School Days

Oh how I have loved seeing Allie learn and absorb the world as we have explored it together the past six years. But, alas, the milestones of strapping on the backpack, tucking in lovingly (and hurriedly) made pb&j’s into the Barbie lunch box, and tying “P.E.” shoes on has arrived in the Perez house.  As a family, we drove her to the first day of school, took the classic first day pics, and tentatively said our good byes.  6 weeks later, we “newbie” school parents are dropping her off with confidence as she practically bounds into her 1st grade classroom. She. LOVES. school.  New friends, reading circles, chapel, and playground adventures fill our car ride conversations as I plague her with questions so that I can still feel a part of her “every” day.  Love that girl–so proud of her!

3 years old

Ironman. Irrronnn maannn (there’s a song–who knew?) or Batman. That’s what consumes three year Jackie’s head these days. Yes, THREE years old. Hard to believe he’s not a baby anymore.  Jack has moved from toddling around to cruising around on his bike and tying to attempt any and all scary stunts.  He has grown from a vocabulary we could count on our fingers to endless chatter.  His individual words are becoming clearer as we focus more in on his conversational speech being clear to everyone.  Allie somehow understands everything he tells us, so we have to be careful to remind him to speak clearly anyway.  He recently passed his hearing screen, so no surgeries on the horizon…unless he somehow injures himself otherwise with the random stick or rock that makes its way into his chubby hand as some sort of weaponry.  What a relief it is to also see him become more open to people outside of our family and enter new situations without quite as much drama as last year.  His drama has moved more into trying to make anyone who will pay attention laugh!

1 years old

Maddox is helping us cross the threshold from baby days to toddler days. Goodbye infant carseat, bassinet, and swaddling techniques.  Hello into EVERYthing, master maneuvers, and first words.  I now know how the “baby” of the family is created as Maddox’s siblings protest us saying “no” to him or not putting up with baby fits.  They coddle him so much that it will be a miracle if Max isn’t spoiled beyond repair.  But, considering that one of this mama’s biggest hearts’ desire is that my children love each other, I will smile and pray for the best. I am thankful they are as in love with their baby brother as we are.  Now if we can just keep him out of the bathroom and off the stairs…

 And Us

Recently Anthony and I have had some fun times withOUT this crazy bunch.  We hit the road…literally, to help out a Hood to Coast team by directing traffic at 2:30 A.M.  Who knew it could be fun to shine flashlights at unsuspecting cars, runners, ourselves…  A fall concert was also calling our name–Casting Crowns to be exact.  For some reason we love the hootin’/hollering/singing/praising kind of night.  Yet another date was in the books–to run (or perhaps walk quickly) the Warrior Dash.  There was some great marital  bonding while pulling our  30-ish+ish bodies over walls and through mud pits–with our friends Justin and Sue.

Amidst all this busyness we like to book for our family, there are the myriads of normal, make-it-through the day kind of things going on.  The throw yourself in bed and crawl back out all too soon kind of days. You know, work, laundry, obligations, sick kids, etc.  Thank goodness for our Hope, our Reason, Jesus, who is the glue to binds us as a family through the regular hecticness that we call life!

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