Long Week...

We made it through a very long, tough week. With the girls going back to school and trying to adjust to getting up way too early, managing lunches, getting to work on time (two jobs, mind you), I will say that it's been a little crazy around the Crotwell house. 

It's incredibly tough being a working mom. Don't get me wrong, I like living off two incomes but trying to balance work/life is very tricky. As much as I feel that I've got everything down to a science as far as my organizing, I find that I fall way too short of it being anywhere near calm and orderly. By the end of the week, I look like a hot mess going to work. But, it's just a period in time of raising young children that all must go through so I'm just riding the waves but, man, I just wish I could surf through this part. 

As you know Belle is going through therapy for her speech but with each session, I find that they are finding more with her behavior than with the actual speech thing. Compliance is the word I hear a lot. This week when I picked Belle up, her teachers told me what a great day she had and that she was so sweet but her therapist painted a completely different picture when she came for her visit. Which, quite frankly, I appreciated the realism coming from the therapist. I know who Belle is and the trouble she can be. Lord knows at times I just want to hide away in a closet and pretend that I'm on a deserted island. But, I just know that these days will pass and she will be grown and leaving us but not before I have the opportunity to share with others the tantrums she had the pleasure of showing us each day (video below). 

With the chaos of starting back to school and being away from my girls for 40+ hours, I take delight in the weekends that I can have control over to slow down and to wade through the waves of this so-called life. 

The girls having a picnic on the table Kyle made one afternoon with Allie-Ann.

Story time,  one of my greatest joys!

 Oh yeah, and we got a new car!! It's a Subaru Outback and I absolutely love it....I really do, I haven't found one thing I don't like about it. 

I just thought you might want a look into our real lives...all the sweet pictures I post of the girls all the time, well...here is another side. 

First Day of Kindergarten & 2 year old

The girls had their first day of school today. Allie-Ann in Kindergarten and Belle in the 2's. Allie-Ann, of course, waved me on like the independent child she is, while a tear flowed from my check. Belle, on the other hand, had a death grip on my neck. After her teacher pried her off my neck, surprisingly she didn't cry but I heard later that she did some crying throughout the day. But, I'm hopeful that she has an incredible teacher and that she will adjust sooner than later. Here are some pictures of the girls on their first day.

Allie-Ann's 1 year old picture- FDOS

 Allie-Ann's 2 year old picture- FDOS

 Allie-Ann's 3 year old picture- FDOS

 Allie-Ann's 4 year old picture- FDOS

 Both of my girls!!!

 Belle's 2 year old picture- FDOS

Sisters....

Cousins and Other Random Things

We spent Friday with Kyle's parents and the girls got to play with their cousin Ella. They had so much fun together!

Belle working out with me, she is such a nut.

 So we have a garden...well, not quite. It's actually some tomatoes growing in our compost pile but Kyle has been so proud about it and Allie-Ann has enjoyed picking and eating them for a snack. 

And here is Allie-Ann jumping off the diving board. I'm so glad I didn't spend a fortune for swimming lessons. She's become such the swimmer lately, and really it developed just by going to the pool each day. 

Decisions

I wanted to update on Belle's speech evaluation. We went on Monday and after a 2+ hour visit we were told that we would receive a phone call the next day telling us if she qualified or not. I don't know, the whole process was exhausting, especially since Belle didn't sleep well the night before because she is now terrified of thunder...thanks to fireworks. But, the lady assessing her did a nice job and managed to get what she needed. So I was given a pamphlet and sent out the door. After reviewing the tons of agencies that can provide therapy (do we have that many children needing services..wow) and deciding on one, basically closing my eyes and pointing, I was ready for my phone call. Either way, if she qualified I knew the folks I wanted to work with her, and if she didn't, I was well educated on early intervention agencies. Well, we got the call and Belle does qualify for speech therapy. Everything else in her evaluation looked great, she is just delayed in her speech. 

Now enters the guilt part from mommy. "What did I do wrong?" "I should have spent more time with her?" "Dang, this going back to work!" But, I quickly snapped out of it, thanks to my husband who reminded me that I acted quickly and considering Belle was just 2, he assured me that she will be just fine. If she continues to need speech, that will be fine as well and we will do what we need to do to give her the most support. 

In Allie-Ann news, we have received her supply list for Kindergarten. She has her new backpack ready to go and I can't tell you how ready I am for her to go back to school...ha! Don't get me wrong, we've had a blast together this summer but the little monkey is just spinning her wheels around the house. I'm running out of ideas to keep her busy. We've spent a lot of time this summer at the pool but unfortunately with a high energy child, that hardly does the trick. So I leave you with some pictures of the girls at the park. 

I go through these looks from Allie-Ann 20 times a day. Not happy to be playing in the "baby kids" playground. 

Jersey Boys!

Today, to celebrate my mom's 71st birthday we went to see the Jersey Boys in Greenville. I loved every minute of it and the cast was outstanding! But, what made it more entertaining was seeing my mom grin ear to ear and watching her tap her foot to the beat of the music. I highly recommend the show. We also had brunch at High Cotton and I had my very first egg benedict. It was delicious. Greenville is such a nice city and one that I wish to visit more often in the future. I'm looking forward to the day that I can take my girls to the theater just as my mom did for me. 

 My momma...71 years young.

 Some say my mom and I look alike...do you see it??!

 I rarely get pictures of myself in my blog.

 Snapped this one inside the Peace Center before the big performance. 

Zoo Night

We took the girls to Zoo Night for members only. We had a great time and especially enjoyed the $1 ice cream! This summer is flying by and I'm not liking it one bit but I do enjoy all the time I've had with my girls. It's been such a blessing and we've been able to do so many things this summer compared to last. And, I can't wait for next summer because we have a super cool vacation planned. Stay tuned for that later. This week Belle has her 2 year check up and I'm anxious to talk to our pediatrician about her speech to see what he has to say. We do have her scheduled for an evaluation in 2 weeks but I'm curious to hear what he has to say about the issue...if there even is one. Here are some pictures of the girls at Zoo night. 

I couldn't believe the many facts Allie-Ann gave me about all the animals. I paid for her to go to zoo camp this summer and every day after camp I would ask her, "So, what did you learn?" to hear her say, "nothing." I was like, great, I paid all this money and she isn't learning anything...well, I was wrong. She knew even some of the animals' names. I guess she just related her learning to the actual setting. 

Look at that belly!

Love some blueberries!

I think the hottest I ever get in the summer is at our local blueberry patch. I don't know what it is but I come out at the end drenched in sweat. But, it's oh so worth it to eat blueberries at any time while you are picking. This season with the girls it was so much easier. I actually was able to pick a whole bucket worth and Allie-Ann picked her record of 10 blueberries this year! Belle enjoyed herself as she hid in the bushes eating her heart out. So here's to making some blueberry cobbler and here's to gaining my weight back from all my hard work of running this summer. 

 What a face! She was actually saying, "Chee" in this picture.

 Hiding out in the bushes