Kaleb's First Soccer Game

Sorry I am a little late on posting these but better late than never I guess. Kaleb started soccer back in September. Everyone always asks how he likes it and to be honest, I'm not really sure. He likes to kick the ball around but doesn't like it when someone else kicks the ball! Haha! He will run around with the other boys but doesn't really get aggressive when it comes to actually trying to kick the ball. After about the first 5 minutes in the first quarter, he is really over it. But he does look SO cute in his uniform!

Here are pictures from his first game.

Soccer Time

We have signed Kaleb up for his first year of soccer. He really enjoys kicking the ball around with me at the house so we thought this would be something that he might actually enjoy. His first practice was last night and he did great! We still need to work on following directions but he did a lot better than I thought he would. He just wouldn't stop and turn around where he was supposed to. Here is a picture of him running to the practice field when we got there. Notice his 'fast shoes'! He told us these were the fastest shoes EVER and he could go super fast! He can be SO funny!

Kaleb's First Day of K4 at MRA

So, Kaleb officially is in K4 at Madison Ridgeland Academy. He has been going to MRA all summer for their summer camp. We entered him into the summer camp to try and let him make some new friends before having to actually do school work. I am SOOOO glad we did because when we dropped him off, he hopped right out without even so much of a wave goodbye! They have a carpool where the parents just pull up and teachers/volunteer parents get the kids out and send them inside. They said to be expecting tears the first few days for the new students, so I wasn't expecting it to go so smoothly. Not to mention that he had just spent the last 4 days with my mom in TN. I hate to say it but my little baby isn't so much of a baby anymore! (INSERT SAD FACE HERE!!) It was a moment of pride and sadness when he walked into the school like such a big boy. Paul and I agreed that we would go pick him up together so we could see how his day went. He said that he had a lot of fun. The teacher is great and posted pictures from the day on her webpage. We looked at them together and he kept saying that each kid was his friend. He still didn't know all their names, but that's ok. He did know Breckin (who he has known for years at daycare) and Parker (who he met this summer at MRA). Kaleb seems to soak up all the information you can give him (good and bad!) so I am looking forward to seeing all the new stuff he learns in the upcoming year!

Here are few pictures we took the morning before we dropped him off:

Kaleb and Rocky. They have become best buddies after only one day! I was really worried that Rocky would be too timid for Kaleb. But the exact opposite it true. Rocky has really come out of his shell since Kaleb has been here. He is more playful and less anxious!

My big boy!

After a couple tries, finally got a good cheese out of Kaleb

Nana and Kaleb petting Rocky

Pop, Nana, and Kaleb

Family photo! Definitely gonna have this one printed and framed

Got this picture in an email from his kindergarten principle yesterday. Kaleb is the one over to the right with his hands under his chin! Can't tell if he is engrossed or bored! Haha! 

Color me Krazy

Today, Melodie and I ran a 5K called Color Run. Melodie's neighbor and her daughter also ran it with us. The Color Run is essentially a 5K (3 miles) but throughout the running, there are people that are throwing corn starch colored with food dye (blue, pink, yellow and orange) on you! It is a lot of fun. They have a couple of 5K's like this and this was a first for all of us. Melodie created a team and we were called Color Me Krazy! We didn't get all decked out like a lot of the people there (think TuTu's) but we had a great time. It started at 7, so we had to be at the race by 6:30. We all thought it was crazy early but it ended up working out great. We ran around, got crazy dirty and at the finish line, they have the 'Finish Festival' where everyone that has finished gets in a big group and throws up handfuls of the dyed corn starch. We got a good picture of the group after we finished doing it. I am posting some before and after pics! Enjoy! Oh, and we started in Wave 3 but pretty sure we finished with the first wave! Go us!

This is the before of all of us with The Color Unicorn. 

Me and Melodie after

The four of us after

This sign was so cute I had to take a picture on the way out! Notice melodie being a grown up, NOT!

This is the Finish Festival I was talking about. We were in the middle of ours and when we throw the stuff, you literally cannot see the person standing next to you! Oh, and it didn't taste very well!

But I will definitely be on the lookout for the next color run in the area! Good workout and lots of fun!

New House Finale

So, we are FINALLY in the new house! Well, our stuff is not in the old house and somewhere between the new house and the garage! But our butts are sleeping in our new beds in our new rooms! Kaleb is excited but still a little confused. He calls it the "New House" and still asks to go "Home" when he is tired. We just explain that this is our home now and remind him that his bed and all his toys are here. He doesn't get upset or anything so we think in a few days, everything will be back to normal.

Oh, and a BIG thank you to my mom. She came down here on her days off from the field and helped us move! She was a HUGE help and we couldn't have gotten everything without her! Thanks again Momma!

Here are the pics that I took on move in day!

The landscaping and shutters turned out great! 

