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- Well – here we are at the end of August & that means it’s time for an updated “back to school” photo (cue all the feels). This week was our official first whole week back to school (we’ve been doing little things here or there for the last month, but this week was the first week we did “school” every single day). It was really good to “ease” into things like that as Braelynn was very much opposed to the thought of starting to do”school” again (so I called it, “let’s do a page in your workbook”). She’s come around to the idea & realized that school isn’t quite as bad as she remembers it – so she’s back on the bandwagon. I can’t believe she’s in first grade!
If you’d like a mini stroll down memory lane, here is last year’s “first day of Kindergarten” photo & the year before’s “first day of Preschool” photo. - Speaking of Braelynn – this week was a REALLY big week for her!! She finally measured just tall enough to ride Phantom’s Revenge at Kennywood!! We went to Kennywood on Monday – it was “roller coaster day” so we went – it was threatening rain & those are our FAVORITE days to go to the park because no one else is there!! The park was empty – every single ride was a walk-on – it was delightful.
Anyways, as we were walking into the park, Braelynn asked if she was tall enough to ride Phantom yet – she knew she was close, but we hadn’t measured her in a while. So we said, “Let’s go see!” The ride attendant saw us measuring her & came over – he declared her officially 48″ and cleared her to go on the ride! So off she went with Derrick for her first ride on Phantom’s Revenge!! Braelynn’s ridden some intense roller coasters (like Twister & Phoenix at Knoebels), but this is the biggest and fastest coaster she’s ever been on! Phantom’s 2nd drop is 228″ feet long & it maxes out at 85mph.
I was super nervous for her, but she was super excited! She rode with Derrick & then we parent-swapped so she could instantly ride again with me. She was ecstatic. We got off the ride & she asked if we could get back in line & ride again. It was definitely a super fun experience to be able to take her on such a huge ride (and have her love it so much).
Since that initial ride on Monday, she has ridden Phantom SEVEN times this week (we were at Kennywood again today).
With her being officially 48″ tall – that opens a whole new level of roller coasters to her!! We’re headed to Cedar Point in a few weeks & can’t wait to see what she can now ride there! - How about some Leander news: well, he has a new trick! He can now officially remove his pants and his diaper all by himself. Yep. That’s super fun. (Not.) The kid is ready to be potty trained but I’m just not ready to potty train him yet. Give me a few more weeks, after we’re done with our “major” travels for the season, & then we’ll buckle down & get it done.
- Before bed on Thursday night, Braelynn & Leander were running laps around our first floor (living room-dining room-kitchen-around-and-around) and I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but Leander ended up face-planting the corner of the couch. I was upstairs, prepping bedtime when I heard it happen – they were laughing & having fun & then all of a sudden Leander was crying that cry – you know the one (the one that isn’t just a whiney cry, but the something-is-wrong cry). Derrick was “supervising”, so I didn’t rush downstairs, I figured if he needed me he’d call for me & he didn’t, so I figured he was handling it. A few minutes later, still wailing that awful cry, Derrick brought Leander upstairs to me. He said nothing was wrong (other than the fall), but I peaked into his mouth & his top gums were bleeding (like around his front tooth). I’m pretty sure that when he hit the couch, that his tooth took the brunt of the fall & gave it a really good knock. We felt it & it definitely had a smidge of movement to it.
I was convinced that that was it – he was going to lose that tooth & have a hole in his precious baby smile until his adult tooth came in. Unable to do literally anything about it that night, we put him to bed & prayed his tooth wouldn’t come out. (Braelynn was equal parts horrified that it might come out while he was sleeping, while at the same time super excited that Leander would lose his tooth – which obviously meant he could put it under his pillow & get something from the tooth fairy – RIGHT?!)
Thankfully, we woke up Friday morning & even though it was definitely still sore – his tooth seems to be completely fine. It no longer felt “wiggly” at all & so we’re just keeping an eye on it & praying it continues to heal back to normal! - This week has been the Just Between Friends sale in Monroeville, PA! I’ve been talking about it for the past few weeks, but it’s a massive kids consignment sale that happens twice a year at the convention center. I always take stuff the kids have outgrown & sell items – while simultaneously shopping for whatever the kids need for the next size & season. It’s my favorite & I absolutely love it. The sale isn’t over until tomorrow, but I have officially made more money than I spent (which is always my goal)! And I was able to score some really amazing deals on stuff for the kids – winter clothes & shoes + some really good birthday & Christmas gifts!! I’ve sold about 2/3 of the items I took, so I’m really hoping that a bunch more items sell tomorrow morning so I don’t have much to pick up tomorrow night at all!!
- Derrick & I haven’t had very many date nights over the last 18 months (and by “very many”, I mean we’ve had less than three) and I’ve really been feeling the loss of connection recently. I mean, we see each other every day – but we rarely can speak 2 full-sentences to one another without being interrupted by a small child. Literally, I was voicing this exact concert to Derrick & we were interrupted – perfectly proving my point. We were trying to figure out a way to go out to dinner this weekend sometime, but were met with obstacles at every turn, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.
So, last night, we put the kids to bed, and instead of going our separate ways to get a few hours of work in before bed, we sat down at the table. I had made brownies, so we dished some dessert up, we lit a candle, and we just talked – like normal human beings, without being interrupted even one time. It was delightful (and much cheaper than going out to dinner). We each need to work in the evenings after the kids go to bed in order to keep our businesses afloat & moving forward, but it was just so nice to take a singular night off & do something completely different.
[…] like to take a stroll down memory lane (UGH this one has a bite to it), here is last year’s “first day of 1st Grade” photo, the year before’s “first day of Kindergarten” photo & before that the “first […]