Back To School (And Other Things)

School started last Friday.  Between getting used to a new schedule and a 9-month-old who is getting into everything, cutting teeth, and doing new things every day we have been far from bored around here!

Alex is now officially a 2nd grader and Logan is now a 1st grader.  Time is just speeding along.  I remember taking Alex to the elementary school for speech when he was three and Logan was still in diapers and being carried by me. Now they are big boys.  So far they both like school.  Logan loves his teacher and thinks she is hilarious.  Alex's teacher is very sweet and he came home yesterday excited about doing a science experiment at school.  Alex has already started bringing homework home this week and we have started working on spelling words.  I am assuming  that Logan will start homework next week. So far we have gotten back into the school schedule and while things are a tad hectic in the evenings, we are getting things done and the boys are getting to bed on time--so all is going well!

Kaitlyn has been pulling up on EVERYTHING!  She has started standing on her own and even tried to take a step the other day.  She is clapping, wagging her finger at us and shaking her head "No, No," laying her head on my shoulder repeatedly so I'll say, "Aww.  I love her!"  She is so funny.  In the evenings if Jacob is eating Goldfish crackers she will go over to his recliner, pull up, and Jacob will share his crackers with her.  It is the cutest thing!  I honestly can't believe she is already 9 months old.  It is going by too fast and we are trying to enjoy every minute of our children's childhood. I love every minute of it! 

 Alex helping me give Kaitlyn a bath.  He is ALWAYS eager to help!

                                         Kaitlyn and Logan

               The big 2nd grader doing his homework!

I am SO proud of all three of my children! Here's to another GREAT school year (Fingers crossed)!

All About Alex

People always say, "Children change your life."  Well, this is a fact in ALL parts of your life.  Some people say, "You'll never sleep again," or talk about how much it costs to raise a child. The truth is, children don't just change certain parts of your life, they change EVERY part of your life.  Having children changes you as a person.  It changes your schedule, what you spend money on, how you spend your time, and it changes how easily you make decisions.  Jacob was recently offered a position in another town and at first it was exciting.  The thought of moving and Jacob getting this amazing opportunity was all very . . . well . . . fun.  Then, we started talking about it and realized that a big change like that might be devastating to Alex.  Let's be honest for a minute--kids are mean.  There, I said it.  It's true.  Well, not ALL kids are mean, but there ARE kids that are very mean to other kids.  I'm not an idiot.  I know that Alex would be an easy target for some kid who was looking for some one to pick on. Right now he has friends who have been with him since he was 3 and 4 years old.  I can't imagine taking Alex away from everything he knows and force him to start over with new kids at a new school, new therapists, new doctors. He has made some great friends here and they don't treat him like he's different.  To them, he's just Alex. Sometimes, as parents, no amount of money is enough to take your special needs child from everything he knows and stick him in a new and strange environment and force him to start over. We love the therapists Alex has now and we love that his friends are always there to support and help him.  We even have friends here that help us when we need it.  Friends who love our children and would do anything for our children. So, after a lot of thinking, praying, and discussing the pros and cons we kept coming back to the same thought--"What about Alex?"  So, Jacob turned down this great opportunity so Alex can go on thriving and stay with all the people who love him.  I know telling them "no" when they offered him the job wasn't easy for Jacob, but he did it for his son/family.  I am thankful to have a husband (and father of my children) who puts his children/family first.  I think Alex is going to do great things one day and I look forward to watching him continue to thrive, grow, accomplish new things, and believe in himself because he is surrounded by people who love him! AND--to all of you wonderful people who love our children and are always helping us, encouraging us AND them--THANK YOU.  We love you guys. ;)

Delight

“I think it's worth trying to be a mother who delights in who her children are, in their knock-knock jokes and earnest questions. A mother who spends less time obsessing about what will happen, or what has happened, and more time reveling in what is.” 
― Ayelet Waldman

I am guilty of posting too many pictures of my children on facebook.  I'm guilty of talking about them too much and expecting the rest of the world to see them as the amazing little people that I see. Ayelet Waldman said it best and I agree--I WANT to be a mother who delights in who my children are. To delight in Logan's many questions about life and the world around him. To find joy in Alex's too cool/tough boy attitude that is pushed aside from time to time as he comes up to me, hugs me tightly, and says, "I love you." To delight in Kaitlyn's slobbery kisses and her curiosity about the world around her. To find joy in my boys' big, giving hearts and Kaitlyn's constant smile! I am not a fool . . . I know that parents lose their children each and every day--No one is promised tomorrow. I don't want to get so caught up in the every day routine and schedule that I forget to stop and delight in who my children are.

The Countdown Begins

The big thing in the Astley house right now is getting everything we need for school.  Yes, it's that time again.  I can't believe it.  Where did summer go?  Then again, it's too hot for the kids to play outside so they might as well be in school, right?  I let the boys pick out their back packs and lunch bags.  I ordered their tennis shoes for school and they have a closet full of new clothes. The only thing left to get is the actual school supplies. Let me just say that this is the worst part about back to school.  You have this list of 100 different things your children need for school.  The items are so specific that you'll spend an hour standing there, reading the list, and repeating one item at a time as you scan the 10 different types of the same item . . . only to find that that the one item you need isn't there. Do you wait and try again in a few days or do you just buy something else?  It takes forever and then, $100 or so later you have everything your child needs.  Or do you?  Usually I get home and realize there was one thing I didn't get.  School starts two weeks from today.  I'm going to try and enjoy the last few days I have with my boys before we all start school, homework, therapies, and all the craziness that back-to-school involves.

Hoping for a great year for my boys!