Let's try this again...

I tried bloggin once before and I enjoyed it, but as life happens the little things tend to be put on the back burner and this was one of them. So, let's do a quick update. I am still teaching elementary school but now my sweet boy is in kindergarten, so we are in the smae building now. He has enjoyed kindergarten so much and has grown and matured beyond measure. I could not have been more pleased, (with the exception of those few holes he has gotten in his apple) with how his year has gone. Brayden is a very sweet boy, compassionate toward others, full of funny things to say, and keeps me on my toes all the time! We have bought a new house and love it! We have great neighbors and we are in a wonderful location. We have really enjoyed our new house and I love being a homeowner. Brayden played soccer again last fall and is in his second year of baseball this year. He is excited about it and pays attention to what is going on and wants to learn how the game works. This is a big difference from last year when he literally kicked dirt 90% of the game. Mom and Dad took Brayden and the rest of our family to Disney World last summer for Brayden's 5th birthday. He had to time of his life. It was so sweet to see how excited he was each day. We also went on a cruise to Alaska. I wasn't too sure about it at first, but it ended up being a great time and I would love to go back. Brayden still talks about both of these trips. I am very fortunate to have parents that help me and invite us to go on these great trips. Without them we probably wouldn't be able to do so much. Kasey "Bubbie" got married this past December. She is now expecting twins. Brayden has decided that he is going to call them Phineas and Ferb. We don't know the gender of the twins yet, but he gets a kick out of this. Bubbie on the other hand is adimate that her children will not be named Phineas and Ferb. Brayden is excited to have cousins and I am excited to hold sweet little babies! This is a quick update of what is going on, or what has been going on in our lives. Pictures to come later, and hopefully I will keep a better track of this blog!

Special request

I knew that as school got going that I wouldn't blog as much, and it has been that way so far. Things are going good with Brayden and I. He is going SO good in school. I couldn't be more proud of him! This school year has been more challenging than last year, but day by day things in my classroom are SLOWLY getting where they need to be... not for a lack of trying! I will post more once I actually sit down and think about it!

One specific piece of news that has been on my heart over the last week: One of my dearest friends since 7th grade (BBC - she knows what it means!) had a precious little boy last Wednesday. Tuesday night at exactly 11:15 Jennifer called to tell me that she and her husband, Josh were on the way to the hospital to have little Tucker. I hadn't heard from her by Wednesday at 8:15 and I knew she wouldn't have hesitated to call me, so I called her. She told me that little Tucker had a tough time just before he was born and during the delivery. She had a healthy pregnancy and was so excited when I talked to her, so I was in total shock when she filled me in on the details. Tucker was born with some complications but is hanging in there each day. I ask that each person that reads this blog, or happens upon it, rather you know me or not to pray for Tucker Helton. His kidney function is not very strong and he needs to potty. Right now, this is what he needs to focus on doing. I know that God will work all things in his time and will bring all of the glory to him. I would like for everyone to pray for Jenn, Josh, Kadence, Tucker and the rest of the family. There is a blog set up www.tuckerhelton.blogspot.com for more information.

Thanks for all the prayers! We should not take anything that God has blessed us with forgranted. Everything we have is a blessing from him and we should praise him and thank him daily for what we have.

Watch Out David Beckham!

Brayden is starting soccer this fall. He had his first soccer last Friday. It was, well... interesting! He did a good job for it to be his first practice. They worken on kicking the ball with the side of their foot and doing smaller kicks so that they can control the ball better. He tried hard, but was worried about people being faster than he was, so then he would kick the ball as hard as he could so that he could "win." When it was time to go Brayden got upset and wanted to run some more. He ran several more laps around the field. He was very hot and sweaty, but he had a blast! Here are a few pictures.

Tomorrow is the day...

Tomorrow I start my second year teaching 3rd grade, well, really my second year teaching period. I moved classrooms this year. I am now INSIDE the building! Yay! It was a huge undertaking to go through all the stuff that was left in the classroom and then move all of my stuff in. It took several weeks, but finally, it is all complete. I will post pictures later. I couldn't have done all of the work without my parents, cousins John and Jake, some help from Joey who works for dad at the farm, as well as a few other people. A huge "Thank you" to everyone who helped or gave me words of encouragement. I am excited about this new year and even though I am going to miss the summer, I have missed being around all the kids! And with the way that things are going in our economy I am very thankful to have a job!

