John David Pate-3years old

James Daniel Pate-3years old

Saturday, August 21, 2010

My Little Picassos....

I just had to share these pictures. We were preparing to leave Saturday morning, and I couldn't find the boys...not unusual nowadays for them to both "go missing"....Anyway, I turned the corner to the dining room and this is what I found....



Look at that grip this boy has on his crayon...and notice it is his LEFT hand.




This is a great picture that show them in "mirror image of each other" and if you notice, John David on the right is holding his crayon with his right hand and James on the left is holding his crayon with his left hand...funny...we find them in "mirror image" of each other all the time.










Of course I ran to grab my camera thinking that they would be gone by the time I returned, but instead of fleeing the scene, they actually sat together at the girls' school table and created their first art masterpiece...of course I saved it...and yes, it is extremely talented sketching for a 20 month old..hahah!

We are all doing well. Everyone is very well adjusted to the new school year schedule. The boys are growing up so fast. They are learning so much at their school each day. I will try to post some video soon. This past week, we heard them both count...ONE....TWO.....FREE.....on the way home from school...SO SWEET!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Last week of Summer....First week of SCHOOL!












Here are some pictures from our last week of summer. I have to say, looking back on them now makes me a little sad. I kind of wish we could go back for just one more day....but nope, we must press on and move forward. SO, all the lazy mornings sleeping until 8 are OVER, swim days, and play dates, movies, outside playing, massaging mommy during nap time...ALL OVER...til next Summer that is...:-)










I enjoyed my summer with my children. We have so many wonderful memories and many pictures to look at for years to come. Now we have moved on and the first full week of school is ahead of us. Here are a few pictures from the first few days of school. And I must say, I couldn't be happier with how wonderfully smooth this transition has been. I couldn't do it without my amazing, supportive husband. We definitely have this family unit working well only because of the TEAM WORK behind the scenes....God has abundantly blessed me more than I ever deserve. I am so thankful, truly thankful for where we are as a family right now. I thank God many times in my day for the simple life blessings of healthy, happy children, a Godly, honorable man I call my husband and bestfriend, the peanut butter toast I eat for supper some nights because the budget doesn't allow filet Mignon and even the $200 power bill we just paid because that means I have an air-conditioned house to live in.






SO, I get this question at least ten times a day..."Are you sad to be back to work?"...Well...I hate to disappoint people with my answer...but NO, I am not sad to be back to work. I ACTUALLY LIKE MY JOB. And I don't feel guilty for liking it and partially wanting to be at it. I almost feel like I have to defend myself to the "friends" I had last year that choose to stay home. I mean, seriously, when did life become ONE SHOE FITS ALL! I guess at least now, after being on both sides of the issue (stay home or working momma) I still feel just as wiped out by 5pm, I have just as many loads of laundry to do as before, I still have to buy groceries and pay bills, my kids still argue about who gets the last spoonful of ice-cream, I have to prioritize the hours in my day now just as I did before...ITS ALL A JUGGLING ACT AND BALANCING IT ALL IS POSSIBLE!

I LOVE my husband and children and I LIKE my job. I believe our family unit runs well. Of course we are not perfect, nobody is, we have our faults and room for inprovement, but for the most part at the end of the day, I look back and ask my Lord, "Well...what do YOU think"...NOT, "Well...wonder what OTHERS think?"..... My husband is incredible, helps in more ways than one to support me and help raise our kiddos. Our children seem happy, well-behaved, grateful and are NOT spoilt. They enjoy learning and playing each day at their school and I enjoy learning and playing at my school. The only problem I am having that I can't seem to figure out is how to be in five places at the same time...I don't think having a job or not having a job eliminates that issue...when cheerleading and gymnastics and training for a marathon all fall on the evenings at the same time, having a job from 7-3 doesn't interfere with the obvious after school scheduling conflicts...

Well...I am going to write lesson plans now. Last year, I would have google searched "how to grow herbs" and occupied my time in other such ways, now, I get to plan a week of reading and language lessons for some pretty amazing 4th graders at OMIS!!!