Around here...

I don't know about anyone else, but around the Baum house things seem to be (hopefully) evening out.  Last week was a tough one!  Collin Henry doesn't adapt to change very well.  Our first week in a new class at school was a rough one.  Even with all of my exclamations of how "cool" or "fun" something was, he continued to stand in a corner picking the skin on his lips and staring at the floor more times than I care to remember.  Can we say nervous habit?

So on Friday of last week when I found out his new teacher was going to be on vacation this week, I had to bite my tongue!  Because these thoughts were bouncing around my head and threatening to come out of my mouth...You are kidding, right?.....We are just now getting comfortable with you!.....Please, Lord, don't let the sub be an idiot.....Why?!?!.....

We spent the weekend talking a little bit about how Collin was going to have a sub this week, because as he put it, "Ms. Eva is going to be on 'Cation'".  He also told me she's going to see fireworks; is that what he thinks people do on vacation?

Monday morning rolled around, and we were very excited to meet our sub.  She's a cute, sweet gal who has hit it off with Collin's class this week.  He told me on Tuesday morning, "Mommy, I wanna go to school and see 'dat girl".  I said, "Ms. Suzanne?", and he said, "Yeah!!  Her wears cute clothes."  And then he grinned from ear to ear.  Apparently, colorful scrub pants and t-shirts are all that it takes to impress him.

So praise God from who all blessings flooooowwwwww, we are having a good week around here (with regard to daycare, anyway).


Because the end of our summer has really just flown by / run together, and I haven't done a very good job of documenting the past few weeks, here are some visual aides...

I usually take Collin to Starbucks on Friday afternoons.  I get off work a little earlier than normal, so we kill an hour before Daddy gets home and I get my fix!  We are so beyond ecstatic to have Ms. Kristen Wiley (that's how Collin says her name - the whole thing!) here in AR!  On our last two Fridays, she has accompanied us to Starbucks.  We are indebted to her, because last Friday she stood in line while we were parking and saved us a spot among the 100 undergrad students who decided they too needed a caffeine fix on the last day of their first week of school.  Also, because she let Collin talk to her fun boyfriend, PJ, on the phone.  Collin calls him, "Pee-day".  Yep.

On Saturday, Jarrod had a "guys-only" day.  Collin and I went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch and spent most of the day counting down the hours until Jarrod returned!

A few weeks ago when I was dropping Collin off in the morning at school, he was wanting to get a little upset with me for leaving him.  His friend, Isabella, was rocking in a rocking chair and immediately said, "Collin, come rock with me!"  She scooted over, made room for him and patted the spot next to her.  He ran over and climbed up into the chair with her.  Precious!

Collin's Nonne & Papa came to visit a couple of weeks ago.  We all loaded up and spent some time in Heber Springs at a friend's lake house.  It was a great weekend!  Here we are driving at 9:00 pm in a thunderstorm - ignore Landry's scary eyes!

Landry Paige turned 6 years old at the beginning of this month.  She needs a haircut, but she is our first-born child and we love her!  Collin says she is his "sissy".

Gorgeous evening view from the deck of the lake house, and this is just half of it!

And last, as most of you know, Jarrod turned 30(!) this month.  He sent me this picture that day to let me know he made it up Pinnacle in record (for him) time.  Proving he's not an old man...yet!