School Day's Return

Well, it's been two full weeks of school today, and since I've yet to post about it, that probably gives you a pretty good idea of what getting back into the groove has been like for me.  I was not ready for school to start up again, I was enjoying having the kids at home, reading Indian in the Cupboard, Return of the Indian and other books throughout the summer.  But,....all good things must come to an end.

I am excited to have started the year with teachers who are precious, loving and kind and with friends in my kids classes that they were thrilled to share so many hours with each day.  We went to meet the teacher and set up the locker day and enjoyed meeting the new teachers and prepping their desks for the first day of school.

Ava Jane got Mrs. Penick and Mrs. Casto who teach in the Happy Camper room.  (I love a good theme, so this one will be fun to feed into!)  Ava Jane enjoyed seeing her class and getting all her school supplies organized (she loves to put things into the right place and creating order so this was a dream come true for her).

Next up was Emerson, he has several of his little buddies in Mrs. Rosenthal's class and it was great catching up with those parents and getting all of his items situated. His teacher is so kind and we look forward to what this year holds.

These booga-boos have been in class together since Kindergarten, we were thrilled to get to do it again!

On the first day of school we do a big breakfast to kick off the year.  And I always try to make it special with a little "back to school" table-scape with a few gifts that they'll need, like school sweatshirts, Warrior wear, etc.  There's a lot of anticipation on those mornings so its a sweet time together.

And this sweet girl, was thrilled to finally get to go to school F-I-V-E days a week.  She was super pumped about all the things she was going to get to learn which made leaving her easier...but not without tears for me.  I held it together until I got to the car, but for this Momma who's loved being a stay at home Mom and spent the past eleven years with children by my side, this is certainly a transition of sorts.  She is only doing half day, so I still get my afternoons with her, but every single morning, she walks like a big girl into that classroom and enjoys every minute of her time there.

How are they in K, 2nd, 4th and 6th grades?  I look at Ava Jane and think, this is how old Peyton was when she was born!!---How can she now be in Kindergarten?  I want time to slow down!

And this sweet boy, oh how we love him!  His laugh is contagious, his quirkiness unique and his love for his family runs deep.  I look forward to watching him grow in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man this  next year.

Our Laws-O, we love you so.  You are friendly and kind, creative and adventurous.  We hope this year holds great memories as you finish Elementary school in the House of Love and that you seek to be a leader in your class and set an example for the younger students to follow.

And this boy right here, how big does he look?  So BIG!  We are very proud of this young man and the tenacity and intentionality that he exhibits in all areas of life.  Peyton, we look forward to watching you pursue the Lord, your friends and your interests this year.

Mrs Chami is one of the most precious people and my children love her!  We are thankful for her welcoming and friendly face each and every morning.

These four kids are the best I could have asked for.  I love them with my whole heart and look forward to watching them learn new things academically, spiritually and relationally.  I'd say the year is off to a great start, here's hoping we can keep up with the after school activities, the homework and everything in between!

Pratt Place Inn - Get Away

For our 15th anniversary we decided to get away for the weekend so Adam got a reservation at Pratt Place Inn and Barn in Northwest Arkansas.  It was a fantastic weekend retreat.  It's located just three blocks from the Razorback football stadium but feels like you are out in the middle of the country, as it sits at the top of a hill on several acres of land.  It's a gorgeous, secluded place to get away that I would highly recommend.

We were so grateful to get out of town and just have time together.  

We ended up eating a late dinner at one of our favorite Thai restaurants on the Square. We drove around campus and enjoyed walking down memory lane of our times spent in Fayetteville.

We then hit up a very late movie, which felt "crazy" and freeing all at the same time.  Mission Impossible: Fallout was very entertaining and action packed as you can imagine.  Walking out of that theatre at 12:15am felt a little bit like we were walking on the "wild side"--a definite college-life reenactment.

Saturday we slept in, enjoyed breakfast on the veranda and a slower paced morning then we have had in a month of Sundays.  We had not seen Crystal Bridges yet so we decided to visit that museum and take in the American art that is housed there.  The grounds are lush and beautiful and the art was interesting.  There are walking trails and bike trails all along the grounds so we walked around some and saw quite a number of statues and outdoor structures.  Art isn't Adam's favorite thing to go and look at but he humored me all afternoon and I do think he enjoyed seeing what they had on exhibit, but not before we got something to eat.  Food is Adam's love language, it's really important to him and there was gonna be no looking around til that stomach of his was full.  So we ate and drank while the ran poured down then enjoyed a leisure stroll through the museum.

