I'm Officially a Soccer Mom!

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would be a soccer mom. Nope, not me. I'm not that kind of mom. But the reality is, oh yes I am. Emma-Caroline started soccer today and LOVED it! I was so proud of my little girl jumping out on the field and really doing well in practice.

She handled the ball like a little pro. Not to sound all surprised, but I kinda was! I can say, with all honesty, that athleticism is really not my thing.

I can hold my own for some things, but I lack coordination when it comes to most sports involving a ball. So when Emma-Caroline got out there and just went to town with that little pink soccer ball, I was pleasantly surprised.

She has to definitely take after Howie in the area of athleticism. More than anything though, she had a great time! Here is a look at her first soccer practice.

Getting ready to score a goal!

Learning how to throw the ball in.

Look at that determination!

Future Mia Hamm!

The Littlest Monet

Emma-Caroline has always had a love of art. At two, she painted our family's portrait which included all of us and her Godmother Kristen. I know she is my child, but I was impressed. The other day I watched her as she took Sophie's Angelina Ballerina doll and studied her while replicating her image on paper. She has had no formal art lessons, so the fact that she has begun to study and replicate an image on her own is an indicator that she may have some true natural artistic ability. Her drawings for a five year old are right in line with other five year olds, but it's the way she draws that makes me think I may have a budding Monet. I am not surprised in her love for art as both my dad and my mom are amazing artists. So, art classes may be in order in the near future. In the mean time, I will enjoy the beautiful work she produces displayed in our own refridgerater art gallery.

Sophie's First Day of PreK 3

I don't want to you think I forgot about our sweet Sophie who also had her first day of pre-K on Wednesday. Kindergarten was just such a big event that it deserved it's own posting. And Sophie's day deserves it's own post too!

After taking Emma-Caroline to her first day of Kindergarten we took a just as excited little Sophie over to Sacred Heart Preschool to start her year in PreK 3. Sophie did not miss a beat from where she left off with her friends at preschool when she left for summer vacation.

She was super excited to be in Miss Michele and Miss Elana's room and loved finding her own

cubby with her Daddy.

Since I have known Miss Michele for 15 years now from when I worked in her room at SHPS in college, we're pretty excited to have her as Sophie's teacher too!

A Day of Firsts!

Well, it's here . . . the day that Emma-Caroline starts Kindergarten. Actually she already had her first day and I am now recounting it. I will say, it has definitely been an AWESOME day!!! It began at 5:00 this morning when Howie's alarm went off and I jumped out of bed not wanting to waste any precious prep time for Emma-Caroline's first day. At 6:30, Howie and I went into Sophie's room, which the girls are sharing for now, and woke the two sleeping beauties up for their first day of school and preschool. Yes, Sophie's first day was today too. (I will post about her day later). The girls got dressed as usual and sat down at the breakfast bar for the usual breakfast of waffles, yogurt, and milk. When I asked them if they were excited about school, I was met with this look.
After reminding them that they were going to be going to their first day of Kindergarten and preschool, I was met with a more appropriate look of excitement, which may have been a little coaxed by their dear old Dad!

At 7:00, we were set!

Backpacks on, check!

Photos taken, check!

And we were off!

We arrived at school and all piled out of the mini van, walked into the front doors of Bearden Elementary, headed down the hallway and down the stairs, walked past the cafeteria and finally we arrived to the entrance of Mrs. Hughes' kindergarten room.

After another reluctant photo session, Emma-Caroline entered the world of Kindergarten smiling from ear to ear. There were no tears on her part, just a willing eagerness to get started with all things school.

I, on the other hand, had to suck back the crocodile tears that kept trying to spill out of my eyes. It was awful. Here I am a former teacher, a kindergarten teacher at that, and I was losing it, just like all those parents I use to have to coax out of my classroom every year. Mrs. Noble gave me one of those looks I know I must have given each parent in my similar situation and handed me a bag. I knew exactly what it was because I had also handed these little bags out to the parents of the kindergartners I taught. Inside was this note.

And these. Of which I used the tissue immediately.

I was floored. I had no idea I would feel this way about Emma-Caroline going to kindergarten. I was sentimental, but also appreciative and touched at the same time. I am appreciative that Emma-Caroline has teachers that care about her and who are sensitive to her parents' needs to still cling to those last ounces of little kid that we want our girl to stay. But we know that she is growing up and this is all part of the growing up process.

I was proud of myself for not being the first parent in the pick-up line, just the second. I eagerly awaited Emma-Caroline to walk out of the doors with her new friends in Kindergarten. When she did, my heart leaped and I knew she had had a great day from the smile on her face. Mrs. Hughes opened the door to the car and Emma-Caroline jumped in. God blessed me with the best gift from her as she exclaimed, "Mommy, I LOVE my new school!" As tears again strolled down my face, I said, "I'm so glad sweetheart!" To end it all, Emma-Caroline handed me this

with this little poem attached.

She has a wonderful year ahead of her and some pretty amazing teachers at her new school! We are all so blessed!

And So It Begins . . .Friendship

Today on the playground at Emma-Caroline's new school, I watched as my almost Kindergartner bounded onto the playground in sheer delight amongst the children who are going to be a part of her Kindergarten class this year. Amongst the new faces, she encountered a couple of familiar ones to whom she instantly gravitated.
In watching her and her friends call each others names, while laughing and running from slides, to swings, to monkey bars, I couldn't help but feel a sense of tingling in knowing that these girls are going to be Emma-Caroline's lifelong friends. And how do I really know that? I just do. Call it a mother's intuition, but I know that these girls are going to be as "thick as thieves" for their whole lives through. It makes me happy, abundantly joyful to be more exact, to know that my daughter will have such great friends whom she will experience so many wonderful things with. This is what it is all about. This is the blessing God has given her, friendships, for which I am truly grateful!

