School is back in session.....for most of us!!!!

The rat race has, once again, begun! Derek (grade 6), Daniel (grade 2), and Ava (Pre-K) all started this past Monday at a brand new school in Rockwall: Celia Hays Elementary. Wow! The building is sharp! I'll have to get some pictures of it to show you how sharp at Open House next week. This school has everything a teacher/student dreams of having in education. All 3 children had a great first week, made new friends (they are getting good at that), and liked their teachers. Ava is going every morning from 8-11 to the Pre-K right at the elementary school. It is a great opportunity for her to prepare for the big years ahead. We felt that all day kindergarten might be a stretch for her in her language development and confidence. So far, we feel we made a good decision. She will receive services as needed and will be practicing what these teachers know is expected of her in kindergarten. It makes for a short morning for me, as I take the kids to and from school and pick her up at 11. To complicate things more, Aslynn starts school at our church next week and will attend a Pre-K class from 9-2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All I can say is, her building is across town, so I'm thinking of living out of the van this school year!!!! We plan on her attending the elementary school Pre-K next year. Our goal was to help Ava advance as much as she could in these preschool years, and we want to keep the girls in different grades/classes to avoid the comparisons and such they often get. Will put a picture of Aslynn's first day up soon. Hope everyone enjoys the extra day this weekend. We plan on enjoying the time as a family.

What time is it??...........GAME TIME!

Sorry it took forever for me to post these fun pictures. I am technically challenged. All Derek could take pictures with in the stadium was a disposable camera. I scanned them into the computer, but they were in a tif file, and blogger wants them in jpeg form. I had NO idea how to convert them over, plus, I had to resize them. Technology can be so intimidating!! :) Derek was picked to be a part of a select football team in Rockwall this fall. He has practiced hard in the heat so far, but he would say it is well worth it. On August 9, he and his team, along with the younger Rockwall football teams were given the GREAT opportunity to PLAY on the Dallas Cowboy field during halftime of the Cowboys vs. Colts preseason game! They didn't have time to do much, but they all got to run out on the field amidst a HUGE crowd of screaming fans and show a few plays......Rockwall 3A got in about 4 plays and scored one touchdown. I don't really remember the other team getting anywhere with the ball. What a thrill for all these boys! Their fancy new jerseys were not in yet, so they wore their practice outfits, which are not too shabby themselves! Our whole family got to cheer Derek and the team on! We had lots of fun. During the Cowboy game, Derek and his team got to sit on bleachers right by the field. They were right by the big inflatable Cowboy helmet when the team came running out. Between the fireworks going off, the Cowboy cheerleaders, and the Cowboy team, the boys really got to experience quite a show. They got to be close to many favorite players, even if one of Derek's was on the opposing team....Peyton Manning. This will definitely be a memory that Derek will NEVER forget. When his new uniform comes in, we will have to take a good picture of him all geared up! To follow Derek's team and all, you can log on to: rysafootball.com

He is on 3A (the oldest team). It is a fun website. In the second to the last pic, Derek is the player standing in the middle in the white and black and orange. You can't tell, but he is #7.