Every end leads to a new beginning....

So I am a little behind... BUT I have a good reason, I promise! I will explain that later! I will add extra pictures to make up for my late post! :) How's that?

SOMEONE is a bit excited to be EIGHT whole months old! Here is our monthly photo shoot :)

I cannot believe time is flying by as fast as it is! Here is what B is up to at 8 months old.....

*Pulling up on EVERYTHING. Sometimes he even stands by himself... until he realizes what is happening!

*B has SIX teeth! That's a lot of chompers, and BOY do they hurt!

*He is becoming more and more independent! Our boy can go anywhere he wants and he loves it! We do, too. Bennett seems to have always wanted to be independent... now he is!

*He makes new noises and sounds everyday.

*He weighs 19.1 lbs.

*He wears 6-9 month clothing.

*Eats like a horse. Not kidding. He is not really into baby food though. He likes REAL food. He is already a "meat and taters" kind of fella. Just tonight, we had breakfast for supper and big boy threw down on some grits! Last night, he ate pieces of carrot. For snack today, he fed himself watermelon. Do you see the trend? If he can't feed it to himself, more than likely he doesn't want it! Like I said, independent!

*Even though he is independent in some areas, he is still very clingy. We are still battling separation anxiety. He usually only wants me and a lot of times he won't let anyone else hold him if I am in the room. All the books say this is completely normal... sigh. 

*B started a NEW adventure this week... more to come on this in a minute!

*He loves to lick cabinet door knobs and handles. I have NO idea why but he loves it. He also loves licking on the armrest of our glider rocker.... Hmmm...

*He loves to try to chew on electrical cords. Safe, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

 Bennett is slowly losing the baby look and looking more and more like a little boy everyday. I love these pictures... and more importantly, the little fella in them!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is my little helper. He is everywhere I am. He grabbed the broom as I was mid-panic attack. I spent Friday night/Saturday morning painting my kitchen a pale yellow color. Mid Saturday morning, I realized I hated the color so B and I headed to Lowe's for a new color. Those of you that know me and have seen my house know that I am NOT a pastel yellow type of girl :) Here is my little helper manning the broom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sweet boy "reading" his books. Actually, the bees in this book are 3D and textured. He is licking them. Have I mentioned he likes to lick things???

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who needs a bowl when you can throw them on the floor???

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Here is Bennett and his door handle :)

  

Too funny? What are we going to do with him???

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bennett is so helpful. Here is my helper helping me do a little laundry.

And here he is helping me facebook!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Now, as the title implies, there has been a major end to a chapter in my life. My current career as a second grade teacher has been put on hold for a while. God gave me the gift of teaching. He also gave me a WONDERFUL blessing when he gave me Bennett. I was worried I would have to choose between the two, but as always, God had already taken care of everything. Full time teaching didn't leave me with as much time as I wanted to spend with Bennett. It left me feeling that I was doing so many things but doing nothing well. I felt that I was missing out on SO much with him... and I was. I love teaching and I love being a mommy. I am now able to do both. God placed me in a position at a local church teaching preschool for summer camp. We are hoping this leads to a position for the fall so that I can continue doing what I love. So far,God's plan has worked out perfectly. During the summer, I work from 8:45-12:00 three days a week AND Bennett goes with me! Then, we come home and have the rest of the day to be together. How great is that? God has blessed us MORE than we deserve. HIS plan is ALWAYS perfect!

Speaking of endings, here are some pictures of my packed up classroom. This was my very first classroom and a place where a lot of learning took place... on my part and each of my students. I grew a LOT in that room. It was my "home" at school. I will miss this group of teachers and this place so much, but I feel that I am doing the right thing by investing my time in my child. I feel passionately about raising him myself and spending as much time with him as possible because he is growing up so fast! I have loved this time as a teacher. It was THE job I always dreamed of having... and then I became a Mommy. Boy, did things change!!!

So long Room 107... it's been real! :)

So long second grade hall..... until we meet again, hopefully!

I do hope to go back to teaching full time one day when Bennett is in school and has grown up a little. I will miss this hall, and classroom, and staff so much!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Here are two pics of Bennett on his first day of "school". The first day, we were both overwhelmed! I am teaching two/three year olds during summer session. WOW! 10 of them!!! This adventure is TOTALLY different from anything I have ever done. I was a bit confident at first and felt that if I could handle 20 second graders all alone, SURELY 10 2-3 year olds would be a breeze. Humph. God had to take me down a few notches! :) And that he did. Day one was a bit rough, to say the least.... for me and Bennett. He was overwhelmed by all the people and all the noise. We both left feeling a tad bit less than stellar. I began to think I had messed up BIG time and that maybe it hadn't been God moving me all along... maybe it was all JILLIAN'S plan and not God's to have me in this teaching situation. I did a lot of praying that first day, for me and for my sweet baby. Day two was much better for the both of us and today was GREAT! I am getting into the groove and actually LOVE this age group. They are so curious and learning things for the very first time! It's a big jump from second grade to preschool, but I know that this WAS His design all along!

Here is Bennett on his first day, after his melt down with his new friend, Grace!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God is good, ALL the time!
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11