Alexander's big day!

Today was a day that Alexander has been waiting for for quite some time...his first day back at preschool! He was up and at 'em early this morning and was a bit disappointed when he bound into the kitchen all ready to go and I had to tell him that we still had a good 30 minutes to wait. He took it all in stride and decided to call grandma and grandpa M. for a quick chat to pass the time! Silly boy! He had a great morning at preschool and came home all smiles. When I asked him what his favorite part of preschool was today, his answer was, "snack time, mommy!" Of course! I can't believe I even thought to ask such a silly question! :O) Here is my little man this morning, ready to start a new year!
Alexander also started soccer this week. He had his first practice on Saturday and then again tonight. He really enjoys playing and puts his heart into the game. He is pretty quick, although not so graceful on his feet. Somehow I'm not surprised that out of the 6 boys on his team that he spends the most time of all of them on the ground! I think he's going to be a lot of fun to watch this season!

Here is a picture of Alexander's two biggest fans....his sister and her friend!
And here is a picture of Alexander's goofy little brother, saying "cheese!" for the camera!

In other family news, Marina is loving first grade and seems to be doing very well. She has started getting homework every week and that's been hard to get used to...for all of us! :O) She also started ballet and gymnastics last week and loves both. I did not drag my camera with me last week for those two events, but hopefully I can get a few pictures this week. Last Saturday my neighbor and I took our girls to the American Girl store in Atlanta for the day. We all had a ton of fun and it was so neat to watch the girls in that store!

Xavier had his 18 month check-up on Tuesday last week and we had a nice long chat with the pediatrician about treating his eczema that ended with a referral for him to an allergist. We were able to get in to see the allergist on Friday and after several skin tests it was confirmed that Xavier's eczema is, in fact, allergy induced. He had a reaction to several items that he was tested for, but nothing that will be too difficult to control, hopefully. He is using a steroid cream (which has made a huge difference already!) and is taking a prescription antihistamine at night. We will go back to the allergist in early September for a follow-up. Other than that, he is very healthy and growing like crazy! He now weighs 28 pounds and is 33 1/2 inches tall. And he is talking a lot!

Mike's parents are coming down for a visit and will be arriving on Friday. Mike and his dad have big plans to rebuild our deck while they are here, but as a reward for their hard work we will all be spending the long Labor Day weekend in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We are so looking forward to their visit!

Finally, I will end with a few prayer requests. First of all, if you would, please keep my cousin in your prayers as he prepares to deploy to Afghanistan this week. Also lift in prayer his wife who is pregnant and due in February and my aunt and uncle who face sending their son to war. My heart is very heavy for all of them. Also, a friend of ours from our church in Michigan miscarried her baby last night. Please pray for peace and healing for her and her husband. And lastly and most unimportantly, I would appreciate a quick prayer on my behalf. I am coming down with a nasty cold and it's coming on fast and furious and I just don't want it to slow me down too much this week. So, so much to do!

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying these last days of summer! And please remember....there is always an open invitation for you to visit us in Georgia! Anytime!

Lots of love,

Kristen