Hayfield Little Hawks

Kaylea spent last week at cheer camp for the high school she will attend if we are still in this area.  She seemed to really enjoy it.  I loved watching her on Friday night.  She cheered loud and really got into the moves.  I think she found something she is passionate about and loves.  While it may not be what I had hoped for, I am just thrilled she has found something she loves.  I will be there supporting her along the way.

Date Night, Visitors, & Girl Scouts

We had a busy weekend. Saturday we had some downtime to hang out, but we were super busy.  Saturday evening Jordy and I had a date to the Kennedy Center Rooftop Terrace Restaurant.  It was an amazing view and the food was delicious.  You really could not beat the atmosphere. 

Sunday we were able to meet friends from Lafayette, Indiana.  The Jesiek’s were in town and we were able to catch up at brunch and meet their new baby girl, Lila.  After brunch we went to meet the new girl scout troop.  Kaylea knew someone from her class and another girl from the park.  It was great for her to see some familiar faces.  Sunday evening we went to the life group meeting from church.  Kaylea enjoys going over to hang out while we have dinner and fellowship time.  By the time we got home, I think we were all worn out and ready to relax. 

I love the weekend!

Gymnastics

Kaylea started gymnastics one year ago.  We took off 2 months this summer.  My mom brought her an incline mat to practice.  I am so proud of her. She is now able to do a backbend and is so close to having her back walkover.  She loves gymnastics.  She wants to take a flyer class or a class with the bar.  I told her when she gets her back walkover we will discuss it.  She has also been invited to join the competitive cheer team.  It is a little pricey so we haven’t decided yet.  I want to make sure she really likes it before I put out that much money.

Reflection

I have been spending time reflecting lately, wondering what the future holds and realizing we will never know.  What we can do is live in the moment.

What a joy it is to have Kaylea in our lives.  It is hard to believe she has been in our lives for6 years. I can barely remember life without her. 

Brave - She is so brave.  I think of the amount of change she has confronted in her short 6 years and I am so proud of how she handles situations.  She is not afraid to put herself out there.  She will try new things and meet new people. 

Loving & Sweet - She is loving and sweet. When she wakes up in the morning, extra early because she wants to see me before I go to work she says in a soft voice, "Mama, I love you."  I never want to forget when I am singing her to sleep and she puts her hand on my arm or her head on my shoulder.   I want time to slow down.

Sassy - She is sassy. Along with the sweet, comes the sassy attitude that we sometimes have to keep in check.  She knows what she wants.

Smart - She is very smart.  I tend to worry about things that do not really matter.  I worry that I have not taught her enough or done enough educational things with her. She surprises me with how much she knows. She is becoming a better reader and I can see that she enjoys it.  She worries about failing.  She does not like to mess up.  She is a people pleaser. I pray that she remembers to please God and herself first.  I pray that I teach her the things that will really make her a successful person in life, not just the smarts. 

I continue to pray that her innocence lasts and that she sees the good in others.  I hope I model the best example for her and that she will always be proud to call me mom.  I love her with all of my heart.

Kaylea loves her Mimi and loves that she lives with us.  We have no idea how many years Mimi has left on this earth, so I love seeing their bond grow.  Ask her who is her favorite person to play with and Mimi is always #1.  Her game of choice is always pretend.  Our girl has a wild imagination.  I worry about the day she cares what others think.

Weekend Wrap

This weekend was a whirlwind.  For fun and to supplement my eating out budget, I often taken on mystery shopping in my spare time.  I took one a few too many this past week.  On top of that, Jordy got sick and wasn’t able to go with me.  However, I worked in a lot of playtime with Kaylea, so it all worked out.

Sunday we went to a local festival.  It was pretty lame.  It was a neighborhood festival.  We left and went to the park instead.  Kaylea played with the neighbor boy most of the time.  We stayed a long time.  That evening we joined our life group for dinner.  This was our first meeting and we were able to meet everyone.  The kids have fun playing together in the basement and tormenting the babysitter.  Kaylea really did not want to go, but I told her she had to try.  Of course, when it was time to leave, she didn’t want to leave.

