Our little Dancin' Queen

I can't believe it, but Drew and I decided to start Mary Elizabeth in dance. The fun part about it is that she's taking at the same studio that I grew up at and her teacher was my teacher. What fun memories I had come back to me while watching Mary Elizabeth!

ME was so excited about the idea of going to "dancin' class" from the moment we told her that she was going. She loves her dancin' shoes and big socks (tights) too.

It only took her a few minutes for her to warm up before she started tapping her twinkle toes.

I'm pretty sure that these are the same pom-pons I used when I was on the dance squad about 15 years ago. I don't think she did any worse than any of the other girls. Ha! But don't worry...she quickly got into the groove when Ms. Sheri said to stretch out and reach for the candy.

The train and tumbling on the mat were the only two things that she remembered from dancin' class.

The sucker at the end of the class made it all worth while!

Oh, how I can't wait for some dance recitals and the fun costumes!!! Sorry, Benjamin and Drew, get ready for some fun times ahead!!!

Another school year=more supplies and ice cream!

Lots of changes came this year for us as the 2010-2011 school year started. First, we got both of the kids into the same daycare, and I moved to a new school that's only 10 minutes away from our house...PRAISE THE LORD!!! Last year wore me out with working in North Little Rock and then having to pick up Ben from his Nanny, ME from her daycare, and having to load them up in two carseats! Nowadays, I think I travel probably in a 10 mile radius!

A new school and all of this supplies! There's tons of stuff inside each of those boxes, too!

Anyway, the kids started their first day of school on August 16. I was worried that ME wouldn't transition well, so I drove her by her new school often throughout the summer to show it to her. Of course, the first thing she noticed was the big giant "tolors" in front of the school. So that made her super excited! To make it even better for her, our good friend Davis is in her class.

This was my attempt of taking their 1st day of school picture together. I promise that ME had a look of excitement rather than looking scared. Benjamin was too funny the second we got there. He pointed everywhere we went.

He was totally fine and happy the whole time Drew and I were there dropping him off. He even made friends instantly...until we walked away. Does the guilt ever get better with the crying when a mommy leaves their baby? Ugh!

I started a new school this year, too. And because I started at a brand new school, I felt like I had been missing a lot of time with my babies. August 19th was my first day of school, so I thought I would celebrate that day for me and my babies by taking them to Orange Leaf. Have you had it yet? It's a fun self-serve yogurt place. As you can tell, they loved it! Ben loved the chairs since they were at his height.

ME loved getting her own pink ice cream and pouring the sprinkles on top.

Benjamin is 11 months

Our laid-back Benjamin is showing off his cool hair after bathtime. Do you like how I spelled out eleven with the blocks this time?

Seriously? Benjamin is only a month from turning 1-year-old? I was just saying a few days ago how sometimes that seems so fast and then other times it seems like Benjamin has been in our lives for a long time. Crazy how life is, huh?

Things going on in our 11-month-old's world:

• He is definitely walking everywhere! Maybe running a little, too.
• He developed separation anxiety in the mornings when I head to work and Drew has to pry Benjamin's Kung Fu grip off of my legs so I can leave for work (insert sniff, sniff for me!).
• He loves to turn anything into a car (i.e. push the remote around the floor like a race car). Are boys just born with this boyish instinct?
• While he loves playing with his "cars", he also loves a hair product. Anywhere from trying to brush his hair to playing with my rollers or hair dryer. Well, let's be honest...he likes them to push around as cars too.
• He's signing "all done" and waving bye-bye.
• He loves for people to put their hands on his mouth to make it sound like and Indian call (sorry, I know that's not the politically correct term anymore).
• He still lights up just about any room that he's in with that infectious smile.
• He's into everything! We actually had to babyproof our house with cabinet locks and always keep an eye on the dog food and toilet. This is something we never had to do with ME, but this BAD boy is lightning fast!
• Last, but not least, he's melted mine and Drew's hearts and we're so thankful to have this sweet baby in our lives...now if he could only sleep through the night every night...