The Time is Near.........

I remember the day that we brought Rylee home from the hospital-May 27, 2004. I cried all the way home (for reasons that I cannot explain). Oh...wait a minute.....yes I can explain----HORMONES!!! Those ugly little things showed up before I left the hospital. (My mom can attest to this. She was trying her best to keep me sane while I was awaiting discharge). I was happy, so I cried. I was sad because my pregnancy was over, so I cried. I was happy that my baby was beautiful and healthy, so I cried. I was, well.....you get the picture. Jason would ask me what was wrong and I would answer with the most honest answer that I knew----"I have NO idea!" I would post a picture of us bringing our precious one home, but my face was so swollen from crying all day, that you would be scared. Trust me....you would. Anyway(I got sidetracked....I do that ALOT), I remember that when we were on our way home, I caught myself figuring up how many years I had until she started Kindergarten(I am serious....I really did that). I remember thinking, "Okay...2009 is a long time away, so there is nothing to worry about right now." Well, here we are five years later---2009----and my little baby that I brought home on that day is starting Kindergarten in just a little over a week. I CANNOT believe how fast time has flown! She is so super excited , and I am, well......crying as I write this!!! We received her letter a couple of weeks ago telling us who her teacher would be and what school supplies she would need for the upcoming school year. She couldn't wait to open it, and we were excited to find out that she got the teacher that we were hoping for:
Now.....because of the crazy world we live in today, the school requires that the children carry on of the ugliest things known to man: A CLEAR BACKPACK!

I mean, they try to "cutesy" it up with the pink trimming, but let's be honest--this thing is just not very stylish. I had dreams of the cutest bag all monogrammed and stylish. I had my eye on the blue floral one in the picture below (which, by the way, has a matching lunch box to match.....I get excited just talking about it): Now....even after I got the letter saying that the backpack had to be clear, I decided that we would buy a non-clear one anyway. I have friends whose children are already attending the school, and they told me that the clear backpack rule is not really enforced. So...I set out on my journey for a non-clear, stylish backpack. However, I was talking about it the other night to some friends and one of them suggested that I use paint pens and cute zipper pulls for the clear backpack. I thought it was an EXCELLENT idea!! We could make it one of a kind! So, after talking myself out of the above monogrammed backpack, I happily drove to Wal Mart and purchased the clear backpack!! We already had some paint pens at home, so on Friday night we decorated Rylee's backpack that she is just thrilled about! She loves it, and we had such a good time coming up with the design! Our plan is to change the design with each holiday. The paint comes off pretty easily with Windex, so it shouldn't be that hard to change every 6 weeks or so. I haven't made the zipper pulls yet, but I plan to make those this weekend. I will post a picture with the completed backpack next week. I apologize for the pictures. A new camera is on my Christmas list!

***PRAYER REQUEST*** My mom called earlier to tell me that my Uncle Gerald (her oldest brother) found out today that he has a brain tumor. They will operate in the morning. I didn't get all of the details from her, because I couldn't hear her well, but God knows the situation, so please be in prayer for him during this time. He is married to Toni and has four children: Jeff, Joyce, Robert, and Patty.