 

More Labor Day Weekend Fun

We had a lot of great times this past weekend.  I cannot possibly cover them all.  Sunday, Kaylea was able to see her friend Halle.  They had a blast together playing inside and out. 

We had lunch with the Struck's.  Kaylea made us pose for photo booth pictures.  She loved taking pictures of everyone.  I'm glad that Kaylea enjoys celebrating birthdays of others and not just her own. 

Later that day, I had a girl's day and night out with friends.  I failed to take an pictures, but we went for pedicures, shopping, had dinner at Kobe, and had a trip to the Horseshoe casino.  It was another great night.  I definitely miss seeing my friends more often.

Before flying out Sunday, we had breakfast with the Struck's and met up with my dad and Trina.  I had a foot massage at the mall while Jordy had some more time with his parents.  As is typical, our flight was delayed out of Louisville, but it didn't end up being too bad.

I'm 35!

I had an awesome 35th birthday and was very surprised with one of my gifts.  It is hard to surprise me and sometimes I think people don't even try because I'm picky and don't always do well with surprises.  However, I loved this surprise. 

We had planned for dinner at Cheddar's.  When it was time to leave, Jordy told me he accidently put my keys in his mom's purse.  I was irritated, but I tried to remain calm.  Then the doorbell rang and someone came to the door.  They asked if I was ready to go.  I looked outside and there was a limo with the window rolled down and my friend Erin looking out.  I was in shock.  It brought tears to my eyes, but an even bigger smile to my face. 

I try to be the one always thinking of creative things for people, but she really got me.  She knows me well, too, because this is a spectacular gift.  Anyone who knows me, knows I enjoy being the center of attention and there is nothing like a limo to put you front and center.

We met friends and family at Cheddar's for dinner and then we went to Bardstown Road to sing karaoke.  It was an awesome time.  I think almost everyone even ended up on stage singing at some point throughout the night.  It was the perfect birthday and I couldn't have asked for anything better!

 

 

First Day of 1st Grade

Kaylea started 1st grade today.  It's hard to believe she is already in 1st grade.  She was not nervous at all.  Instead, she seemed excited about her new adventure.  We are learning what our new schedule will look like, but I know things will work out.  Kaylea is a brave and smart girl and I know she is going to have an awesome year.  I didn't get much information out of her.  She told me that she only gets on play time and that she made a friend named Sara, who also rides her bus.

Labor Day Weekend

Friday after work we were supposed to hop on a plane to Indiana to begin the holiday weekend and birthday celebrations.  Just as we were walking out the door, I received a phone call that our flight had been cancelled.  We were so disappointed.  How did this happen?  The earliest flight they could get us on would have us arriving in Louisville at 4:30 PM if all went well.  Instead of taking the flight, we decided to rent a car and drive to Indiana.  We left at 7:30 and drove through the night.  Kaylea fell asleep around 9:00 and Jordy and I split the driving.  We arrived around 4:30 AM. 

I had made plans to hang out with Kaylea's friends on Saturday morning.  After picking up rental cars, I picked up Chassidy and Lucy.  We went to Sky Zone where we met Max, Ty, Lucas, and Tyler.  The kids had fun jumping.  They even gave us some extra bounce time.  We had lunch at Chic fil A.  Lucy had to go home, but Chassidy spent some more time with us back at Nana & Pop's house. 

1st Grade Open House

Tonight was open house at Lorton Station Elementary School.  I was much more nervous than Kaylea.  She was super excited to meet her new teacher.  I was excited when we were walking the halls and she saw two kids she knew.  She has been attending camp since Jordy went back to work two weeks ago.  It made me feel good to know she would have someone to say hi to in the mornings.

She picked her seat and drew a picture of what she enjoyed this summer.  She drew a picture of our trip to Mexico.  She is sitting next to a girl who will ride the same bus as her.

Her new teach is Mrs. Maquera.  She seemed nice.  She has pretty Christmas lights in her classroom and likes to keep the room dimly lit.  She promised a pet fish for the room and the class would get to vote on the name.  She talked nicely to Kaylea and said she was a nice teacher and that she gives lots of chances.

We explored the school and met some kids in the class and it was time to go home.  I'm sure I will be worried Tuesday while Kaylea will be ready to go!