I'm not sure where to begin. August already seems like it happened ages ago. In terms of what all occurred that month - Audrey starting kindergarten, finishing our office makeover, me starting my new job, and David's travels - it felt like three months packed into one, but it was also painfully slow as we tried to get used to new routines.
We started the month with Audrey's Open House where we met her teacher and got very little info, but somehow left overwhelmed. Afterward, we tried to push the anxiety away and went to a Food Truck Friday where the kids ate a bunch of fried junk and then danced their hearts out to the live band (at their begging, I joined them for a few minutes. David would rather die. Balance.) The next day we had David's company picnic at Lake Lanier Islands, but we didn't stay very long or do the water park because Luke had some kind of weird rash going on and wasn't feeling the greatest.
Before we knew it, the weekend (or, more accurately, the last five years) flew by and it was Audrey's first day of kindergarten. I briefly wrote about how she was doing in a previous post, but a quick update is that she's doing fantastic. She'll moan a little bit about going some mornings, but she always has positive things to say about the day when she comes home. Her classmates are very well-behaved and she hasn't had any outrageous stories to share, which is a big relief to me because one of my fears about public school was that the majority of the teacher's time and attention would have to be devoted to discipline. Her favorite parts to date are her "specials" (i.e. PE, music, art, etc.) and riding the bus home.
Luckily that first week I stayed distracted with finishing the office and preparing for the big consignment sale I participate in. A couple of friends came over for a preview sale at my house before I took everything to drop-off. Suddenly it was Friday evening and we found ourselves curled up and doing one of our most favorite family things - having a Pajama Party Pizza Picnic and watching a movie. We'd made it through four whole days and survived! ;)
I joke, but we really did try to keep the first couple of weeks very low-key for Audrey's sake. We spent a lot of quality time together in the evenings. Usually after dinner, David plays with the kids while I spend about 30-45 minutes cleaning up dishes and running around doing laundry, packing lunch, watering flowers, etc and then we spend the last hour before bed all playing together or doing baths. For the first two weeks of school, however, I made a very concerted effort to keep our calendar clear and make sure all four of us were as together and "present" as possible to help AJ transition. There were a lot of games of hide-and-seek, dance parties, puzzles, etc. and it was nice to have the extra time together. Impractical to maintain every day on an on-going basis, but definitely something I recommend during high-stress changes.
The third weekend we sent the kids to spend the night at David's parents' house and we drove across town for a wedding. We have been friends with the groom, Jeffrey, for 15 years (actually, our families have known each other since before I was born, but we moved away and didn't get back in touch until we were in our late teens) and met his bride about two years ago. The wedding was incredible, not because of the decor or the food, which were nice, but because of the company. In addition to the bride and groom, we met up with two of our closest and oldest couple friends and then had another couple we hadn't seen in years (we'd never met his wife, actually) who were in town from Alabama join us. The night was just wonderful. We laughed and reminisced and danced and ate and laughed some more. We broke the vendor's record for most people stuffed in a photo booth at one time and have the pictures to prove it ("Whose finger is that?! Whatever - it counts!") After the newlyweds drove off, we all headed over to Starbucks and talked some more until they kicked us out to close down. I'm still smiling just thinking about it. It is so precious to be with people who have known you that long...through dating and marriage and jobs and moves and babies...and love you like family. It was definitely the night of a lifetime as we relieved a lifetime of memories.
The morning after the wedding, David and I biked about seven miles together and then I went for a 3 mile run (this was while I was still deciding whether to do a duatholon or not...I've since decided "not" but more on that in another post.) His parents brought the kids back to our house and David grilled some of his delicious hamburgers for lunch. After they left, it was family nap time. In addition to Pajama Party Pizza Picnic, this is one of my other favorite things we do. :)
Unfortunately we had to end such a great weekend by kicking off a string of travel for David. He left that Sunday for Virginia and returned just in time for Curriculum Night at Audrey's school. The evening before, her teacher left me a voicemail and told me she had chosen me to be one of the two room moms, which I was elated over. Communication hadn't improved (and, to date, it still hasn't) so I figured that though it may be a challenge to take on the role, it was about my only chance of knowing what was going on. We went into the class that night and got very little information on actual curriculum, but did find out about the day's schedule, some of their activities and procedures, and learned more about the teacher and some of the other parents. It was so refreshing after three weeks of nil. Her teacher gushed about how well behaved the class was and how in all of her 23 years of teaching, she couldn't recall a time she didn't have to use tape on the floor for circle time the first few weeks or assign seats at the tables because some kids needed to be separated. Shew! So thankful!
David then left that Friday morning for a three-day guys' golf trip. My brother and niece came up from Savannah for a visit that weekend. It was great to have the company, especially with David gone. We let the kids sleep in a little on Saturday morning and then fixed a big breakfast. They stayed in their pajamas until nearly lunch time, running from one room to the next playing. We baked cupcakes, had lunch, and then put everyone down for naps/rests. After they woke up, my brother and niece took off to a friend's house and the kids and I hit the pool for a swim. The next morning, my brother joined us for church and then he got on the road and I went to meet Kara and the kids for a quick lunch while they were in town before they headed back to South Carolina.
The next day, I started work, which I detailed in this post. The first week went well, but was not without its hiccups. That's always the case with new things, though. More updates about that in September's recap - which should be posted sometime in December at this rate. ;)
The last Friday of the month we had a Tailgate at Audrey's school. It was h-o-t and Luke couldn't care less about the bouncy houses, but Audrey loved seeing some classmates and getting her face painted by our neighbor who was working that booth. After we ate, David took the kids home and I stuck around for the raffle, which was a good choice since I won a gift card to a restaurant. On the drive home, I got a text from one of our sweet friends who told us to check our mailbox. Kaelyn, Audrey's little friend that attends our church and her school, had won several things at the raffle and decided to give one of her prizes (a t-shirt and note pad) to Audrey. MADE HER NIGHT. Having sweet friends who are raising caring, giving kids made mine.
The next day we went to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and nephews for a little bit on our way to Alabama to see David's family. It was a good day full of family, food, and celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday. That Sunday we went to church and then to our small group co-leaders' pool party with some of their friends. It was a great way to send out the month and celebrate the unofficial end of summer.
So that was August. Another month passed! Lots of new beginnings in this one, for sure. Insert cliche quote about changing being the way to tell you're growing and all great change coming with chaos, etc. etc. etc. I don't know about all that, but here's what I do know: Change IS inevitable. And it's hard...for me at least. But it's doable. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13
That being said, I hope we're done with the big shifts for at least a little while!
Enjoy this month's pics: August 2014
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