Hello, stranger

Yes, it's been FOREVER since I've updated. Little thing called work is getting in the way. I am crazy busy this year, but I feel more purposeful and motivated than ever before.
Gabriel is loving school, but not the spelling tests so much. He just cannot get the hang of it. I hate the spelling tests, and do not think they're appropriate for his age, but it's a part of the process. Bleh.
Nicholas is doing great... he just turned 3 last month and he's POTTY TRAINED!!!!
So that's us in a nutshell... I'll get some pictures up here in a few days. We have a photo shoot with a fantastic photographer (www.chera25.com) tomorrow.

Summer's almost over!

It's the last week before I go back to work... I'm sad because it means I won't be home with the boys. I'm happy because it means I won't be home with the boys. I'm just not cut out to be a stay at home mom. I love my boys more than anything, but they drive me NUTS sometimes!! Nicholas will return to Ms. Terri's, and Gabriel will start kindergarten at ACA (with me!!) I'm so excited that we'll be at school together. He is really excited about school. I can't wait to see him learn and grow!

Update

It's been awhile since I've posted! We've been having a great summer! I've taken the boys to several playdates, and met some new friends. :)
Gabriel took a reading readiness summer class at school last week, and he loved it! It was great for him to get a chance to experience a small dose of a school day and meet some new friends. He went back in for his second pre-assessment on Tuesday. He did improve, but still needs to work on counting to 20 (he gets stuck at 12), rhyming words, and sight words.
Nicholas is a mess, as always. He's started potty training! Woohoo!! I bought him some new Diego underwear, so hoping that will motivate him. He knows he can't pee on Diego :)
Here are a few recent pictures of my guys.

Finally... pictures of the house!!!

The moment you've all been waiting for... pictures of our new house!! :)

This is the front of the house (Yes, that is Nicholas standing at the front door)



The living room, as seen from the dining room (this is our new furniture!!)



Another view of the living room



The dining room (Gabriel is playing a game at the table)



The kitchen (the window looks out to the backyard)



Gabriel's bedroom (a few different angles so you can see his new bed and dresser)





Nicholas's room (It's bigger than the picture shows... he has a big closet and a dresser to the left. And yes, it's messy... He likes to dump everything out.)



The boys' bathroom... there is a toilet behind the door, to the left, and a nice linen closet to the right of the door... it's much bigger than it looks here.



Our room



Our bathroom (right off the bedroom) The door on the right is our walk-in closet. The door on the left leads to the shower and toilet.



And my favorite part... the backyard. The building in the pictures is my "office"











And, because no post would be complete without the boys... here they are!!

My other blog...

I just started a new blog http://kristintakesitoff.blogspot.com to track my weight loss. Cheer me on! :)

We're home!

We're all moved in now and absolutely loving the house. Our furniture will be delivered today, and our home will be completely finished. Woohoo!!! (Yes, I will post pictures tonight.)
The house is absolutely amazing. The neighborhood is so quiet, and the boys just love the backyard. I can actually feel safe letting them go outside and not worry that something will happen to them. I feel so blessed that we were able to get this house. :)

Movin' on up!

We move in less than a week! Wooohooo!! We got the house!!! I am so excited... 3 bedroom, 2 bath, with a huge garage, lots of storage. huge backyard and a nice deck out back. Finally, the perfect house for us!!!!!!

Lots going on

My mom is having surgery this morning... I won't go into details, but it's a big deal... please keep her in your thoughts.

We found a house we really like... I put in our application yesterday. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!

Here are a few new pics of the boys:

Swimmy!!

I went up to school to do a little bit of work today. When I came out to the parking lot to leave, I happened to look down and saw a baby turtle on the ground. I thought it was a toy or something, so I picked it up. It started moving, so I then realized it was real! I decided to bring it home because I was worried it would get run over in the parking lot. Gabriel and I took it up to Petco for advice, and found out that it is a red-eared slider turtle. He (we're just saying it's a he) is a hatchling (baby) and just too cute! His shell is about the size of a half-dollar. Gabriel named him Swimmy. :)
My friend gave me a small terrarium for him (for now... we'll have to get a 10 gallon aquarium soon) and we bought him a little dock (which he his sitting on in the pictures), gravel, a heat light, and turtle food. He is sooooo cute!!! Gabriel loves him so much... he actually said he's been wanting a turtle his whole life. (Today is the first I've heard this.) He got his guitar out and sang songs to him.
I'm really excited to have him... it's fun to watch Gabriel assume this role of pet-owner and see him take on responsibility.

Kindergarten Testing

Gabriel went in for his kindergarten pre-assessment this week. The kids are tested to see what they already know and what they need to work on to be ready for kindergarten. He did okay, but not as well as I'd hoped. A lot of it was contributed to nervousness on his part, I think. I talked over the results with Ms. Terri, his awesome daycare teacher, and she reassured me that he is able to do many of the things he didn't do at the assessment. So, I feel good about him and school. We are going to work on some things at home and during the summer.
Kindergarten, here we come!

Just need to write

I'm in a mood tonight... feeling pretty low and sorry for myself. I am just torn about my personal self (if that makes sense). There are days I feel like I have it together... my lesson plans are written, I have everything organized and ready for the day, the bills have been paid on time, etc. and then there are days like today. I feel like I have so much to do, and no motivation to get it all done.
I bought two books, Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen, and The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I bought them a month ago and have yet to start them. I also got a new Bible at Thanksgiving and have only done devotionals three days since then. I need to carve out that time for myself. I need to be completely alone to reflect and pray, so the times the kids are up won't work, and then my husband gets all nosy and bothers me, so it's been hard. I know they are excuses, but my life just seems so out of whack.
I also want to have some mom friends. I am so envious when I hear about other moms and their friends, the playdates, get-togethers, etc. I want that so badly! I am insanely lonely but don't know how to make the effort without seeming to barge in on existing friendships.
If you read this, thank you... knowing someone cares enough to read this makes me feel validated and meaningful on days where I seriously question my purpose for existence.

Dallas Museum of Nature and Science

Gabriel and I went to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science today. We had a blast!!!

In the car, all buckled in and ready to go!

The outside of the museum... such a gorgeous day!

After we got our tickets, we headed back to the exhibits.

He loved the fossil dig!

This was a cool hand chair. Not very comfortable, though.

Firefighter Gabriel

Focused on "driving" his fire truck.

Switching hats... from policeman to firefighter

Placing the safety cones

In the Backyard exhibit... he was in an ant tunnel

Balancing like a squirrel

Climbing the rock wall like a gecko

I promise, he did want to wear this!

Trapped in the spider's web!

Cooking in the kitchen

The chef... because bread must be dusted

You want me to go in there??

Milking Elsie the cow
My favorite picture... dancing onstage

Last shot of the day... outside on the rocks