In Like a Lion...

Life is back in full swing and the Schroeder clan is back into routines of daycare and work. So far, the year has been hectic and trying, and we're only in week two. I'm hoping it levels off with some of the craziness. But we shall see.

There are new beginnings on the horizon (and no, sorry to burst the bubble of my readers, but that does not mean A) moving or B) a baby), but that will be disclosed in due time. For now, we are enjoying the restless beginning of fall in the midst of chaos. We've enjoyed the fire pit, home-brews, and picking ripe blackberries (which we made blackberry brandy out of and it is sooo good!); geocaching and a few hikes. It's been a nice few weeks.

Miss Madelynne---I'm every day so amazed by her. She is now in that full-fledged two mindset and she is expressing herself with quite an array of emotion. She is boisterous with her dramatic attitude, which includes the infamous words of "Don't" and "Stop", as if she were a teenager defying their parents. Does this happen already? Her stories are fun to try and decipher. I'm much better at it then Brad. He is always asking me how I can possibly understand anything she says. Sometimes I wonder myself, but somehow I get pretty close. She has received many compliments from her new daycare provider about her kindness and intelligence, and we link that to her eagerness to read and learn. I hope that continues. She also has many friends she talks about at the end of the day, and they are all "My so-and-so." She truly loves her one friend, Aggy, who she takes care of every time she is there, including making sure Aggy has all her needs met. Aggy is one, so this shows her maternal instinct, like she does with her babies, at home. We've recognized that her attention span has become longer, which she has sat through a few Disney movies. I think Brad likes to watch them more than her, because, even when she gets bored and walks away, he wants to finish them. It's quite funny. But she keeps us entertained. She also has a new toy: a trampoline, so she is persistent in wanting us to "Jump, Mama!"

This Saturday I'll be running my first 5K. I'm pretty proud of myself for training and prepping for this. I've always been a part-time runner, but have decided to do this as a way of saying if I can do this, I can do anything. It may be the motivation I need to do my triathlon.

I'm still plugging away on my PhD. That seems to suck me dry the most, but I'm hoping at least 2 more years. Come January, I'm going to powerhouse it back to 2 classes/quarter, so I can get the dissertation piece. I'm ready. I think I will also be tackling my National Boards about the same time, so, albeit time consuming, it'll be worth it in the long run.

Enjoy some pics from the past few weeks. Hopefully I can post in the weeks to come, but may be on a slight hiatus until the end of October.

Until Next Time!