A New Cast

After 4 weeks in the first cast, Gavin was able to get it taken off and have a new cast put on below the elbow.

He was going to choose the color blue again, but I convinced him to go green this time.

Gavin also started Taekwondo.  Master Flora is his teacher.  I'm really hoping he will love the sport and feel a sense of pride and accomplishment through it.

Butterfly Biosphere

Laynie and I were able to meet up with Mel and Lydia for a "Fun Friday" activity at Thanksgiving Point's Butterfly Biosphere.  The Butterflies were beautiful, and I was disheartened to learn they only live for around 2 weeks!

The prettiest little creature of them all - Alayna.

You had to be very gentle and slow when picking up the butterflies.

But once you did, it was MAGICAL!

The butterflies were flying everywhere!

Laynie's first butterfly.

Laynie and Lydia

Melanie

Looking at the cocoons.

Playing on the equipment afterward.

Fire Station Field Trip

Enchanted Learning Preschool took a trip to the fire station.  We were going to walk the 4 blocks, but the weather didn't cooperate so we drove the kids there.  Chief Wright was awesome at explaining fire safety and telling the kids all about his job as a fireman.  Sweet Lydia got scared when one of the firemen dressed up in his gear complete with face mask and she never quite fully recovered.  So glad her mom was there.  The kids all had the choice to go home after the field trip or stay at preschool and do centers.  They all wanted to stay!  So, they made a fire engine snack, did a 911 art project, among other center activities.  I love this job - although I'm not sure I'd call it a job...  Maybe more like a really expensive hobby?  (Still haven't financially climbed out of the red yet! LOL)

Harvest Time and Brock's Baptism

In the second week of September, I was able to get enough tomatoes to can 9 jars of salsa.  Here's the recipe:

Sister Smith's Salsa

1 large bucket of tomatoes

4 green peppers

2 red peppers

2 yellow peppers

4 large annehiem chili peppers

2 jalapeños 

4 large onions

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. salt

1/4 c. clear jel

1/4 c. minced garlic

Mix the clear jel in with the sugar and salt.  chop all tomatoes, peppers and onions in food processor.  Add the rest of the ingredients in big pot.  Boil for 20 minutes.  Process for 20 minutes.

 Gavin's best buddy, Brock, got baptized.  We drove up to WX for it and spent the day at a park we frequented when we lived up there.  Oh how we miss Woods Cross.

Miss Alayna

This little lady is growing up before our eyes.  She has been wanting to dance for a long time and I decided to bite the bullet and put her in an overly priced dance class.  But look at that cute smile after she tried on her leotard.

Lady Alayna had an Open House at Enchanted Learning Preschool.  (I heard the teacher is phenomenal!  Wink, wink!)

Innovations Dance Academy

I also signed Laynie up for music lessons with Miss Sandra in our neighborhood.  She teaches little kids beginner theory lessons and gets them ready for piano.  I would love it if Laynie developed the talent for piano playing.  It's a talent that can be used so much to benefit others.  I really wish I would have practiced more and caught on quicker to piano.  I struggled with getting the left hand down and piano just never came easily for me.  It was something I really had to work hard at with not much success.

First day of Pre-K!

Laynie's preschool class on the first day - no tears, just sun in their eyes! lol

My Preschool Queen!

First day of dance!  We accidentally got there 15 minutes early so we had time for this picture.  On the first lesson, they invited parents in for the last five minutes of class and they danced to "Mr. Sun" by Mother Goose Club.  It was awfully cute!

Enchanted Learning Preschool

I did it!  I really did it!  I started up my own preschool!

This has pretty much been a dream of mine since I was in college.  I didn't go into Elementary and Early Childhood Ed to become a public school teacher.  I chose that major because I felt like it would prepare me to be a MOTHER and teacher to my children, and if I needed to work, it's pretty much the ONLY job out there that has the exact same hours (year round) as your kid's school schedules.  But I didn't get married for a long time, and the hope of becoming a mother started to fade, so I put my all into my career as a teacher.  I spent many hours in my classroom prepping for kindergarten lessons and learning the best ways to teach little children how to read and write.  I became really good at it, and grew to LOVE all 5 year olds.  But my heart still ached to be a MOMMY.  Through some MIRACLE I got married, and as the icing on the cake, have 2 beautiful children.  Although we would have liked to have had more children, it just wasn't in the cards for us.  I would love to be snuggling a little baby right now or chasing after a 1 year old, but instead I get to do the next best thing:  TEACH PRESCHOOL from my basement!  I wasn't sure if my health would allow it, but I felt Heavenly Father push me into this direction.  I've learned He knows what's best for me far better than I do, so I said, "Okay, Heavenly Father, I'll do it."  And do you know what?  It's been super exciting, a little scary, super FUN, and a little stressful.  Pretty much just what I needed in life to help me jump out of bed each morning and conquer each day!  (Thank you, Heavenly Father for knowing me better than I know myself.) I have 7 awfully cute students - 6 girls and 1 boy.  They are all well behaved and always try their best.  It's going to be a wonderful 9 months.

Close to 500 square feet of MAGIC!

The cubbies my dad and Matt helped me make.

I had so much fun putting the "classroom" together.

This Reading Castle has been with me through all my teaching days!

I was able to set up my classroom on a limited budget.  I scoured thrift stores, yard sales and fb marketplace to get good deals on the things I needed.

2 Tables (FREE), 10 chairs ($60), 2 shelves ($28), 

2 book display shelves ($16), cubbies (this is where I splurged - $130),

mirror ($2).  Everything else I already had.