Happy Fall Y'all!

Since the beginning of the school year, our days and weekends have been jam packed with activities. We have had soccer, bake sales, the Barnyard Blast, the Fall Festival, field trips to the farm and the Peter Pan play, a school spaghetti dinner, book fair and more. Three months ago, I thought we would never fall into our new routine, but we are really thriving. I think our new routine has been good for all of us. I love being involved with his school and have already met a few new mom friends. Brady is doing an amazing job. He can read beginner books and is already learning about anatomy, plant life cycles, and math. He’s made tons of friends and loves his school. 

In the middle of all this, we celebrated Halloween. Fall is my favorite season and I always enjoy planning costumes and decorating the house. This year, James finished up a two month school and returned home just in time for Halloween. Since he would be joining us this year I decided we would do a family costume. So we went as characters from the Wizard of Oz. We had a fantastic time and of course got lots of candy.

Speaking of James, he was in Yuma, AZ completing the WTI (Weapons and Tactics Instructor) course. It was a big deal that he was selected to go to the course in the first place. You have to be a Captain, but they waived that requirement so he could go. He is now qualified to be an instructor there, and he was chosen to take over the position of the current instructor. This means we will be moving west to sunny Yuma sometime in the near future. I’ve been busy planning and researching neighborhoods and schools. He will return to Yuma for two months this coming spring, so that will give him an opportunity to scope things out.

We attended the Marine Corps ball last weekend. I haven’t been in a few years so it was nice to get all dressed up with my Marine and have an evening out. He surprised me by reserving a room at a bed and breakfast that we stayed at many years ago. I love downtown New Bern and the historic buildings and there was something so romantic about the whole evening. Of course I was up at 6:00 AM and ready to get home to my babies. The day of the ball, my mom surprised Brady with a trampoline at her house. It was given to her by a neighbor whose kids had outgrown it. We just needed a new mat and a few replacement springs and Brady was the happiest kid on earth. A trampoline is a perfect outlet for kids with extra energy. And the nets that are now required make it much safer and less stressful!

Brady had another big surprise last weekend. He went to his first sleepover! His best friend is my cousins son, Sam. Sam and Brady are the same age and attended preschool together. They go to different elementary schools, but we still try to get together often. I was nervous about the sleepover, and I honestly didn’t sleep a wink that night. But of course, he had a blast and everything was fine.

As fall is coming to a close, I find it hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. It will be our last Christmas at home for a while and I plan on making it the best ever. We took down the Halloween decorations yesterday and I am gearing up for Cecilia’s big 2^nd birthday party Saturday. After that, Christmas decorations will be going up and we will eat, drink, and be merry with friends and family until the new year.