First Day of School

Summer break has ended and the girls are off to school again.  Grace is starting the first grade, and Maddy seventh grade.  Where has the time gone?  Even when they are gone to college, they will always be my babies....

The first week of school is always a little crazy.  Trying to get back into a "routine".  I always try to prepare them for 6am early mornings a week or two prior, but our schedules have been really busy and I just didn't get a chance for that to happen.  The girls seemed to adjust pretty good so far. 

Grace had the same teacher as last year and same group of kids, so there was no stress of meeting a new teacher and a diffent group of kids.  She will start dance again.  Hip hop is her "thing".  We went to her first class and she came out almost in tears.  There were so many girls, and a new teacher.  I think she was overwhelmed with too much change too fast.  So this week we start in a class with just her and her friend Saraya from her first grade class.  Only 2 girls in the class so far, so we will see how that goes.

Maddy seemed to do fine as well.  She is now able to participate in the school athletic program so she decided to try out for the volleyball team.  She really wasn't thrilled about it because the only sport she has ever played is soccer.  A few days before tryouts she decided that she was really going to give it a real effort....The coaches informed all the girls that 80 something girls were trying out and only 25 would make it.  Although she gave it her all, she didn't make the team.  She was upset.  This is where I hate having to be a parent.  Watching your kiddos upset is heartbreaking.  I want so much to make it go away, but realize that this is part of growing up, and I know that it is better that things like this happen now, so when she is an adult, she'll know how to deal with it.  Sounds good anyway, right?

First day of school pictures.....

Grace 1st grade                                   Maddy 7th grade

Jason is doing good too!  He found out that he gets to go to Hawaii again this year and is super excited.  He will be doing lots of work travel in the next few months, so I will be "single parenting".  We always manage.  Thank God for Skype (video conferencing) via the computer.  Cause when it comes to 7th grade homework, well...lets just say I wasn't blessed with the "smart" gene. 

And as for me, I have started working out.  Walking/running 2 miles, then situps and pushups everyday.  I'm not getting any younger, 40 is creeping up on me, and it seems that my rear end has gotten bigger over the summer.  For those who know me, I drink up to 6 cokes a day.  So I have decided to cut those as well.  One a day is my goal.  I can't quit cold turkey.  The headaches can be excruciating.  It's not much, but baby steps for now, so we will see how it goes....wish me luck.

Reynolds Family Staycation!

Summer for the Reynolds this year has been so busy with graduations, soccer, Jason traveling, and so on, that we hadn't planned a family vacation.  So we decided to do something that would keep us close to home.  A "staycation".  We always travel to Grapevine Texas to see their annual Christmas Ice show at their local resort,  and knew that would be a nice place to stay, and it's only 15 minutes away.  They have built their own water park which has just opened this summer.  Jason and I wanted to keep it a surprise from the girls until we got there.  All they kids were told is to back for 2 days and bring a swim suit. They had no idea, and they were pleasantly surprised!

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Welcome Reynolds Family to The Gaylord Texan....

Graduation Party!

I wanted to something great for Jason, so I decided to throw him a big graduation party.  It was held at the Nylo Hotel in Plano.  I had been there before for our "girls night out" nights.  The venue was just perfect.  A beautiful patio, modern furniture, and relaxing swimming pool.  So I knew this was the place. I must admit I was totally stressed, I am so not a party planner.  After having 2 months of no rain and over 100 temps, it started to rain the day of the party.  The party was going to be on the patio of the hotel, and I had no back up plan.  It rained all day until about 4 that afternoon.  The party was to start at 8pm.  So stressed was an understatement.  But the good Lord was good to us, and the rain stopped and it was a nice cool 88 degrees.  Couldn't have ask for anything better.  I was so thankful.  I hired a great band that performed for us, and had the hotel provide the wonderful appetizers for this special event.  So with the great music, yummy food, and awesome beverages, it was a great party I must say.  Here are some great shots of our family, friends, and co-workers that came to celebrate.

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My speech...I am no poet, but I spoke from my heart....
Jason

The guy who had no expectations, who promised his heart,

Who always played the hand that he had been delt.

A man who caught my eye with his contagious smile.

Lending his shoulder, and drying my cries

I love you with all my heart, and so honored you picked me.

For 15 years its been a journey

Making so many memories, lots of good, some bad,  but mostly funny.

I couldn’t be more proud of this man who has always put family first.

He took this journey to make a promise, not only to himself, but for his pride and joy… our daughters.

To teach them that they should never give up, always push through. 

To look at the big picture, and go the extra mile.

No matter your age, it’s never too late. Have a dream, look towards the future, never at the past.

Congratulations to you,  you have worked so very hard,

now  that it’s over and we are having a big bash,

maybe you’ll  have the time to take out the trash.

A special thank you goes to all the people who came

to celebrate with us. 

It was a night I know Jason will never forget.