First Day of School

Today was a very bittersweet day! It was Rachel's first day of Kindergarten. She was so excited last night as we went down her list and put all her supplies into her backpack.

This morning, she was ready to go! When we got to Ms. Barbarow's classroom, she walked right in and started putting her things in the cubbie that she chose, just like the teacher said. She then sat down and began working on the paper the teacher gave her. I told her bye and gave her a kiss, and I left her there.

She asked me to pray for her before we walked in the classroom and she also told me that she was going to let her light shine.

I am so proud of Rachel and all that she has become. She is such a bright light and I cannot wait to see how God uses her this year!

When we picked her up from school, her teacher said she did great! There were only 3 other kids there today, because they do the step by step program. The first words out of her mouth were "BEST DAY EVER!" she has been so excited for hours!

I am so thankful she had a good day! She can't wait until she can go back on Monday!

For now, it's Daytona Beach time!

It's Been A Busy Month!

We have been out and about this month, and once again, I have failed at keeping track of our day to day adventures! FAIL!!! In the middle of August, we went to Daytona beach with the Wilburn family and had a great time! Rachel loved going down and playing in the sand and Gabe really came out of his shell in the pool! He realized that he absolutely loves jumping in the pool and putting his head in the water! One day, when we were down on the beach, we saw a dolphin swimming very close to shore. For at least 30 minutes, he swam back and forth right where we were. It was a lot of fun watching one of God's beautiful and majestic creatures. We have been doing a lot of remodeling at church. We have created a new Sunday School room in the Fellowship Hall and have completely remodeled the bathroom. We also tore out the flooring and put in tile. This past weekend we had another work day and we painted the Fellowship Hall inside. It looks really good! As soon as we finish the remodeling, we are excited to start reaching out to the community! I will try to be better about posting. That's a big TRY!!! :)

Dance!

Yesterday was the long awaited first day of dance class for Rachel! She was so excited! We signed her up for classes at Gulf to Lake Baptist Church's program in Crystal River. There and 4 other little girls in her class. It was her first time doing anything away from me, except for church, so I was wondering how she would do. I've always wondered how she acts when I am not with her, and I got to look in through a window to see how she was doing. She did very well when the music was on and she was supposed to be doing certain movements. When the music was off and the teacher was talking or instructing, however, she was a little less attentive. She wanted to tell her own story or do her own twirls! It was really cute though.

Rachel has such a vivid memory that if one thing is mentioned, she makes the connection with something else related to that. Unless you were there and remember it too, you may think she was the most random kid there is! For example, the teacher was telling them how to do a curtsy (which Rachel was a pro at) and Rachel started saying "one time, I went to Disney World and all the princesses were on the stage..." The teacher was probably wondering what in the world Rachel was talking about or why, but I just smiled and knew it was just her little amazing memory at work.

Fins and lizards!

We were able to go to Granny and PaPaw's house this morning to go swimming. Rachel wanted to bring her mask, snorkel, and fins over to use. She was so funny with them on! she continues to get better and better at swimming. She swam the length of the pool today with no help.

Gabe is continuing to like the water more and more! He was kicking his legs today and splashing! He spent most of the time in the water instead of on the steps!

Granny spotted a lizard and Gabe wanted to hold it. I found a little one to catch. Gabe was a little reluctant but definitely wanted to hold it. Rachel on the other hand was not going to touch it at all! When it was time to let the lizard go back to the plant, Gabe nor Rachel wanted to bring it. She finally put it in her fin and very carefully got it off. It was a fun morning!

A Sad Goodbye

Last night, we were able to spend some time with Brandi before she leaves to go back to college for the Fall. Over the summer, we have had a great time with Brandi! She has played so my with Rachel and Gabe, and Mike and I have had time to play with her too! We had weekly Catan nights, sometimes playing five times a night, three nights a week. It was great times and fun memories!

On the way home from Ocala, we were talking about numbers. Rachel said she liked 621. I asked her if she would like to have 621 snakes and she said "NOOO!" so I asked what she would like to have 621 of and she said "Brandi!" People who invest in their lives have no idea how much of an impact they actually make.

While in Ocala, we went to a dance store to get Rachel a leotard, tights and ballet shoes for her new dance class that begins on Monday! She is very excited! When she tried on the leotard, she got so excited and started dancing and singing! I can't wait to see her in class!

Going for a Walk

Without even a thought this morning, Rachel knew exactly what she wanted to do: go for a walk to the special dock. In the complex on our road, there is a little area on the canal that has a dock. So, that is what we did!

Rachel wanted to ride her bike and she did a great job obeying! Gabe walked this time, instead of riding in the stroller. He chased Rachel for a while and she would go fast so he couldn't catch up. Rachel rode her bike through every puddle she could find. Gabe was right behind her, splashing through them too! At every speed bump, Gabe would get on top of it and just stand there, like he had accomplished so much! Too cute!

New Doctor

I took Rachel to a new doctor yesterday! Gabe saw him about a month ago but Rachel had not been checked by him yet. His name is Dr. Hiremath and he was great! Rachel loved him! In fact, when he was done with her check up, he had to walk out and get something. She said "mommy! I really like him!" That was until he had to give her 4 shots! Even that was not a horrible experience as it has been in the past! This doctor visit was a pleasant change from what we were used to!

Rachel was 32 pounds and 41 inches tall. She is growing up right before our eyes.