Bear Starts Preschool!

Look at that cute little face...can you believe he's old enough for Preschool?

On Wednesday, Bear started his 2 year old Preschool class. He is going to First Presbyterian 3 mornings a week and couldn't be more excited! Just look at this silly/excited face as we were getting set to go inside!Bear's first 2 days have great! We love his teachers, Ms. Sharon and Ms. Tabitha and he's adjusting great. He was a little shy at drop off yesterday and today, but warmed up very quickly. Bear is in a class full of girls, which doesn't seem to bother him! He's much more used to playing with girls than boys anyway! There are 7 girls and only 2 boys in the 3 day class! He had plenty of cars and trains to play with while the girls more interested in dolls and My Little Ponies.

When I picked Bear up on Wednesday his teacher laughed and made the comment that he was a great eater! While the girls barely touched their snacks, Bear ate for 30 minutes. In fact, his lunch box was still out when I came into the room! He loves the playground and even told me that swinging outside was his favorite part of his day. They've been painting every day and is already coming home with precious artwork that he is so proud to show me!

This little boy has stolen my heart - he is too sweet for words! The older he gets, the more his personality is shining through and it just lights up our home. He is such a joy to be around and I just love watching him experience new things, like preschool this week!

Tennesse Aquarium

To say that Josh has been working a lot lately would be an understatement! We are so proud of all he is accomplishing in growing his business, but we were all more excited when he surprised us with a trip to Chattanooga to visit the Tennessee Aquarium. We had a yummy breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then drove up to Chattanooga. The kids were so excited to be on a road trip and loved comparing the mountains out of each of their windows as we got closer to Tennessee.

We started off with an IMAX movie on the conservation of various fish in Africa. Though the topic wasn't super exciting, the effects were. Lily and Bear did great with keeping the big, goofy classes on for most of the movie. It was so cute to watch them reach out and try to "pet" a dolphin or fish that seemed to be swimming right in front of us.

Lily and Bear with their IMAX glasses
Waiting outside the theatre

After the movie, we headed over to the actual aquarium. The Tennessee Aquarium has two separate exhibits, the Ocean and the River. We decided to see the Ocean section first. The first area was the stingrays - there was even an area where you could touch them.

Daddy helping Bear find a stingray

In addition to the stingrays, there was also a really neat butterfly area, where tons of colorful butterflies were freely flying. Josh caught one, and it got attached to him. Each time he'd let it go, it would come back again!

The penguins were Lily's favorite spot in the ocean aquarium. There was one right next to the glass that just sat and stared at her...she loved it!
Lily and her penguin friend

The rest of the ocean exhibit consisted of huge tanks of colorful fish, coral, and a big shark!

Looking for Nemo

After we finished up in the Ocean Exhibit, we walked over to the River Journey. I was pleasantly surprised with the River area...I think we all enjoyed it as much, if not more than the Ocean exhibits. There were lots of fish, frogs, turtles, and other sea life to see.

Lily and Bear watching fish in a big River tank

There was another hands on exhibit in this section too. This time, we got to pet sturgeons. Lily wasn't a huge fan, but Bear was willing to reach right in!

Throughout the river area, there was a tank that was several stories high, filled with large stingrays, fish, and turtles. We got to the bottom right at feeding time and the highlight of Bear's trip was seeing the men in scuba suits feeding the fish. It was really need to see the stingrays swallow fish and shrimp whole...they were much bigger than any stingrays I'd ever seen.
Bear watching the feeding frenzy

We finished up our day by splashing in the water outside of the aquarium. We saw several families with kids in swimsuits - I guess this is the place to come to cool off on a hot summer day!

What a fun family date we had today! Thanks Daddy for such a fun surprise!

A Day in Greenville

I am so behind on blog posts - our new school and evening activities schedule leaves me with no energy in the evenings after bedtime to do much but go to bed myself. Last Saturday, the kids and I took a day trip up to one of my favorite places, Greenville, SC. One of my good friends from college, Amanda, is expecting her first little bundle of joy in a month and I went up to attend her baby shower. Mom and Dad were having grand baby withdrawals, so they also drove up from Columbia and spent the day with us.

Lily and I went to the shower and left Bear with Mimi and Granddaddy. While we were oohing and ahhing over precious baby gifts and catching up with old friends, Bear was spoiled with a trip to ToysRUs. After the shower, we decided to head to downtown Greenville to have lunch and sight see a bit. We spent some time at Reedy Falls Park, taking strolls over the suspension bridge and splashing in the water.

Looking out from atop the bridge

Mommy and Bear

Mimi Granddaddy and their babies
Bear telling us he was tired and ready for lunch We grabbed a late lunch and did a little bit of shopping in some of the neat shops that Greenville's downtown area has. Bear and Lily loved the Mast General Store and had the hardest time picking out which candy treat they wanted.

The kids had gotten several new outside toys from Mimi and Granddaddy - a bat/ball/glove for Bear and a hula hoop for Lily so we decided to drive over to Furman's campus for a bit to play outside before heading back home.

