A New Year

Yesterday, my babe started second grade. *tear*
It seriously felt like she was just starting kindergarten, and now- NOW she's a BIG kid, about to learn BIG new things.



On a sidenote: We LOVE Krysta's new backpack- it's perfect! In fact, we like it better than L.L. Bean's backpacks! Excellent quality, unique, AND she monogrammed Krysta's name of the front for free! We ordered from a seller on Etsy called, Stitches-N-Smiles. Get yours today.




Of course I did the typical, Mama takes 100 First Day of School photos of Krysta with her new backpack, standing in the school line, in her new classroom- you name it, I snapped it!

Eh, so there were a lot of duds. William has this new back-hand smack that he likes to demonstrate on us.

I hear a fant, "POW!"
Then I get, "MOOOM, William is hitting me!"



One descent photo is good enough, right?




My girl was nervous for the first day of school. Oh man- was. she. nervous! I kept saying, "Are you excited? Are you excited? You're going to have so much fun! Second grade is awesome!" And she would quietly reply, "No, I'm just nervous. SO SO nervous. What if I make mistakes?"

My dear Krysta, you WILL make mistakes, but you WILL learn from them and you WILL grow from them and it WILL be okay.





Oh my heart. I wish I could hold her hand every moment of everyday, to be beside her when things get tough, to walk her through her trials and tribulations. I pray that I've given her enough wisdom throughout her short seven years of life to make smart choices and healthy decisions that will lead her to be the best second grader ever!







And I'm in love with this chillaxed photo of my Will-Will. He's like, Wuzz Up, Mama!
Gah, I love my little dude.




and I love my little dudes baby feet. Scars and all.



My babes are growing quickly, and Father-Time is showing no mercy. Cherish your days with your little ones. She may be learning to sit up on a Beaufort waterfront dock today, but before you know it she'll be starting second grade!

Hospital Ups and Downs

Look at my growing boy! William is a whopping 19 pounds, 11ounces. I'm constantly amazed at how quickly my little dude is progressing.





This was a A+ doctor's visit. No blood work. No labs. No bad news.

William's test results came back- he's negative for Cystic Fibrosis. Awesome! We're going to run more tests at his six month mark to see if everything is looking better.

I'm confident that they will be.







William wasn't so sure about this doctor's room. The room was painted in head-to-toe with monkeys. Monkeys brushing their teeth, monkey's eating bananas, monkey's exercising, and monkey's catching some Z's. Obviously there were a lot of monkeys.







He looked at those painted monkeys like a deer in headlights- in awe- in amazement, and he squeezed the bejesus out of Sophie like there was no tomorrow.





Until we retest, we're embracing everyday life and enjoying wrapping our arms around our very own little monkey.

And always remember kids, "Don't Monkey Around with Your Health!"





After Will's appointment, Krysta and I stopped to take a few photos of her by the fountain in from of the hospital.

We were quickly chased off by the hospital security guard. Apparently, someone complained that I was taking pictures and they didn't like it! Um yeah.





















Anyhoo!

On to exiting news...

Krysta met her 2nd Grade teacher last night! We're quickly approaching another year of math, spelling, and reading. Another year of school projects, school holidays, and school concerts. Another year of good times, laughter, and friends.



Here's to another school year, to new experiences, and to new childhood memories.

A new memory.

It was a weekend of a new adventure. A new challenge. A new memory.

Krysta started cheerleading and let’s just say she loved it! She’s encouraged to hop and bop and yell till her heart’s content; what more could a seven year old girl want.






Saturday was the Opening Ceremony on Elmendorf AFB, and with only having an hour to learn the “Opening Ceremony Cheer,” Krysta was nervous, and I was nervous for her.







As the teams were introduced, they marched in a single file onto the field as “The Hey Song” played in the background. It was the perfect combination to get anyone’s adrenaline pumping, hips swaying, and toes tapping to the beat.






After the introductions, it was time for the girls to do their thing. They skipped to the middle of the field, got into position, and shook what their mama’s gave ‘em. Krysta rocked it! She was full of confidence and waved her pom-poms like there was no tomorrow.












When it was time for her to chant her name, she walked up and said, “My name is KRYSTAAAAA!!!” and did a little jump. It was one of the cutest darn things you’ll ever see.







That evening, we returned for the first game of the season. It was cold, and rainy, and the colors of autumn were starting to appear. Everyone held an umbrella and was bundled in either a hoodie or a snuggie…except us. We thought, “It’s the first game, let’s look nice!” Big mistake. BIG! We quickly learned that the game continues on even in the rain, and even for a seven year old. Next time we’ll be prepared and dress for the weather. Maybe we could even sport a snuggie!







As Ron, Will, and I fought the cold and rain, Krysta was bouncing around on the sidelines having a blast! She did some chants, shook her pom-poms, and dropped her hips to the ground.

"D. O. W. N, that's the way we get DOWN" is still stuck in my head.







Oh, and the half-time show- Lord help me, IT WAS PRECIOUS! The girls danced to one of the songs on Disney's Phineas and Ferb, Gitchi Gitchi Goo.











Despite the cold and rain, it was 100% rewarding to watch my little pop-tart bop around the football field with flying pig-tails.

Getting up and going.

This seems to be a reoccurring theme in the Roe Household, “getting up and going.”

We high tailed it to Barnes and Noble because Krysta desperately needed a new book. Oh hell, who am I kidding- we high tailed it to Barnes and Noble because I desperately needed coffee.

Krysta enjoyed nibbling on a giant sugar cookie and William, well he enjoyed nibbling on the cardboard books. We bought those half eaten books home with us, along with an American Girl book for Krysta. Her reading level has grown leaps and bounds this summer, so I felt like it was finally time to purchase the beloved line of AG books. The American Girl book has also inspired her to pull Katie (her forgotten AG doll) back off her shelf for some playtime. It was a win-win.





I feel like Krysta is approaching a new chapter in her life. A new BIG chapter. She starts second grade next week, she’s started cheerleading, hygiene has become very important to her, and her interest has advanced to the following- perfume, fashion, and hair accessories. I’d say she’s starting her “tween” years. Did we even have a tween stage when we were growing up? For all who don’t know, “Tween” are ages 8-12- between the “little girl” stage and the “pre-teen” stage. So here we are, tween and all.








William’s stage of teething continues to roll on. I wish we could pick up the pace a little, but we’re hanging in there. He’s drooling like Niagara Falls and everything in sight goes straight to his mouth- and we shall not mention the cranky parts. Um yeah, I’m ready for those pearly whites to pop out.







And speaking of “rolling on”, William is rolling over AND is sitting up with very little help. My Baby Squirrel is growing up right before my eyes. William is also testing out his new set of pipes. He busts out these high-pitched squeals, and then smiles the biggest grin known to man. It’s so loud that he can summon an army of chipmunks in a moment’s notice. Just sayin’.







In the line of keeping things balanced, Krysta and I spent a little mother-daughter time at the park. It was full of laughs and giggles, and “hey mom look at me.” I miss spending one-on-one time with my girl- going out on lunch dates, shopping trips, and doing art projects at home. Since having two children, one thing that I’ve come to realize is this, time management is a beast. Giving undivided attention is something that needs to be finely tuned and remain balanced between my two babes. We’re getting there and finding our groove.













Watching my lovies is one of my favorite things to do. Witnessing their imagination soar and soaking up the world around them is soul satisfying to say the least.