Tomorrow Brayden begins his second year of preschool. He will be in the 4 year old class/yellow room. He is very excited to be in the yellow room. His teacher is the same teacher he had last year, Mrs. Laura. He adores Mrs. Laura and excited to see her. His other teacher Mrs. Michelle is teaching another class, and I know he is going to miss her.

This week Brayden will begin soccer. I have gotten his soccer shoes, shin guards, and socks... that was interesting since I know nothing about soccer! I am so excited about him playing. I will post some pictures of that as soon as I get some!

So, as you can see this week starts several new adventures for Brayden and I. We are excited and I hope to have lots of good pictures to come!

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Brayden and I would like to wish a happy birthday to my dad today! Thanks dad for all the help and support that you have given both of us! We love you!!!

Puddle Jumpers

This summer our church preschool department has done several activities that the kids could participate in. I have posted some pictures of Brayden and his friends at the water features in Bridge Street, Maggie Moo's Ice Cream, and from bowling. Brayden had so much fun at each activity playing with his friends and I enjoyed meeting new people, and chatting with old friends while the kids played. Brayden is not a child that will run through the water and get soaking wet, he is usually scared to get wet, but I was proud of him that he played and was wet at the end of the day! After playing in the water the kids went to Maggie Moo's for ice cream. I have posted a picture of Brayden and his friend Emery Claire posing next to Maggie Moo's and being silly. Emery Claire is the daughter of my friend Emily. Emily babysat my sister and I when I was in middle school. Now we have children that are close to the same age and Brayden and Emery Claire are great friends. It's so neat to think that Emily was at one time my babysitter and now I consider her one of my best friends, that our children are great friends, and that we now watch each other's children. I'm blessed to have her and her family as friends. Today we went bowling. I never thought about it until we pulled up at the bowling lanes, but Brayden has never been bowling! He was so excited! He did really good and had a great time socializing with his friends. He did pretty good, he scored over 80 in his first game. I was very proud of him. After the first game he and the rest of the kids were over bowling (as you can see on Brayden and Landon's faces in one of the pictures) but after running around for a bit and a quick snack, all the kids seemed to perk back up. It has been great to have these activities to do! I am thankful to our preschool directors for organizing them.

Finally Time...

It's finally time to post some pictures from vacation. Brayden and I went with my parents to Sandestin, Florida. We had a great time. Brayden loved the "big boy" pool, it was really the kiddie pool, but it made him happy. He also liked trying to catch fish and building sand castles. I was glad that he would get in the sand because the first time he ever went to the beach he did not like the sand and would not put his feet in it. Brayden also got to tour the Ft. Walton Fire Department thanks to Fireman Doug. The fire station was right next to a place we ate for dinner so while we were waiting on a table we got to tour the station. Brayden drove go carts. He talked about it almost the entire time we were at the beach, and was looking forward to it so much! At The Track, the place where we played putt-putt and did all the other activities, they had mini go carts for little kids. Brayden was JUST tall enough to drive the carts by himself. He was so excited and I was a nervous wreck. Dad assured me that it was okay but I made it clear that I was not a fan of the idea of my precious baby getting into these go carts. When it was Brayden's turn to drive he gave the lady his 2 tickets and walked over to his car. He checked the car out, buckled his seat belt, and was ready to go. Now, these go carts did not go fast at all, and Brayden was too worried about looking at who was behind him to actually drive the go cart. He caused 2 traffic jams, and at one point all the other kids (there were 4 kids total driving) had lapped him and were actually behind him but 1 lap ahead of him. In Bray's mind he was winning. As he past the place where mom, dad, and I stood, Brayden looked behind him and as he drove away we heard "hahaha," almost like a villian from a cartoon. He was that excited that he won. He had the best time and it was a great trip. Here are a few pictures from our trip.