Olivia's First Day of Preschool

It's Livi's turn!!!  Today is Olivia's first day of preschool!

It is time for her to begin her journey at St. Luke's.  We love St. Luke's so much.  I have often said that I wish it were a private school where I could send both kids for their whole education.  But alas, St. Luke's will only hold my children for 3 years each and this is the start for Olivia.

She will be in the 2's Plus class with Miss Bridget and Miss Dinorah.  Unlike Will, she will attend from 9-1:50 each day.  For some strange reason, I picked up Will at 12:20.  First kid, I guess.  

Olivia is so, so excited.  Also, unlike Will, Olivia marched right into her class, waved goodbye and started playing with toys.  She looked at all of the crying kids like they were crazy.  My girl is so independent and loves to do her own thing.

I know she is going to love preschool.  Here, she will really develop socially and learn lots of new things.  

I was SHOCKED to see Olivia, sound asleep at pickup.  WITHOUT A PACI!!! Miss Bridget and Miss Dinorah must work some kind of magic.  Look at my little angel!

She is so happy and my heart burst for her as she embarks on this new journey.

First Day of Kindergarten!!!

Today was Will's first day of Kindergarten!  I can hardly believe it.  My sweet little boy is growing so fast.

A blogger from the Orlando Sentinel wrote this.  I cannot agree more;

Dear Kindergarten,

I see you.
You're here. Already.

And I have a few things to say to you.

I got your list. I've met your demands.
You want ten glue sticks?
You got 'em.
Antibacterial soap?
Check!
24 sharpened number 2 pencils? Done!

We've been reading and doing flash cards. We've practiced writing.
We know what you want...
and we're ready.

Well, mostly.

There's one thing I'm struggling with.

You see, kindergarten, this boy I'm sending you is my heart.

He is my whole world.

And I worry that walking through your doors will be the start of a journey that will change him.
And us.

I know he'll experience wonderful things... from great new friends to the amazing art and music rooms we saw when we took your tour.

But for me, kindergarten, you also represent a new chapter.
The next several years will set the foundation for the kind of man he becomes. There have been limited influences on that since he was born.
Now there will be many.

So, here's my promise to you, kindergarten.
His dad and I will do our best.
We know home is where it starts.
We are ultimately responsible for his character and his choices.
We will work hard to ensure we are sending you a respectful, considerate and enthusiastic kid everyday.

Now here's what I need from you:
Please keep him safe.
Please be kind to him.
Please let him be a kid.

Letting him go to you and all you represent for years to come is very hard for me.
But like millions of other parents, I will move forward with faith.
I'll let go and hope for the best.

I've decided not to sit in the school parking lot all day.
That would be, well... weird.
But I will be waiting.
I know it will get easier everyday... especially when I see how much he enjoys you.

But let's work together, ok?
For him and all the children headed your way... let's do our very best.

Thanks, Kindergarten.
We'll see you Monday.

Love,
Benjamin's Mom

He is so excited to go to Thornebrooke Elementary and meet all of the new friends in Ms. Shields' class.  We went last week and got to see his desk and where everything is.  

He is especially excited that his friend Jaxson is in his class.  We knew 2 kids going to Thornebrooke and the one who he considers a good buddy is the one in his class.

It is kind of weird to have our first day photos happen at Gramma's house, but our house will be ready soon enough.  

I am so excited about all of the great things he is going to learn.  He will start to read this year.  He will eat lunch with friends every day.  He will go on field trips.

I still cannot believe that I am going to drive up to a building every day and my sweet, innocent boy is going to get out of the car and enter said building without me.  How does that even happen?

But I know he will be good and strong and he will learn and grow.  

Look at this sweetness!

All ready to go in his class.

At the Boo Hoo Breakfast.  Olivia is mad because she wants it to be HER first day.

And then, the car line.  There is a lightning delay.  School let out at 3:00.  Will got in my car at 4:20.  Sigh. 

