First Day of School

Miss Bradley started school on Tuesday which might have been the nastiest, rainiest day of the year here. But, as you can see, she was all smiles with her umbrella and backpack! She LOVED her preschool class and wishes she could go everyday. The best part? It is 4 blocks from our house so we can walk or bike (when it isn't a monsoon outside).


Henry started school last week and made the big transition to Kindergarten. He is so grown up and would NOT stand for me to take his photo, so this is all we got. He is attending a small school called The Williams School which is a great fit for him this year. He is loving it so far but not loving the long days away from home and the only schedule he has ever known. He'll adjust soon I'm sure. Meanwhile, we are just waiting for that note to come home from his teacher telling us what a child genius we have . . . . . we're still waiting. . .

Summer 2009

Summer 2009 In Review

Have I lost all my blog fans this summer?? All 3 of you? =)

This summer has been ripe with activity! So much so that it left little time for blogging. My apologies. I'm trying to do a little Summer in Review for you all so you can catch a glimpse of how our summer looked. I have been sorting through our last 3 months of pictures over the past few days, and I realized that I did not capture many of our summer's greatest moments on "film." I did get some good shots but there were some fairly significant events that did not see the lens of my camera but did make an impression on our family. Some of those uncaptured moments were. . .

** Moving into our new home in Norfolk.

** Trying to unpack while 2 little kids run circles around us.

** Meeting baby cousin Reuben Daniel Malcolm for the first time.

** Watching Henry achieve MVP (or MVS as they say) on his swim team.

** Countless trips to the beach and pool.

** Delightful visits from all our family and good friends who came to stay in our new abode.

** Feeling the baby kick and watching my kids eyes light up when they feel it too.

** John starting a new job and tackling with triumph yet another milestone in his medical career.

** Hearing silence in our house after 7:30pm because Bradley has finally learned to fall asleep on her own (after 3 months of screaming, crying and gnashing of teeth)

** Listening to John and Henry play music together on our new piano.

I'll post some pictures next of the moments that I did catch. While I am deeply saddened that our beachy, laid-back summer is ending, I am excited about the STRUCTURE of fall and anticipate the arrival of our new baby in a mere 8 weeks!

Swim Season Conclusion

Henry's swim season has concluded, and (may I brag for a moment?) we think we have a little Michael Phelps on our hands! Henry has shaved about 10 seconds off his 25 yd. freestyle since the beginning of the season and can beat most of the 6 year olds on his team hands down! We are so proud of him and best of all, he is thrilled with himself for accomplishing it (OK, maybe a little TOO thrilled with himself. We are working on humility).


{taking his mark, ready to dive in for the relay}

{he's OFF!}

{check out that form!}

{the touch}

{swimming buddy}

{checking out his ribbons -- that's what it is all about in the end}

{"Look Dad! " I got 1st and 2nd place!!!}

Stay tuned

We've been offline for a while to catch our breath from the big move last weekend. All went well -- no major moving drama, so that's good. It might be a wihle before I get to updating this thing since I'm not really sure where my camera is, but stay tuned! Oh, and come see us at our new house if you're in Norfolk any time soon. There is plenty of room for guests!!

Swim Team

Henry is participating in his first "organized" sport this summer - SWIM TEAM! John and I think that swimming is a lifelong investment so why not start young? Plus, he sleeps SO WELL every night! His division is 6 & Unders and he is one of the youngest swimmers on the team, but he actually placed 6th of 12 in his first freestyle 25 yd. heat!! We were very impressed. GO TORPEDOS!


{how cute is he in his Speedo!}

{waiting for his turn in the relay}

{coming up for air}

Bedtime Conversations

Mommy: "What did you learn about today in church?"

Henry: "We learned about who wrote the Bible."

Mommy: "Oh really! So, who wrote the Bible?"

Henry: "David, Moses and Paul wrote a lot of it."

(pause)

Henry: "Are they older than Dale Earnhardt?"

Mommy: "Um. Yes."