This is the view from behind the kitchen sink looking into the living room. Notice the mantle with Paul's new HUGE TV. We ended up staining the beams so they were more cohesive with the floors. We were warned that it might not turn out right but we couldn't be happier with our decision.

This it the hutch with our ice maker. We did a wood counter and stained it to match the floors

This is the finish on the hutch and island.

Our master shower. This was my pet project and it turned out better than I could have imagined.

The finish on the master bath cabinets. They were this weird color orange for so long that people started questioning me about it!

Here is a close up of the finish

Our Master bath. I really wanted a chandelier over the tub and Paul's mom and dad were so nice to give us this one! The electricians hung it up before Paul could tell them not to and ended up hanging  it a little high so Paul is going to lower it for me.

The Island in the kitchen. It has the same finish on it as the hutch.

The entire kitchen looking from the living room.

Our Vent-a-Hood got distressed too. 

So, that is pretty much the new house. We have two guest rooms and a play room so we expect company! As I tell everyone, we are half way to the beach so if you need a place to crash or even a potty break, just give us a call!

House updates

The brick has been painted and the fireplace and wall have been bricked! I couldn't be happier with the way it has turned out!

Autism Awareness Month/Gift of Giving

April is Autism Awareness month and I have waited until the last day to post about it. I don't have any kids with autism or any family for that matter. BUT, I do have a few patients with Autism and they are the most challenging but most rewarding patients. You can't just do a normal routine exam. You have to come up with creative ways to get the same information. And I LOVE it! It is what really makes me appreciate being an eye doctor and getting to help people every day.

I am also a member of the Lion's club of Yazoo City and meet with them for lunch every Thursday at a local restaurant. It started as a way to get more involved in the community there but I have met a lot of really nice people and look forward to it every week. Part of being a member is having to find a speaker to come speak to us during lunch, usually only once a year. (I have noticed most people end up being twice a year, so I'm pretty sure they are taking it easy on me since I don't really know anyone in town!). Last year, one of my employees was head of the Relay for Life, so I got her to come talk about how much money they raised and what RfL is all about. This year, since my speaker was scheduled for April, I thought it would be a great idea to bring someone in to educated us more on what Autism really is and how they help. After some research, I found a not-for-profit company based in MS called TEAAM (Together Enhancing Autism Awareness in Mississippi). I got in touch with the founder, Dr Yeager, and he agreed to come talk to us.
I just thought I knew what Autism was but I now have a whole new respect for the Autistic person and their family. One thing that TEAAM does is host a summer camp for autistic children. They have children come from all over the US and volunteers from all over the world. It is the only camp of its kind in the COUNTRY. They are truly amazing people and I am just in awe of everything they are doing to help people with autism and their families just live a normal life.
Fun Fact: The first person ever diagnosed with Autism if from and still lives in Forest, MS. He is 80 years old and plays golf every day! He said they have to go get him when it starts storming because he won't stop playing! At 80 people!!!! Wow!

One thing that really shocked me to hear and the real reason I am writing this post is to inform you how national charities really give back! Everyone has heard of Autism Speaks, a national campaign that raises money for autism research and funding for families. Last year, the state of MS raised $190,000 dollars for Autism speaks. THATS ALMOST $200,000 FOLKS! Guess how much Autism Speaks gave back to organizations in the state of MS? $1000! Thats it! TEAAM was the only organization in the state of MS to receive any funding from Autism Speaks and they got a whopping $1000. I was shocked and pretty sure my jaw hit the floor. I have now decided that if I chose to give, you better believe that I will know where my money goes. If I truly want to help my neighbor, I'm going to give to a local charity that will help the community around me. Sure, if a tragedy happens, I am looking at the big picture, but if MS or TN has a crisis and needs something that I feel like I can give, I am going to find a way to make it happen locally.

Examples:
TEAAM (Autism)
GoLucyGo (LeBonheur)
St Jude (Memphis)
Blair E Batson (MS Children's Hospital)
MS Blood Services

Thanks for listening and I hope you have a wonderful day!

New House Progress

Let the framing begin

Roofing comes next

Starting to look like a real house

Living Room Windows installed. I am extremely nervous that we are gonna have a broken window. 

Dining room windows. Love all the natural light

Front entrance

Side of the house

tongue and groove ceiling on back porch

She's a BRICK....HOUSE!

Love our Old Chicago style brick on the face of the house

Don't worry, that ugly red brick is going to be painted a white/off white color

Back porch

Looking into the dining room from the kitchen. The archway is going to be framed out with trim

looking into the living room from the kitchen. the divider is going to be trimmed with cedar beams

looking into the kitchen from the living room. this side of the divider will have the beams AND a brick surround

front entrance from the living room

As we get further and further along, I am falling more and more in love with this house. It is a lot bigger than we had initially thought it was going to be, but it is our home and we love it!