The Great Wall of Henderson

Check it off the list....another (giant!) project done! Jack recently completed a stone wall in our living room. For the last six years we had a rich, red wall in our living room. Ever since we put the dark wood floors in however, we were both over the dark, saturated look. In true Jack fashion, he took the challenge head-on and the results are amazing. I think we'll give the living room redesign a little space for now, but our plan is to change the look of that room pretty significantly. The hope is for it to mirror the feel and personality of the dining room. Check it out...

Before:

During:

Ta-Da!

 

Big Wheels Keep On Turning

Shelby has recently gotten the hang of riding a bike a pushing the pedals. She has been determined for several weeks. Now we just need to get her a bike that actually fits her. I think I got this little one for her 2nd birthday. Way to go Shelby!

Giving Thanks!

We had a simple, yet lovely Thanksgiving this year. Typically Thanksgiving is the BIG holiday that we enjoy hosting, but with the baby coming so soon, we decided to simplify. Just five of us; Me, Jack, Shelby and Shelby's parents.  One turkey instead of thee and we actually picked up part of the meal from a friend's restaurant. We made the turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans and pecan pie.....and bought/picked up the rest. In Schenk tradition, Jack's parents purchased a Honey Baked Ham to add to the meal. Man, those things are good!! We ended up with some great leftovers for mini Thanksgiving feasts and then turkey for a couple of turkey pot pies and ham for some DELICIOUS ham bone soup!

We all have a lot to be grateful for this and every year! Shelby made a cute turkey card at school. When asked what she was grateful for she said: toys, house, mom, dad, lunchbox, sister, grandma and friends. Good lookin' list to me. :)

A New Start

Today we are starting Shelby at a new school - Lighthouse Academy. I think I have more anxiety about it than anyone else.....even though in my heart, I feel like it will be a good place for her (and our #2)! I didn't have any huge issues with her former school (like I did when I left her first school), but I also was not 100% at peace with it. After Jack switched from 24 Hour Fitness to Lifetime Fitness, the school was no longer in a logical location. A major reason why we picked Childtime was due to its proximity to Jack's job. The new school is less than a mile away from Lifetime.  There were also a few "mommy voices" speaking to me about Shelby's school....I felt that she was on pace to outgrow the program. I noticed that an increasing  percentage of the children (mostly boys!) were not very well behaved and/or came from families that did not share our same values. And finally, turnover had increased in recent months. For more than a year, there was nearly zero turnover, but since the summer months, I have observed more and more.

So with that - we found the Lighthouse Academy. In addition to its location, it seems well organized, more structured, attracts families a bit more like ours and the ratios are great. In the baby room, for example, there are six babies and three teachers. In a typical Las Vegas/Henderson baby room, you'd find a 4 babies: 1 teacher ratio. I don't think it was a coincidence that all the babies in that one room were happy and either being played with or being held.  Additionally, Jack and I have a lot of "must haves" that we don't necessarily find at all child care facilities....limited holidays, good pick up/drop off schedule and DANCE CLASS! One thing I felt awful abut was pulling Shelby from her weekly at-school dance class, but this school has it too for the same price. Thank goodness. One thing they don't have is a food program, so I will be packing lunches, but it's a trade off I am willing to make. Shelby is not a very picky eater anyway, so I think she'll be fine.

As for Shelby. she is most excited about her new lunch box, thermos and backpack. She has asked a series of adorable questions like "Will there be an office?"  "Will there be a food cart?" "Do they have swings?" so I can tell she is processing it on a deeper level. I am not sure who will have a longer first day today - me or Shelby? She will know one little girl in her class, Mila, from her soccer team. Mila is normally only there on Thursday and Friday, but with the holiday this week, she is going on Monday and Tuesday. Jack took her last week to take a look and we have talked about it for 10 days or so. Wish us all luck. On with the adventure. My hope is that by the time I have to put a tiny baby in there, all the kinks will have been worked out and Shelby will take  pride in the fact that "sissy" is coming to here school.

Wish us luck!

 My "Sprinkle"

 Let's be honest....it was a baby shower. I have the most wonderful, generous, creative and talented friends who celebrated "Baby Rosa" and me with a lovely shower. My friends Kristi, Jennifer and Nicole hosted it and we had about 20 girls there. It was fun and the food was fantastic. Every single gift that I received was sensible and needed. Since Shelby was a spring baby, I don't/didn't have too many cozy winter clothes, but I think I am set for the first few months. There are really only a few random things that I will still need....most pertain to nursing and pumping. What a wonderful day!

xoxoxox

Happy Halloween!

This was a fun year for Halloween. It was the first year that Shelby really got into it. She picked her costume, she wanted to decorate and looked forward to trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We got together with a couple other families and the girls set out in our neighborhood together. I walked around only a short while before returning home to pass out candy with the other ladies while the guys finished the door-to-door route......I had a long day and just did not have it in me. In about 45 minutes, the girls returned with full buckets and smiles on their faces. In true Shelby fashion, she would have played and played and played, but we finally had to pull the plug at about 9:30..

Here's to my sweet Olaf, another memory in the books and a couple of my favorite Halloween crafts that she brought home this year. That ghost cracked me up every time I walked by it!  Next year, I'll have two sweeties :)

Who Let the Dogs Out

One evening I was wearing my Turkey Trot t-shirt that featured three turkeys. Shelby asked me what the big turkey was saying and I burst into the 90's anthem "Who let the dogs out." Why? I have no clue, but Shelby thought it was the most amazing song she had ever heard and took to "raising the roof" instantly. We may or may not burst into Who Let the Dogs Out Dance parties around here now and again....