Preschool Pre-Season :)

Two posts in one month?! This must be some sort of a post-Alec record! :)
Well, the big day is almost upon us...we are exactly 48 hours away from Andra's first day of preschool! I mentioned in my last post I'm a little nervous and sad about it...but the closer it gets, the more excited I get for her. I truly think she's going to love it.

A couple weeks ago, we visited her classroom and met her teacher during the "meet and greet" afternoon. Andra was so...Andra. We walked into the room, and she confidently made a bee-line for the table of trains, planes and automobiles (populated entirely by boys), completely bypassing the gaggle of little girls at the kitchen playset. :) 'Atta girl. I love that she marches to the beat of her own drum. Next was blocks (mostly boys again), and then she chatted with her teacher for a few minutes...and finally, a trip to the playground. It earned her seal of approval. And mission accomplished...the afternoon seemed to help both of us get rid of the butterflies and get excited about the school year ahead. I'm relieved...her teacher has so many fun things planned, her style matches my parenting style (very structured, scheduled days..Andra should feel right at home!), and she's a veteran with 15 years of preschool teaching under her belt. It still tugs at my heartstrings that Andra will be starting this whole new life completely independent of me...but that's what kids are supposed to do, right? Spread their wings and fly. (sniffle)

After her meet and greet afternoon, we had a little date at the nearby Starbucks (which is VERY conveniently located for Mommy for preschool drop-off and pick-up..uh-oh!). We had a fun afternoon just the two of us celebrating this new chapter in her little life (note: that's not espresso in her cup, just some good 'ol chocolate milk!).

Speaking of starting a new chapter...Alec is WALKING!!! He went from being a weeble wobble to a confident walker in just a matter of days! It was pretty incredible to watch, and my heart is just bursting with pride. I have tried my darnedest to upload the video to our blog, but to no avail. And a photo just doesn't do his cute little waddle justice. :) Andra didn't walk until after her first birthday, so Alec beat her by over a month! I knew he would...he's gotta keep up with her afterall!

In other news, we're gearing up for the kids' double birthday bash in just a few weeks. Since their birthdays are only 2 days apart, we'll be combining the parties into one. I'm making it my mission to be less "hostess" and more mommy that day, so I can just soak it in.

So...I guess it's goodbye to the summer, since we're officially part of the "back to school" season now. We'll let you know how it goes!

We're Still Here

Oh man, it's been a long time since I've posted! I really am going to try to get back into the blogging groove...I know I said that last time too! So lets see if I can give you a brief update of our summer...can't believe it's nearly over.

First of all, Alec. He is into EVERYTHING and certainly keeping us on our toes! He is still the easiest baby EVER, but man, he is into everything he's not supposed to be into! i.e. the dog food bowls, the dishwasher (with a distinct attraction to knives and forks and all things sharp), the glass wine bottles as SOON AS I open the fridge door! He is lightning quick...and SO close to walking. I sure am going to miss seeing his little hips shake and dragging feet disappear at warp speed around the corner when he crawls away to another adventure. He also decided to be an overachiever this summer and cut FOUR teeth at once. Pretty impressive, don't ya think?

Andra has been a delight this summer too with the typical challenges that 3 year-olds bring. She seems to have really stretched out this summer and is looking more grown up by the day. We've had some special "big girl" dates where she gets to leave her little bro at home and have some time with Mom or Dad or both. We took just her to Symphony on the Praire for music and fireworks, which was a special treat for her. She got to stay out WAY past her bedtime, which she always gets a kick out of. We also took just her to Holiday World for a fun day with her cousins.

Next on the horizon for her is preschool this fall. This will be the first of two years of preschool before she begins kindergarden, and I'm already questioning if it's the right thing to do. She's so bright, and I think she'll really thrive...I just don't want her to get "burnt out" on school before she even gets to kindergarden. So far, her little life has revolved around playing all day with no time commitments or structure. And lets be honest... it makes me a little sad to know she'll have this whole new world at school that's completely independent of me. I hope to be involved in her classroom as a room mom, etc, so I can at least get a glimpse of what she's like in the classroom.

The other thing that has brought so much enjoyment for us lately is really seeing the kids interact. When Andra starts acting goofy, her brother will just cackle and get such a kick out of it. It's fun to see them interact as siblings. But don't be fooled...sometimes Andra gets tired of Alec chasing her everywhere (and he IS like her little shadow!). I know she needs some space when I hear her bedroom door slam so she can shut her little bro out and play alone for awhile. :)

And a major time suck for me (hence the lack in blogging) is, of course, trying to sell our house. I was so foolish going into it...thinking our house is so cute that it would rise above the terrible market and sell quickly. It's been 10 months, we've had 30 showings, and not even a nibble. It makes me a little angry, to be honest. Cleaning for the showings always takes my time and attention away from the kids (which makes my blood boil), I don't like having strangers tramp through my home where my kids' names are in plain view on the wall (it just gives me the heeby jeebies), and without fail, the showings are notoriously smack in the middle of naptime or on the weekends when we're supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating as a family. I thought for sure we'd sell this summer, but here it is, with the summer almost over and no prospects. I tell myself God has a plan for our family, and we just have to be patient. But in the meantime, it's a major pain in my behind. :)

So not to end on a sour note, here's pic of the kids. Both their birthdays are right around the corner...so hard to believe!