Oh I forgot to show you something!

This is how amazing it is to live by family. Last night as we were getting ready for our big day there was a knock on the door, and this is what we found. A homemade pop up card wishing us luck from my brother and his little family. I just had to share the awesomeness!

Twas the night before school....

I will spare you the cutesy poem but today was the first day of school but it was OH SO much more then that! Today Kat started Kindergarten, making it her debut in the American system. She is a veteran of the Luxembourg schools, but today she starts to learn IN ENGLISH! Oh happy day! She has been counting the days down and asking Adam lots of questions about it. I am sure she will do great since she is a social butterfly like her mom. I can't wait to hear all about it. But the biggest change for us was that I went to work and Alex went to preschool (where I work) So Here is the picture of our kids ready to fly away from the nest!Work went really well and I think that I am going to do a decent job. This week I am just training and getting my room ready for my class which will start next week. The hardest part was getting Alex used to the program and to let him throw tantrums and have the teachers deal with him not me. It was really hard. But he says he liked it! What I like about all of it is the schedule and routine. We had a family meeting last night to map out what our days are going to be like from now on. It was a change to get up at 6 so I could have the shower before Jason and to pack everyone's lunch and be ready by 7:30 but we did it. Here is everyone putting their shoes on:
Thanks everyone for your support. It meant a lot to me that so many friends were excited about me going back to work.

Momma don't get dressed up for nothin!

So the biggest news with us is that I got a job! Forget trying to start Jason's art career! (Just kidding I will always be up for that) I have found something that is going to work with our family and give us a little breathing room financially. So here is the story. A few Sundays ago I sat next to a girl I have never seen before at church and we got to yapping. She asked if I worked or stayed home and I told her I was considering getting a job but not sure how to make it work with my family. She suggested I look into working at a Preschool. I hadn't thought of that route before because I thought that with my stone cold resume I couldn't make it work. After a few attempts and about 5 interviews I found a place that will work great for my family. The hours are 8:30 - 2:30 and Alex gets to come for free. I also only work 4 days a week and only during the school year. It is going to be such a change for us but I think for the best. A whole new era starts next week! Here is a link to the company, I mean my company! www.playtimeforkids.com

I Have A Question....

Ok Friends and Family! Here is the question: Many of you over the years have seen Jason's art in our home and we have said how much you loved it. So, would you pay for a print? Today it occur ed to me that with today's technology it would not be hard to "get out there" and advertise Jason's art. But as a secret project.... he doesn't know.... can you tell me if you would be interested in some of these?

These are just quick pictures I took this morning so there are some bad flash patches, but I have found a great printer that can reproduce these on canvas or just do poster prints. So tell me- do you like? How interested would everyone be in a painting of the Houston Temple?

Back to Life Back to Reality

I didn't tell you guys, but when we got home Jason surprised us by having the whole downstairs of our house beautified as only Jason can do it. Here is just a taste: It was so amazing to come home to a "new" house! I cried. Those frames above our bed are poems that I had written over the years. Cool huh? Last night we had Family Home Evening and I found enough stuff in our pantry to make a "summertime" cake. Those graham crackers are little bugs and we made coconut grass to go with it. It's been hard to get back into life, but we only have a few weeks left until school starts so we are trying to make the most of it.

We made it!

So we made it to Texas in a three day drive from Virginia. We did it without any major drama and it was so much fun! We followed the road and just decided what to do everyday as it progressed. the first day we didn't get far and daddy decided he wanted to see Luray Caverns in VA. It's this amazing cave that was discovered 150 years ago. It had been completely sealed so it has no animal or plant life. It was so visually stunning. I am so glad the kids loved it. That night we stayed at a motel and the kids had a lot of fun swimming before bed. The next day we mostly drove but had some time to stop and enjoy the beautiful smokey mountains of Tennessee. That night we made it all the way to Birmingham Alabama and got a great deal on a stay at the Le Quinta. We were not impressed with Alabama but the people we so kind!

The coolest part about Alabama is the little towns:
The third day the weather was so nice that we stopped at "Tom Bailey Lake" in Toombasa Mississippi. It was in the middle of nowhere but the park ranger and game warden were happy we were there. They told us stories and showed us pictured of record breaking catfish.
We even met a guy who had just caught a 14 pounder!
Daddy drove the rest of the way and since we had stopped for 2 hours in Mississippi and another hour at the waffle house in Louisiana, we didn't get home till 12:30 am.

It was a long drive but the kids were champs. They had a lot of fun and were great about entertaining themselves. We also would like to thank Santa Clause for giving the kids their own video ipods last Christmas. They saved us. Here is a taste of that it was like in our car by day 3!

Thanks again to everyone who prayed for us and our journey. We are so excited to see all of our Texas friends again and to start school. Yeah!

No time for pictures!

So we are finally leaving and accepting the reality that we have to say goodbye to summer. Tomorrow we start our drive. Jason flew in on Saturday so he can do the road trip back with us. We have been really maxing and relaxing the past few days and enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery. We have been gone so long I have forgotten what our life in Texas is like! But we will see you'all soon! Pray for us on our trip!