Emma-Caroline and Andie. We are blessed to have Andie and her family as our friends at school and church!

Sweet girls!

Running for the swings!

Swinging high with our new neighborhood and school friend Sadie Parker

Love these sweet faces!

Showing off our skills!

Three little peas in a pod! So blessed!

Silly Bands!

As I am writing this, we are prepping for our first play date at Emma-Caroline's new school before the actual year begins on Wednesday. As the hours of vacation tick down, I thought I'd leave you all with an image of one of our favorite pass times this past summer.
Yes, trading Silly Bands is the new "IN" thing to do, and it not only occupies children's attention for long stretches of time, but it is also a favorite amongst both boys and girls and children of all ages. I have a feeling, we will be receiving a letter concerning Silly Bands in the the very near future from Emma-Caroline's school stating that Silly Bands are not allowed in school during school hours. Every generation has something like the Silly Band that becomes a cult phenomenon. Trading Silly Bands brings back great childhood memories when I use to trade friendship pins, and I'm glad my girls have their own generational trading item. One day, as they watch their own children trading the new "In" thing, they will have their own fond memories of trading Silly Bands with their friends.

I Knew This Day Would Come!

Yesterday in the mail, we received a letter. I knew exactly what it was when I saw the envelope peeking out of a group of bills. I couldn't wait to open it and tore open the envelope as I walked back up to the door of our house. Tossing the envelope to the floor, I hurriedly scanned the greeting and panned down to the information I so longed to know, Emma-Caroline's first day of school.
For those of you with children attending Knox County Schools, you know that the regular school start date does not apply to kindergartners because they are staggered the first two weeks. So we found out in the long awaited letter that Emma-Caroline will start school on August 18th. As much as I wanted to know this date, I didn't want to know this date. I knew this day would come, the day my first born child would start kindergarten. And with all milestones that your child goes through, it is always bitter-sweet. I am so excited for her and all the things she is going to learn this year as well as the many friends she is going to meet and the wonderful events she is going to experience. But it also makes me sentimental for the little baby girl she no longer is. Ultimately, I am very OK with it all. I know Emma-Caroline will always be my "baby" and I look forward to experiencing with her the many grand adventures kindergarten will bring.

There's No Place Like Home!

It has been two weeks since we moved into our new house. As the boxes have dwindled, pictures gone up, and furniture arranged, our new house has started to feel ever more like home. It occurred to me as I was hanging pictures and artwork around the house that home is definitely more than the house one lives in. Looking at the spackled filled holes where someone, who lived in this house before me, had hung their own framed art connected me with the past that this house has gone through and the many "homes" it has been for other families who have owned it. And one day, many days into the future, it will be someone else's home with all of the things in it that make it "home" for them. For now, though, this house in Forest Brook is the Avery Home. It wears our treasures well and brings a warmth that will always make us feel when we enter it that, "There's no place like home!" Here are a few more pics of the latest progress.

A look at the dining room with curtains hung and Emma-Caroline and Sophie's portrait in place.

2nd view of the dining room with curtains hung.

Looking from entry hall into the kitchen.

New keeping room off of the kitchen.

Since the last post, I have added a new chest and coffee table.

Early morning in the family room

The new media/play room. This room especially feels like home as it has all of the framed pictures and one art piece from our former family room.

Barkley feels at home at the foot of the stairs. Poor guy looks like a woolly mammoth and is in need of a haircut!

Emma-Caroline and Sophie are sharing Sophie's room while Howie and I are in Emma-Caroline's room until the new master suite is finished. The guest room is still inhabited by some boxes, so we decided to live out of EC's room. The girls were still snoozing when I took this pic!

The new upstairs laundry room. I am so glad we decided to move it upstairs instead of being in the basement!

Small Town Livin'

At times when I am in the midst of Knoxville, I truly feel as if I am living the small town lifestyle. Knoxville is ofcourse not a huge city, but it is a metropolitan city and there are parts of it that I have never even seen. So it is definitely not a small little town. But since I was a senior in college at UT I have lived (with Lucy) in some neighborhood off of Northshore Drive in the Rocky Hill area when I have been living here in Knoxville. The Rocky Hill area of Knoxville has it's own local grocery store, Butler and Bailey, its own local dives like Roosters and Tom and Barry's, beauty shops, barber shops, hardware store, ballet studio, cleaners, doctors, dentists, ect.
It is essentially Main Street with a slight resemblance to the town of Maybury. I began my love affair with the Rocky Hill area when I lived in my first Northshore residence at Northshore Woods Apartments. I loved that there was a small local grocery store just a minute from my house. I also found that the local laundry mat was super convenient. When Howie and I were married, the Rocky Hill florist, Echelon did our wedding flowers. Everyone knew our name and it felt like home. When we moved back to Knoxville after living in Arizona, Oregon and Texas, it is no wonder we found a home in another part of the Rocky Hill area just off Northshore Drive in Dunbarton Oaks. We cherished living in Dunbarton Oaks and loved being able to run down to Butler and Bailey or Weigels to get a few quick things at the grocery store or a gallon of milk. When we looked for a new home outside of the Rocky Hill area, my heart felt a twinge of sadness for the little "small town" we would be leaving. But in the end, we are in yet another part of the Rocky Hill area in the neighborhood of Forest Brook. This part of Knoxville is our home. We love it here and we love the small town livin' it affords us while living in a bigger city.