Ben - writing in Nashville...just me and the kids

Ben traveled to Nashville to do some writing with some really great writers.  It was such a great opportunity for him and he definitely had an incredible time!  He wrote some songs which was more than he really thought would happen.  So now we have to see how they fit in with the project he is trying to complete.

While he was gone E got to sleep with me which she loves!  Wednesday night, the first night, she was pretty exhausted from school and the tears were flowing but she fell fast asleep! 

4th day of school pic of this cutie!

Not a pose request...just a brother and sister sharing a moment together....oblivious to me being there.

Last stop on the 4th day...middle school...and this handsome boy!

1st Day of School success and 2nd day pics!

Cash and Emma had a pretty good day!

Cash was probably a little more overwhelmed than Emma for obvious reasons.  He did great though.  We are so proud of him!  He seems to take some of these larger moments in stride.  He did develop a couple of ticks which is from subconscious stress.  They will dissipate although he is certainly more aware of them now.  He knows each day will get easier with respect to finding your way...class to class etc.

Emma just had a great day overall!  She loves Mrs. Socha and is happy to not only have a friend she knows in her class but has made new friends!  I can tell she feels a little more independent!  She has asked me every day when we can do her "homework"....I have two very different kiddos!

Emma's 1st day of kinder - Leon Springs Elementary

I would have blogged both kids first days back to school together but they are both very different emotions for me...for them.

Emma's first day of kinder was like ripping a bandaid off for me.  I think I even notated that in another blog post.  I cried weeks leading up to it, the night before and the morning of.  Since Emma has been home with me 90% of the time since being a year old it was much harder to let her go.  She may look like her daddy and have many of his personality traits....she is an extension of me.  To say the umbilical cord doesn't break but just grows is an understatement.   Emma told me "you know I will always come back".  She was simply talking about coming home from kinder every day but she won't know how profound that statement is until she is a grown adult out on her own.  I truly believe her statement to me....she will always come back.  We are her home no matter where she is or where we are.  Not the physical place we lay our heads but us.

I say it was like ripping a bandaid off because after the first day I haven't cried again....I lie....as I am typing this I am crying.  The emotions are very surface right now.   I do see that she is doing so well and loving school.  She was super happy the morning of and looking very "fancy" as she says!

Cash's first day of 6th grade - Rawlinson Middle School

All across the blog I notate the same saying.....WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?!?!?!?!?  It won't stop I guess until they are grown and out of college but right now I am in constant shock that we have a 6th grader!  Cash is so handsome, tall, smart, sweet and funny!   As the first day of 6th grade approached Cash was a little nervous.  Probably more about the unknown than anything else.  How would lunch work with respect to seeing friends?  How will I get from class to class on time? (being on time is super important to Cash....this he gets from Ben) How many times will I have to go to my locker?  Just various things running through his mind.

I wanted to walk him into school but the school said parents really don't do that anymore.  I was sad...Cash was not.  Even the morning of I saw some parents walking their kiddos in and I offered, again, only to be told..."I've got this!".  The tears flowed after dropping him off...again...but I knew he would be fine.

I am happy to say he has figured it out....like a champ!

Lake Travis before the school year begins...

We spent the last weekend before school starts at Lake Travis.  We wanted to visit a community called The Reserve at Lake Travis to see if there is an investment opportunity.  The Reserve is a beautiful, small and secluded community on Lake Travis.  Georgia is one of the sales representatives for the community.  She is so sweet and was very welcoming to us as we stayed and explored.

The first evening there we went to this cool outdoor restaurant called Angel's Icehouse.  I really wish SA had as many places like this.  There was a great playground, band, and just overall great atmosphere!  As shy as Emma is for some reason when it comes to music and dancing she has no inhibitions!  Ben ended up being the bands sound guy before we left.  I told him God always puts us in the right place at the right time regardless of the turnout.  It's God's plan...

The next day, Saturday, we decided to rent a boat and enjoy the lake a little bit.  This was also an exercise to see if we like lake life which includes having a boat!  Cash was in heaven....Emma not so much.  At least right now boating is not her thing.

About the time she started to feel sick.  Thinking dramamine may help next time but if she is anything like me it won't help much.  Cash was very similar at her age when it came to motion sickness so maybe over time it will lesson.

 

This tube was called White Knuckle for a reason!  Although not for Cash...for ME!!!!  Ben would take fast turns and while I am sure we were perfectly safe I almost felt safer out of the boat!  Cash was loving every minute of it though!

On the way home we stopped at Opi's BBQ where on the weekends only they serve butter beans.  There was a line out the door at 11am when they open.  The bbq was really good and I couldn't believe we had not heard of this place before!

Overall it was just a great weekend!  The kids enjoyed getting away one last time before school started. We were very ready for school with respect to being prepared so it made the weekend that much better.