Back to School

Well, I uploaded these pictures to the blog several days ago, but the fact that they are just now getting posted gives you a glimpse into the first week of school. So far so good and we are getting into a routine MUCH easier than last year! Can you believe that in 2 short weeks, the boys will have been with us for 1 year?! Jeff and I were just talking the other day and we agree that in a lot of ways it seems like they have always been with us, but in other ways we are reminded of how far we have all come in a year.

We went to meet the teacher last Thursday. "J" had his in the morning and "A" had his in the evening. "J" explored his new classroom at the Montessori school we recently enrolled him in for his last year before heading to Kindergarten next year! He may be planning his escape or just checking out the play ground....We aren't sure which! I love his little classroom with the soothing colors and organized learning focused centers.

"A" also enjoyed getting to meet his first grade teacher, who I LOVE!!!!! She is right up there with Ms. S from last year which I didn't think was possible. I also went to curriculum night this week to learn about how she structures their learning and I was so impressed by her as a person and as a teacher! She loves kiddos and the Lord....We couldn't ask for more! "A" learned at meet the teacher that when you bring Daddy, he will buy you all kinds of spirit wear! You will see a portion of it a little further down, but he also got 2 spirit shirts and a calendar.

We went to a back to school picnic with our adoption ministry the weekend before school started. Before the picnic the whole group met at a pottery painting place. Our boys were very energetic, but we successfully completed a family plate and then each painted our own coaster.

"A" wasn't into painting his hand at first, but did humor his momma, thankfully!

This is the pre-glazed finished product! I am excited to display it! The night before school started we opened the envelope that "A"s teacher gave him for the occasion. He and "J" got to sprinkle "Ready Confetti" under their pillows! SO cute and one of the reasons I love Mrs. E!

"J" had just a few things out as most of his things were brought to meet the teacher and were in his cubby waiting for him on the first day. He did get to bring a fun new water bottle though and wear new clothes.

"A" got a big cool new back pack. My mom used to buy us the same brand, Jansport every year so I was excited to do the same! He got a spirit lanyard for his ID and a school water bottle. He also loves his "star" shoes/converse. What a fun First Grader we have!

I also felt a bit like my mom and my sister when I planned a fun back to school breakfast for the boys.

I made pancakes in the shape of the letters in their name for the first day of school...it nearly killed me...darn those super mom bloggers who share these crazy projects and make me think they are easy! The lady "suggested" using a funnel. The truth is if you don't use one, you will have a whole batch of broken letters and 2 good ones...not that I would know anything about that!

Anyway, we made it through the first week and it is going to be a great year!

House Over Haul

We have been living in our house for 3 years and have made very few of the many improvements that we swore we would do when we moved in. Improvements might be the wrong word. I guess what I mean is making it our own. I think I have PTSD in regards to wall paper. I'm sure they have come a long way in styles and colors since our house was built, but the ones chosen by the previous owners are definitely not our style. We previously painted our bedroom and the kids' bathroom and have seen the huge difference this relatively inexpensive home improvement can make. We wanted to do more rooms but we always wore out after one room. Finally we decided to hire this sweet guy that did some work for my parents to finish up the painting and tile our master bathroom. Whoever thought carpet in a bathroom was a good idea? Well, I'm sure they had their reasons, I just have no idea what they are. Here is a tour of our home post update with a few before pictures as well.

When you walk in you used to look to the left and see this in the dining room/kids' playroom.

Now....it is a soothing neutral, our favorite and now primary color in our home, Gobi Desert. Though it looks much more subdued than most people's taste for a play room, it is perfect for our boys who are very easily over stimulated!

Straight ahead is our entry way and art niches. This was already a neutral color, but needed a fresh coat so we went with the Gobi. We also added a family photo wall on either side of the hallway leading into the living room. I got the frames on sale 1/2 off at Michael's and they are part of a very user friendly system called Hang Your Own Gallery. You use templates so you don't have to worry about figuring out spacing, configuration, and using a level to get them straight! LOVE it!
The art niches also got an update to more of a maroon than the brown they had before.

Our kitchen before was not very appetizing to say the least. The stripes were a bit much. During the process we noticed that the previous color of the living room had much more pink tones than we realized. You can't really tell in the picture but there was a major difference between it and the Gobi.

The after is much more of a clean slate and your eyes can focus more on the details of the curtains and other decorative touches.

Here is the living room after

The kitchen and our master bathroom made the most dramatic changes. Our bathroom was a different pattern of wallpaper than the kitchen, but the same colors and business was present. I don't think I have a before, but here is the after....

The tile makes it so much nicer...
Overall, we are very impressed with Mr. Mario's (the kids called him, Super Mario) work and the improvement to our home. It feels much more "ours" now!

One small step for mankind, one giant leap for us!

This will be short, but I had to post something quick! Jeff and I are on our way to go read the file we have been waiting for 5 months to receive. We don't get a copy until finalization, but this will provide a lot more information than we have had previously. The file is supposedly huge, 6 giant binders full! My prayer is that it will provide us with answers to the questions our boys will have as they grow up and maybe even some pictures. Please pray for God's presence to give us peace as we grieve for their hurts and look toward a bright future as a soon to be forever family!