chicken out.  I would cry.  I would hide.  I wouldn't open my mouth.  I was scared it was going to hurt. But I can remember being soooo excited once my daddy finally got it out.  I was like a new person. Smile.

Darbee's first tooth was pulled at the dentist.  It wasn't a big deal.  She was numb and it was out.  But this was her first one that was wiggly.  It was finally loose and needed to come out.  She really wanted it out but just as her mama was scared, so was she.  There were lots of moments like this over the last week.

I felt so bad for her.  It was aggravating but she was so scared it was gonna hurt.  We finally decided to let Papa try to get it out.  After more tears at his house, he said it wasn't ready.  He told her he could get it but it would hurt a little bit.  NO WAY!  He told her to wiggle it some more for the next few days and it would really be ready.  I think that is all she did.  She worked with it so much she had it all the way out in the back.  It was only being held by a little bit of skin in the front.  She still wouldn't let anyone near her mouth.  :)  

I finally told her (once I knew it was now really ready to come out) that it had to be out before our Disney trip.  I knew she was nervous but I also knew it wasn't going to hurt a bit now.  It was so ready. 

I begged and begged her to let her daddy or Papa pull it.  No way.  

Thursday night, Stacy was brushing her teeth as he always does and I was listening to the talk as they normally do.  Their conversations are sometimes so entertaining. They finished brushing and it was time for her mouthwash.  I sort of tuned them out knowing she would come running in the living room to me like she always does when they are done.  But she didn't.  Things got might quiet in there.  I asked what they were doing and Stacy said he was just looking at that tooth.  I heard no whimpering or crying so I knew he wasn't pulling it.  Just a second later, she comes running in the living room screaming and jumping and laughing.  I took one look at her and I knew it.  The tooth was gone!  She was beside herself.  No tears....no pain....her daddy got it out!!!  She was thrilled.

She couldn't stop screaming and laughing.  She was so proud of herself. 

I was so proud too!  The tooth fairy would come and she could finally use her new tooth fairy pillow I made for her.

I didn't think she was ever going to calm down enough to sleep, but she finally did and the tooth fairy did come. 

The tooth fairy left a letter also!  She explained that she left her a few extra dollars to spend on her trip to Disney. She also explained how brave Darbee was and how proud she was of her.

Darbee was so excited when she woke up!  She read the letter to me and couldn't wait to call daddy and Nana.

She is so proud and wants the other ones out now! LOL.  She has two more wiggly ones! 

I think the tooth fairy needs a job!

Before she went to bed, she wanted to write a story about losing her tooth.  She wanted to write it all by herself with no help from mommy or daddy.

She got her stuff and began to write.  When she was finished, this is what she showed me.  I think she did pretty good for a kid who hasn't started kindergarten yet huh?  She sounded out her words all by herself.  I am so proud of her.

I must explain.  The sentence that says her daddy was brushing her teeth, e, her tooth wiggled.

They have a method for brushing.  They brush Ahh, sides, e and tongue.  LOL.  "E" is the front.  SMILE.  She knew what she was writing about. :)  So cute and something I will treasure forever. 

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Until next time....