Asked out on a date by Derek

This morning (3 weeks into Kindergarten) as I was getting ready for church, Derek said to me, "Mommy, I don't get to spend much time with you alone anymore since I go to school so much. Rylie gets to spend a lot of time with you. Do you think we could go on a date just the two of us? We can even go to that burger place that doesn't have many games so we can talk. At the end of our meal I will get a strawberry milkshake. What do you think?"

I replied, "You bet I'd LOVE to go out on a date with you Derek!!! Thanks for asking me, sweet boy!"

He gave me a big hug and held my hand as we walked downstairs.

Since school has started I've definitely missed him during the day and I try to make the most of the time he is home after school gets out, but the time is limited.

Derek 1st day of Junior Kindergarten

Derek started Junior Kindergarten this fall at SCA. He transitioned so well to the responsibilities of school. It was hard for me having him gone for 6 hours a day, since he has been with me just about every day all day since he was born, but I know this is best for him. After walking him to his classroom on the first day, Derek wanted to be dropped off at the curb and walk to class himself. He loves school and learning. His favorite things are playing on the play ground and PE. He is learning to read and write and maturing so well. We are so proud of him. Junior Kindergarten is such the perfect hybrid between Preschool and Kindergarten. The pace of learning and the amount of time spent doing seat work is perfect for Derek. He is thriving and we are grateful.

 

Visiting his classroom the day before school starts, meeting his teacher, Mrs. Beers, seeing where he sits etc.

Derek's classroom over looks the football field.

The play ground at school is super fun and is shaded and has misters for those hot days in August and September. There is a track to ride bikes around the play structure. This is Derek's favorite thing to do!

Bella also goes to SCA and is in a different Kindergarten class. Derek gets to see her on the playground. He also has another friend from his preschool that attends SCA. I am glad he knew at least a couple kids going into the first day of school.

Lining up with his class on the first day.

Rylie preschool at DSCP

Rylie started preschool this fall. To say that she loves school is an understatement! She comes home and tells me every little detail of the day from the book that was read to who did what (or who made a bad choice), snack that was eaten and who she played with. She plays school as well...doing the activities she does at school and pretending to be her teachers. She sings the songs from school and says the exact phrases her teachers use. It is adorable. Maybe one day she will be a teacher just like her Mama! :) She gets dropped off early at 8:30 and stays until 2pm....she loves to be at school!! It is so fun to have her be so independent and learning so much. She has the same 2 teachers that Derek had his first year which is very exciting because we LOVE them and their teaching.

SCA Jr. Kindergarten School Photo

5 years old. 2015 Jr Kindergarten. Love this handsome boy!!!

Summer Fun with Friends

This summer we had to say goodbye to the Khatir family. This was really hard for us because they were an amazing family that we had grown to love dearly and Derek and Ryan had become best buddies after spending 2 years in preschool together. Ryan was Derek's 1st friend he chose on his own. The boys had so much in common together and were so sweet to watch play together. They would play Legos, talk Star Wars, bike ride, play soccer, explore the woods for nerf gun bullets and just laugh. Some of my most favorite memories of the 2 boys were when Derek would laugh uncontrollably at something Ryan said. The two boys were always having a great time together and it was very hard to watch them move to Michigan. 

Before they left, we had a going away party for Laura, Collin and Ryan. We got together at Christina's house and made Lego letters. 

Before Laura left we did a girls night out at Lucky Strike bowling downtown PHX. It was a great night of laughter and memories. Laura, Christina, Lisa and I were Bootcamp buddies for about 5 months. It was so fun to workout together.

 

Milania and Rylie

 Light Saber fights with Derek and Ryan

Greyson and Derek playing hockey

Children's Museum with Bella and Caden

Dress up with Charlie

Rylie and Grace

Forest Houses Resort, Sedona

This summer our family spent 4 days in Sedona. It was an awesome time for our family to get out of the summer heat and regroup before the school year started. We had no Internet or TV where we were and we spent lots of times playing board games, doing puzzles, playing outside in the grass and talking, laughing and exploring. I am grateful for this time that we took to slow down and enjoy life away from the hustle and bustle. It was a wonderful vacation as a family,

Slide Rock:
Derek LOVED Slide Rock. He and Matt went down the slide multiple times until he was shivering cold. The water was very cold, but refreshing for the hot AZ summer.

Rylie was not a big fan of the cold water! She had much more fun hanging out with me and watching Daddy and Derek slide down the rock.

 Rylie spotted this beautiful butterfly.

Devil's Arch:
We hiked Devil's Arch, which was a six mile hike. It was really hot and Rylie was not thrilled about walking the whole time, so I carried her on my back in the Ergo. It was a great workout and we all had a super hike because no one was complaining and there were no stragglers. :) The view at the top was awesome.

 The kids watched Star Wars #6 one afternoon...before we went fishing for our dinner.

Fishery:
We took the kids to a fishery and caught some fish for dinner. The kids had to roll the homemade bait and put it on the hook at the end of the line. Then we waited patiently for the fish to get caught on the hook and then we pulled them in. The kids thought the process of catching a fish was neat, but were not too thrilled about the taste of the fish. We payed to have the fish gutted and cleaned and prepped so we could cook them for dinner. The guy who cleaned the fish was crazy...he ate the heart that was still beating....disgusting....the kids thought it was so cool to see the hear that was still beating be removed from the fish.

Hiking:
 Another hike we did in Sedona. The views are just incredible and the scenery is stunning.

 The sun was SO bright and Rylie had a hard time opening her eyes (must be her baby blue eyes).

Rattlesnake:

 Eating rattlesnake sausages at a restaurant....they were pretty good.