All Things Ryan: October 2010

Back when I FIRST thought about blogging the months of July and August, summer was just a hop, skip, and a jump behind us. Now, because it's me we're talking about, summer feels like it was AGES ago! (Or a month and a half ago.)

Anyway, it feels good to be back in school. Not only do I love the predictability of our routine (albeit a crazy routine) but I really do love what I do. And again this year I have been blessed with a sweet bunch of kids and lots of eager-to-help parents. I think it's going to be a great school year! I just pray that my super duper, up to now organization holds fast!

The kids are doing great, too. G seems to love 2nd grade, and Molly has thankfully settled into her 4 days a week preschool routine. Outside of school, we keep busy with play dates, dance lessons, and lots of soccer. Lately Grayson has also become quite popular among the neighborhood boys. Yes, he is a nice kid who is fun to be around...but he's also a kid who has a super cool "Big Wheel". It's pretty much the envy of the neighborhood. Ha! Ha! The boys will spend hours outside after school each day riding all their wheels--bikes, scooter, skateboards, etc... Thank goodness for these beautiful rain-free Fall days that we've been having!

As for Molly, she has become quite a crafter lately. Many times during the day you can find her in the toy room coloring, cutting, taping (the girl has a thing with tape!), gluing, etc... She's always working on some kind of creation! And I know that it probably sounds cliche, but that tonsillectomy she had back in August? It seriously changed. her. life! It was the best gift we could have ever given her. And I think that it probably added a few years to our lives, too (a gift in itself!), as now we don't have to worry about whether or not she can breathe.

As for me, I guess I never did blog about my 2 big "procedures" over the summer. For starters, I got my braces off!!! Thank the lord! And while that was definitely a welcomed procedure, it was still just a step in the very. long. process to fix the problem in my mouth (which, neither you nor I have enough time left on this earth to read or write about in detail!). Another step was procedure #2--the tooth extraction and immediate dental implant. Now when it comes to teeth and mouth issues, I have become one tough cookie, but it was pretty much the worst experience EVER! And so, so painful. A certain 4 year-old tonsil patient bounced back after surgery way sooner than her mama! Ugh.

And because of all those medical procedures, we've found ourselves with something that we're not used to. Debt. The bad kind. As in credit card debt. Bleck! My goodness, it has been YEARS since we've had a balance on one of our accounts. And I know that for lots of people, that kind of debt is just a fact of life, but for us? Seriously uncomfortable! Like it's this huge weight on our shoulders. Double bleck! But I don't mention any of that to garner pity. Absolutely not. It just happens to be something that is a fact of life for us these days. And in truth, even though I CAN'T STAND the "new" envelop/cash system that my husband put us on, I can't deny that we are ALL learning valuable lessons in spending money and making choices. And living without (not that our 'without' even BEGINS to compare to what so many others live 'without'). And having faith. No, we're not on poverty's doorstep. We're just being stretched beyond what has been comfortable for us. Which, comparitively, is still a lot.

Whew, there's a little piece of honesty for you!

And here? Here's how the first day of the 2010/2011 school year went down for the Ryans!