Alaina and her musical talents

We have noticed a lot lately that Alaina is enjoying music . . . dancing to it, playing it herself. Maybe we have a little piano player on our hands??

First Day of School 2011

I can't believe we're almost finished with the first week of school now as I type this.  Although it has been a little rough getting used to the early bedtime and early to rise routine, the boys are doing very well considering.  It's hard for me to wake up at 6:30 am too!  So far, both boys seem to be liking their teachers for kindergarten and 2nd grade.

 Getting ready to leave on the first day of school with their new dinosaur lunch boxes!

 Ethan at his new desk (first time with storage underneath!) in Mrs. Pepper's class

 Saying goodbye to each other before Caleb goes down to his class (Caleb wasn't too happy about saying goodbye to his big bro)

Caleb went right in to Mrs. Meeks' class and found his seat and started working on his coloring.  No tears at all (from him), I am so proud!

And I agreed to let them ride the bus home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (they only ride with kids up through 3rd grade, but I was still a little nervous).  But they did great so far!  The bus gets home earlier than I can get them home when I left work to go pick them up in carpool line.  They are still a car rider on Tuesdays and Thursdays when Mama Brisken enjoys getting to pick them up.

 Here comes the bus, as I nervously wait for them on the first day!

 Waiting for the bus driver to motion them across.

 They are home safe and sound, and said they liked riding the bus.  :(  It's hard letting go!  

Hard homework hasn't started for either of them, so that will be a whole new challenge to have TWO working on homework at the same time.  Hopefully Ethan can work a little more independently this year, so I will be free to help Caleb with his, and attend to Alaina as needed.  It actually seems like things are working a little better in the mornings with both kids having to be up and ready early for school.  They seem to feed off of each others excitement . . . at least during this first week!  Now, if only I could get them to not be TOO EXCITED and wake Alaina up at 6:30 too.  One of the downfalls of baby's bedroom being right outside the kitchen.  But we are managing!  I like for her to sleep until 8 or 8:30 like she normally does!  And boy has Alaina been missing her brothers this week during the daytime while they are at school.  Her smile when she saw them after they got home the first day says it all!

To end the first day of school, we celebrated a little by blowing up Caleb's new slide that we got for him for his birthday party that he'll be having with his friends in a couple weeks.  It was a hit!  Great end to the day!

Alaina's 6 month photos with her brothers

I meant to take Alaina back to get her pictures taken before now, but as it goes I never got to it.  But since she turned 6 months, I thought it would be good to go and get some taken of her and some with her brothers before school started.  I was happy with how they turned out!  I couldn't pick just one. . . 

Routine With Three

I think we are really starting to get into our family routine with three children.  Alaina turned 6 months old yesterday, and up until the last couple weeks, I would probably say that life with three children is really hard.  But I think that it is finally becoming our normal.  I really can't believe that Lainey has been with us for 6 months, she still seems so new to me.  But she is growing and changing so much!  Just yesterday, I finally introduced some solid food to her, oatmeal, and she seemed to do pretty well.  I know I could've started her as early as 4 months, but I really wasn't in a hurry.  I tried starting Ethan earlier, and remember he wasn't quite ready, so I held off a little later with Caleb and Alaina.  Now, onto a new stage of solid foods!  I have to say though, I can't really remember how exactly to introduce all the foods.  I am such a "by the book" person, so I will have to look it up.  But even so, I can also "go with the flow" pretty well . . . maybe it's a third child kind of laid back feeling.  I know it will all work out!

Ethan and Caleb are also growing up so much!  In just two weeks, Ethan will start 2nd grade and Caleb will start 5-K kindergarten.  They have both asked me to ride the bus home in the afternoons.  It is a big step for me to agree to this, as it only indicates to me that they are growing up and becoming more independent.  After much prayer and consideration and talking to the school about the details, I have decided I will let them try it.  We will see how it goes.  Their elementary school only goes up to 3rd grade, so they will only be riding the bus with kids one year older than Ethan, so that makes me feel a little more at ease.  Plus they will have each other to sit with.  It should save me a lot of time in carpool, as their school is so big, that normally they don't even get into my car until after 2:30 (and their school dismisses at 2:15), and their bus drop off time is scheduled to be at 2:33, so they will get home earlier.  Plus with Alaina napping in the afternoon, we won't have to disrupt her nap schedule to load her up in her carseat to go pick up the boys.  So, I am hoping it will all work out.  Still a little nervous for them and for me to let go a little . . .

In the Fall, Ethan and Caleb will also be playing Upward Soccer.  We will go to evaluations the week that school starts.  Ethan is so excited to start again, as this will be his 4th year playing.  This will be Caleb's first year, so I hope he enjoys it too!  Once the games start, our Saturdays will be a little busier with having two games to attend each morning, but at least they are at the same fields, so we should be able to work it out.

  We recently moved the boys' room up to the bonus room.  (We seem to always be rearranging something in our house! :-)  They have more room up there to play, and since Alaina will probably be moving around soon on her own, it will help to have a place where the boys and their friends can play with their toys that have tiny pieces without the fear of Alaina picking them up and putting them in her mouth.  Already getting prepared for crawling, although I'm not in any hurry for her to start!

 (Visiting with cousin, Melissa and Cameron in Ohio)

 (Me and my kiddos with my Grandma Watson in Ohio)

I didn't think we would travel as much as we did, especially with a new baby, but she's so easy going that most trips didn't seem to be much different than before she came along (other than packing all the baby stuff again!).  We went to Ohio for a family reunion, and I really appreciated the legacy that I have in my family.  Family is so important, and I'm thankful to have such a good one.  Next weekend we will take one last trip to visit my parents' house in Williamsburg, VA.  Looking forward to a fun trip and weekend!

As summer comes to a close, I am thankful for all that we've gotten to do, as well as for the more relaxed schedule we've been able to have this summer.  And as this post seems to be one of my usual updates of a little rambling here and a little rambling there, I will close with saying that I just love my husband!  Our routine with three definitely wouldn't be feeling normal yet, if I didn't have such a great partner and friend to help me make this become our new normal!