Bear and Granddaddy by the Furman lake
Lily 1st visit to the Bell Tower

Playing baseball with Mimi and Granddaddy

Where it all started for Josh and I

It was getting late, so we grabbed a quick dinner together at Steak and Shake and then headed our separate ways. Our drive home was a little more eventful than I would have liked - we got into a fender bender in Suwanee, but luckily the damage to my bumper wasn't too much and no one was hurt, praise the Lord.

Greenville is such a great city and holds such great memories for us..it's amazing to see just how much my life has changed since first going there as a freshman college student. I'm so thankful that God chose this place to plant me over 10 years ago, alongside those that would become dear friends and the love of my life - and I'm so glad I got to share a little piece of that with Lily and Bear!

First Day of School

Lily was so excited to start school last week! I'm so thankful I was able to be there to take her on her first day. Here she is on Thursday morning, having breakfast before getting ready for school!
We overslept a bit on Thursday morning and didn't have time to take her out for breakfast, so heart shaped pancakes had to replace her biscuit from Cody J's. Lily helped me make her a cute back to school pillowcase dress last week to wear on the first day of school - she picked out the fabric, ribbon, and trim and even helped with the sewing machine! Here she is dressed and ready to go!Lily was so excited about school...until we got out of the car. I think she started getting nervous as we got closer to the door full of administrators and teachers welcoming everyone for their first day of school. I walked her into her classroom right at 8 o'clock (school starts at 8) and helped her get settled for the day. She did cry or get upset, but she had a tight grip around my arm as I helped her get seated at the table to color with her new classmates. There was actually a photographer from our local newspaper there on Thursday morning snapping pictures and as I was leaving he jokingly said to me "I didn't think she was going to let go of you!". Little did I know that he caught a precious picture of Lily and I that morning that ended up in our newspaper. Lily look petrified - I'll have to scan it and add it soon!

Walking into school

A nervous smile for mommyAt her table in her new classroom

I held my tears together until I got out of the classroom - and then they started falling and continued until I got back home. It was so hard to leave her in a room full of new kids with teachers who don't yet know much about her! I waited anxiously all day for pick-up time and couldn't wait to hear all about her day! Pick-up went fine - I got a little nervous when I saw a teacher walking Lily out and to the wrong car :) but they quickly realized the mistake. I think the new carpool system had everyone a bit confused on the first day. Lily loved her first day - her only complaint was that she was thirsty and hadn't had any thing to drink all day. She doesn't like milk, but was given it for breakfast and lunch. She was too shy to ask for water or some juice so she just waited until she got home. We've packed our own breakfast and lunch since then, complete with water and juice, and she's been as happy as can be. On Friday, Lily got to ride the school bus for the first time. When I'm not able to be at home she rides the bus after school to the primary school where Mammy (my mother in law) works. She loved the bus and wants to ride it every day!

We're on day 5 and she is loving it, so I guess I have to say that Pre-K is a success so far!

Back to School...Pre-K Open House

Tomorrow morning, my little girl starts her first day at big girl school...Pre-K. To say I'm a little sad is definitely an understatement. I'm already preparing myself that the tears will probably fall when I drop her off tomorrow morning.

We went to her Open House on Tuesday night to see her classroom and meet her teacher. Lily was a bit shy as Mrs. Carter introduced herself to Lily, but quickly perked up when she saw the goody bag at her seat with a lollipop and play-doh at her seat. Open House was a bit chaotic, but I didn't know quite what to expect. We filled out all of the typical student paperwork, took a family picture for their class bulletin board, and were on our way back home. Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Bolen, Lily's teacher and para-pro both seem very nice and we certainly look forward to getting to know them a bit better as the school year starts!

Tonight, we starting getting things together for Lily's first day. She has changed her mind about 10 times as to taking her own lunch vs. eating school lunch. As of bedtime, she had decided on the school lunch of tacos, corn, and grapes, but that is bound to change again before we leave in the morning. We packed her butterfly bookbag with all the necessary school supplies and made treat baskets for her teachers. Her first day clothes have been decided on and breakfast plans have been made (her favorite, Cody J's). We're all set, just anxiously awaiting for 8am tomorrow!

I'm certainly praying a hedge of protection around Lily tonight! I know she will do great at Pre-K...and doesn't seem to have any of the fear/anxiousness that I do. I pray that her teachers will be Christ-like examples, who love on her and nuture her growth and learning, that she easily makes new friends, and that her innocent nature be protected.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving , present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

It's Potty Time!

We are FINALLY starting the process of potty training the Bear man! Up until now, he has shown no interest and rebelled at every mention of using the big boy potty. Over the last week or so, we've gotten him to start sitting on the potty during the day and have had a few successes. Marshmallows and stickers have been purchased as rewards and he's been promised a "big mac truck" once he starts using the potty consistently. We've still got a long way to go - but we are glad to be on the road to being diaper free!