School is in full swing at our house! Thankfully, only the first two mornings of kindergarten were tearful, and it's been nothing but excitement ever since. It's early yet, but so far Logan bounds downstairs every morning around 6:30 dressed and ready to go, with his bed made and a big smile on his face.
Logan's school and Mrs. D are everything you could ever want for your child in an elementary school. He comes home excited, happy and full of stories to share.
This was a picture Mrs. D sent me the other morning of Logan demonstrating something called a breathing ball when the counselor came to talk to their class.
As for me, I'm 50/50. Okay, maybe 70/30. I legitimately do miss Logan during the day while he's in school. I feel slightly guilty going and doing fun things with Everett and Beck without him, but I know he's having fun of his own. It does feel like a part of us is missing during the day though. When I went to his class curriculum night, there was a part of me that felt sad and missed being a kinder teacher. There is something so special about that year.
But let's be honest, the bigger part of me loves him being in school. I want to say, is this some kind of joke?? You come pick up one third of my crew for eight hours a day, return him back home even happier than how he left- stimulated, happy, learning, making friends, all the things... and all of this whole experience is F-R-E-E?? There is something to be said for having kids in school, friends. I love getting to focus on Everett and Beck, and have a little more freedom to do some of the things I want to do. The past year having three small kids at home was a lot! School is a good thing for us all. We're always so eager to pick Logan up from the bus stop each afternoon. He's happy/we're happy/life is good!
Chocolate chip cookies after school with neighborhood kids- I've never felt more like a real, actual mom!
Dissecting a broken fidget cube with a hammer and swim goggles. Safety first around here!
Everett started his school two days a week, too. He is loving being in the "big kid" classes and no longer having to take naps at school. The first day he was a little mad because he wanted to go to kindergarten like Logan, and not "dopey pwe-school," coupled with the fact that his backpack didn't match his clothes.
He also starts Museum School this fall, and we had fun checking out his class at orientation last week.
Thus begins one of my all time favorite situations in all of the preschool days. Everett will go to Museum School one morning a week, and Beck and I will go to a little music class around the corner at TCU. There will probably be many-a-lunch at McKinley's, and maybe even a few rides on the Forest Park Train after class.
We did this same routine two years ago when Logan was in Museum School and Everett went to music class, and I looked forward to that day every week. I have such happy memories of those days with Logan and Everett, so I'm excited to get to experience it again with Everett and Beck!
Everett is also signed up for t-ball this fall, which is another thing he's been so eager to be old enough to do. Nick is going to the assistant coach for both boys' teams, and they're having a lot of fun going to practice each week. Nick took Everett to buy all of his baseball gear and for two days he didn't take his cleats or his helmet off.
Running bases or running errands?
Everett is just so much fun! He's quite a character! Yesterday he and Logan had a dentist appointment. Everett had the entire room rolling, being a little jokester and saying all kinds of off the wall things the whole time. At one point he told his hygienist he was going to call her princess and asked for her phone number. My mom says everybody needs at least one kid to keep them on their toes. I think Everett is ours!
And sweet Beck! Sweet Beck has turned into busy Beck!
It's not like having a toddler is brand new around here, but I swear, somehow in just a couple of years you forget how physically exhausting it is. He's into EVERYTHING and suddenly has lots of opinions about things! He turns 15 months old this week. He has lots of words, and our favorite trick is how he says "nigh nigh" and puts his head down and pretends to snore. He calls his brothers across the house and wants to be right in the middle of whatever they're doing. He can answer "uh huh" or "no" to questions, and strings long sentences of babbles together that we do our best to decode.
He has a strong preference for Nick over anybody else, which Nick just loves. Beck has a little bit of a mischievous streak, he's figured out how to stand up in his high chair even when he's buckled in, and he crawls fast toward things that are a "no" while looking back and flashing you his best grin.
He's still not walking, but he's getting close. He holds onto the walls and furniture and cruises all around. He doesn't love to be held which presents quite a challenge in public since he's not walking, and out of the three he has the least interest in snuggling, rocking and reading books. He does love his thumb though.
Bubble Guppies has been a #1 hit show for 3/3 boys in the Salomone family.
Nick is doing great, and work is good! Coaching baseball and squeezing in golf when he can keeps him busy too. We just booked our ten year anniversary trip to Banff this winter to go skiing, and we're so excited!! Nick has been traveling quite a lot for work, but we're both looking forward to a client trip to Vegas in December that I get to tag along for!
And as for me... things seem to be rolling right along at a great pace! I feel like (most weeks) I've finally found a good balance with things. Of course, the boys being in school definitely helps that. I'm still doing Orangetheory 3-4 mornings a week and loving that!
My friend Mandy and I at a gong meditation class at The Salt Cave
Jaymi's and my jewelry line Clever Bear Leathers has really taken off in the past few months. I want to say it's exceeded all of our expectations, but let's be honest-- we had none starting out. This whole thing has kind of just happened. Jaymi and I have so much fun doing it together.
Our sales have continued to grow, and we have several trunk shows scheduled this fall & winter. We are in the process of adding three new retail locations (gift stores and clothing boutiques) to carry our line! We were even featured in our local magazine, Southlake Style in a [VERY small] blurb. But that was exciting!!
My mom, Scat, and Andrea at one of our pop up boutiques inside Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop a few weeks ago.
MOPS is also in full swing! We had our first meeting last week, and it went really well! Lauren and I are having so much fun heading up that group. We have close to 80 women in our chapter this year, and I really can't describe how much I love MOPS and our entire group.
Some of my MOPS friends at a going away party for our friend Alison
My MOPS bestie Lesley and I
Our leadership team met throughout the summer, but it felt good to get that first meeting out of the way and know what to expect going forward. Leading a group that large (and praying out loud in front of that many people!!!) is daunting, but I really enjoy it so much.
So I'm not sure if anyone is still reading after that extremely detailed Salomone update, but I did want to also say that I've made the decision to make my blog private going forward. Honestly, I'm not even sure that I will continue to blog at all, but I am going to leave it open to close friends and family for the time being. I've been thinking a lot about this decision since the beginning of the year.
For me it boils down to two things. First and foremost, as the boys are getting older I feel more protective of their privacy and what I put out there for the world to read. It's one thing to share cute stories about a two year old, but it starts to feel different as they mature and grow into little people. Logan starting school really was the catalyst that made me think a lot about that.
The second reason is simply just time. I have spent countless hours blogging over the past ten years, and I've enjoyed it so much. I've had nothing but good things come from my blog. But like everyone, time feels more and more scarce these days. I really don't even read blogs anymore, let alone carve out the time to sit down and write as regularly as I once did. The blogosphere feels a little bit like a ghost town these days.
My blog books I've printed each year are such a treasure to me, and I've loved documenting our family's journey practically from the beginning. But it just feels like the right time to switch up what preserving our memories looks like. I'm not sure if I'll start making photo books, or what-- but if you have any suggestions please leave me a comment!
I'm still around on Facebook (sometimes) and Instagram (mostly), and I enjoy connecting with people there. I know there are many of you who have read my blog for a lot of years, and I really do appreciate you so much. I think I named my blog pretty aptly ten years ago when I chose to call it "The Life We Love." It's not perfect and it's often challenging and messy, just like everybody else's. In many ways life looks like I hoped it would, and in other ways different than I could have ever dreamed. But without a doubt God has blessed me beyond measure and placed me smack dab in the middle of a life that exceeds any expectation I ever had.
With love,
Chelsea