Our weekend together was filled with LOVE for one another as we reminisced about our dating life, early married days, Army life, the advent of children, job changes and everything in between.  The past 15 years have held a lot for us, some good some bad, but we wouldn't change any of it because it's helped us grow, brought us closer together, created the "team" that is Adam and Courtney Head and has increased my love for the man God brought into my life some twenty years ago when I was in high school.  Grateful is how I feel and thankful is what I am.

This man is a true gift and I don't think I could love him any more then I do today....but next year, I'll probably feel the same way, after more growth and more challenges, my hope is that the love I have for him would continue to grow deeper with each passing year.  We are still dating each other and very much enjoy being together.  May the Lord bless us with many more years of memory making.

15 Years Together

15 years ago today these two kids were in love with one another and super excited to stand before God and 400 of our dearest friends and family to make a life time commitment to one another.  It's been the best decision I ever made (other then asking Jesus to save my soul)!

This young girl walked down the aisle to her high school sweet heart and made a decision to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, til death do us part.

The people who stood with us on that day are still the people we do life with and who still exhort and encourage us on our darkest days and happiest moments.

15 years.  15 total months separated by the Army--9 months straight without seeing one another.  9 job changes.  6 moves.  4 kids.  2 1/2 weeks in the CVICU with Ava Jane's heart surgery.  Multiple ER trips.  Countless dinners and events together.  There's been laughter and tears, sickness and hernia surgery, fights and make-up sessions.  Adam has been my best friend--through time spent in Gods word and praying together...in the big decisions and the small day-to-day routine things of life, he has been and will continue to be the love of my life.  God tailor-made him just for me and I'm so thankful for the man that he is and that I get the spend the good moments and the hard ones with him.

Adam-I love you, I'm your biggest fan, your constant cheerleader and your life long confidant.  I look forward to time alone with you this weekend.  Thanks for loving me, for taking care of me, for supporting me, listening to me, holding me when I just need to be held and for helping me to loosen up when I get tied around the axle.  Thank you for your godly leadership and for your selfless sacrifice!  I could not love you more!   -Me xoxoxoxox (lets go back to the Dominican Republic!)

Missouri Trip - Part 2

After the zoo in Springfield we drove back to Branson where we had tickets to the Dixie Stampede.  None of us had ever done it never, so we were all excited to see the show.   Emerson, our little cowboy-want-to-be, loved seeing all the horses, reading their names and finding out a little bit about them before the show started.

It was a great dinner, with a TON of good ole southern food.  You eat everything with your hands, there are NO utensils so hand sanitizer is definitely a must!  The meal started with a yummy potato soup and cheese roll then followed up with a whole rotisserie chicken (for each person), a slice of tenderloin, a potato wedge, corn on the cob and was topped off with a GYNORMOUS apple fritter of which I ate the entire thing!!  We definitely made a memory and had a great time!

When we left Little Rock on Wednesday we knew that Peyton had some breathing troubles going on. We'd been to the doctor and gotten another Albuterol inhaler and Prednisone prescription on Monday before we left to help clear him up, however, with all the horse dander, hay and dust from the Dixie Stampede, we had the perfect concoction for a major asthma attack. After doing all the breathing treatments, Rx medicine, cough medicines, etc...with no relief, we ended up in the ER about 3:30 that next morning. It wasn't exactly how we wanted to spend the wee hours of the morning but thankfully, the ER was fairly empty and we were able to be seen and get out of there within a few hours.  Once they gave him an updraft treatment, did a chest x-ray to rule anything out and gave him some kind of "pearl pill" that immediately calmed down his constant and continuous coughing, we were able to leave and rest for a few hours at the hotel.

Thankfully Peyton and I woke up somewhat rested and ready to try to make more fun memories. After a stop at Walgreens for more medicines we headed to Silver Dollar City for a day of roller coasters and wet rides!

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I rode a lot of the rollercoasters with the kids, I did however, draw a line on the very last one and let the big boys ride by themselves...and they LOVED it!  I love these boys and their friendship, I'm so grateful they have one another to do fun things like this together.

Gigi, Lachlan, Ava Jane and I rode in one hot air balloon while the bigger boys were in another.  Ava Jane and Lachlan thought this was a fun one.

After a day of walking and riding, eating and drinking our fill of theme park goodness, we couldn't dare leave empty handed, so each one picked out what they wanted most. The boys went with guns (of course), Ava Jane, who has a stuffed animal obsession went with "Stripes" the white tiger, while Lachlan walked away with his much requested "big sucker"....all in all it was a perfect day.  A fun way to round out our summer.

Thanks Mom and Dad for wanting to do a fun get away with the kids and for helping to top off our summer with a bang.  We love you!