Tummy Bug

Oh....the tummy bug has hit and it is nasty.

Middle of the night, Monday night, Will let out a howl.  We thought it was a bad dream at first.  We tried to comfort him and then he started making a gagging noise.  Mind you, the kids are currently sleeping on air mattresses in Gramma and G-Daddy's respective closets.  Steve scooped him up as quickly a possible and I ushered him to the bathroom where he lost it...ribs from the night before.

He got some of it on the sheets of his air mattress, but Steve was able to catch it and not get any vomit on the floor.  Sheets were immediately soaked and thrown in the washer.  He still felt nauseous, so I sat with him in the floor of the bathroom.  All night long.

He was fine the next day, but then threw up again in the middle of the night.  Then again the next night.  I began to Google.  Oh, how it scared me.  I read multiple listings of how vomiting only in middle of night could be a sign of a brain tumor.  One mom said that if only she had not assumed it was a tummy bug, her son would still be with them.  Insert: panic and prayer, my go-to.  I prayed hard for my boy.  Please, don't let this be anything.  I will take him to the doctor in the morning for tests.  Soon after my praying and pleading with God, my answer came.  I have never been so grateful for explosive diarrhea.  That was a sure sign that it was, indeed, a tummy bug.  After the diarrhea began, he never threw up again.  But he did have that explosiveness for 2 days.  Could not even drink a sip of water without it rushing out.

g

And then, there was Olivia.  My precious little girl.  We thought it was over, but then as soon as Will was on the mend, it hit Little Livi.  She woke up crying in the middle of the night that her back hurt.  Her back?  Why would her back hurt?  I rubbed her back and she said she felt better, so I went back to bed.  A few minutes later, she started crying again that her back hurt her.  Then, the gagging.  I got her to the bathroom in time.  She threw up.  Took her to the other bathroom where she threw up a few more times and then it turned to diarrhea.  

I called the doctor.  We had already been at it for nearly a week.  Will was still on the mend, eating nothing but a BRAT diet.  The doctor said it sounded like Rotovirus.  The kids ARE vaccinated, so this was a milder version.  Geesh  I'd hate to see what a full version looked like.

I became VERY familiar with the hall bathroom at Larry and Neva's.  Having spent 3 nights sleeping on the floor.  Will had watched Tornado Chasers on the iPad.  Olivia just sang songs.  

After 10 days, the bug seemed to be through.  Just in time for Will to start school.  I had been really worried that he would miss his first day.  No one else got the bug.  Adults don't get Rotovirus.  Please, let this be the last tummy bug for a looooong time.

Home Visit and Offer Info

Ms. Shields came to the house today.  She was very nice.  Will felt very comfortable with her.  He opened the door for her and they sat and he did a puzzle.  He then showed her his favorite toy, some trucks.  We chatted for a while and then sat down for some snacks.  Will poured her some lemonade and offered her a cookie.  She declined, but he was excited to have one.

As for the Abelia house.  Oh. My. Goodness.

I just wanted it listed.  But, Nick insisted that we have the roof cleaned.  He said that the outdoor photo would be the first one people see and with our roof's condition, it screamed "Foreclosure".  Now, that is a bit extreme, but we trust him.  The roof cleaning could not happen until Tuesday.  Steve oversaw it and I am glad he did.  The photo was taken and our house was listed Tuesday at 4pm.

Wednesday, I kept getting alerts from ADT that people were going in our house.  Not going to lie, I checked the security camera and watched them....that was eerie.  Two guys in gym clothes were in our house for an hour and a half.  I texted Nick and asked if that was a good sign.  He said yes.  Another guy came later (looked like Steve's brother).

We got an offer!  In less than 24 hours from listing!  House is listed for $339k.  Offer was for $330k.  But...Nick said he was expecting a second offer the next day.

We got a 2nd offer on Thursday...for $336k.  Went back to first guy.  He went up to $344k.  5k above asking!!! We accepted.  Our house is now under contract.

That doesn't happen!  God's hand is all in this.  I know it.  There is no way things work out this well on their own.  And we certainly didn't do it.  This new house is going to be a blessing.  And we are going to bless others by entertaining, by the neighbors we will meet, in ways that maybe we don't even know yet.  But it is obvious that God is with us every step of the way.

Thornebrooke Elementary!

I was so worried.  Someone told me that unless you had proof that you owned your home, you could not enroll your child at a school.  Closing fall through all the time.  We close on August 29.  School starts August 15.  There are two weeks in between.  My biggest fear is that Will would have to go to Palm Lake for 2 weeks, get comfortable there, make friends and then have to transfer to Thornebrooke, where he would be the new kid.  I was sure this was happening.  We were doing this to our child and we were terrible parents.

Researching on the OCPS website, I found out there is something called a Pending Move Transfer and we meet all of the requirements.

On Monday, I went to Thornebrooke to see what they would say.  Tiffany, the registrar, was more that kind and compassionate.  She reassured me that there is no way Will would have to go through all of that and she handled everything for me.  I did have to go to OCPS downtown to get the transfer approved, but that is fine.

On Wednesday, I went downtown and it was approved.  I then went to Palm Lake and withdrew him and then back to Thornebrooke, where he was enrolled.  It all worked out perfectly!

I can already tell that Thornebrooke is going to be an excellent school.  Everyone was so helpful and kind.  And....the kindergarten teachers set up home visits with their students before the school year begins, to help the kids ease in.

Well, Will's teacher emailed me, Ms. Shields.  She is coming over next Thursday.  And...Jaxson is in Will's class, so he will already have a friend there.

I am over the moon.  I cannot believe this is all really happening.

House Update

It's getting real.  Really real.

We found a house.  I knew it was the one.  We had narrowed it down to 3, but the other two just could not compare.  This is our home.  We will be closing at our new home at 9524 Hempel Cove Blvd in Windermere on August 29.  I cannot believe it.

Now, we work to get our house ready to sell.  I have been working around the clock.  Nick walked through our house and recommended we do a few things, some minor, some major.  Major: we need to resurface our pool, new carpet, new shower door.  Minor: plant some new plants out front, declutter, put lava rocks and a fence in the little nook area outside.

I am pretty proud of the decluttering.  As luck (or God, I really think) would have it, Larry and Neva will be gone for exactly the same time we need to be showing the house before the closing.  So, the thought is, we will temporarily move into their house so that our house can remain show-ready.  We are working on it.

Ethan's room, decluttered

Allison's room, decluttered

Decluttering the kitchen, in progress

After

After

My pantry has never looked so good!

Pool resurfacing: draining

Pool resurfacing: acid wash

Pool resurfacing: I don't even know what this is

Pool resurfacing: application (Will loved watching the blowtorch)

Pool resurfacing: Refilling

New carpet being installed

Looks like we are moving

It is getting real!  I just hope that our house sells quickly.  Several houses in the neighborhood have just been sitting for weeks, months at a time.  I am worried.  God's got it, though.  I know He does!

Sleepover

Matt and Karen's 10th Anniversary was this weekend.  We wanted to do something special for them, so we sent them for a night at the Grand Floridian.  We offered to watch the kids overnight so they could focus on just the two of them.  And voila!  A sleepover!

Rohan could not have been an easier baby.  He slept a lot, with a couple hours in the evening where he woke up and played.  I had so much fun making silly faces at him and seeing him react.  He woke up one time in the middle of the night, sucked down his bottle and went right back to bed.  Easy peasy.

No sleepover is complete without a big breakfast in the morning.  The kids were so excited to have a sleepover together.  Reynelle and Olivia slept well in Olivia's bed.  We did have to have them facing opposite ends because they kept playing, but that was to be expected.

We had a great night.  We feel so blessed to have friends who are like family.  I feel honored that they trusted us to watch their most precious gifts.