School has begun and so have the days of trying to create a schedule. As the days go by I am more and more grateful of the opportunity to be home with Bella  and to be able to walk Cooper to and from the bus stop. My whole focus is on my family, such a weird but amazing feeling!

We celebrated the 2nd Iowa Hawkeye football game of the season by inviting our neighbors over. This was the 1st time we had entertained our new friends. John, Cooper, Bella and myself were all wearing our Iowa Hawkeye gear. Mason, our 2nd grade neighbor, pointed at the Tiger Hawk on our shirts and said “why does everyone have that on their shirt?” This shows you exactly how far we are from home! We explained to him all about the Hawkeyes and he was a fan immediately, he even asked John if this will happen again. John of course replied, “Yes, every Saturday.” Mason asked to come back again. We are spreading the Iowa love in Michigan territory. Two more of our neighbors, Ryan and Kelly, brought us a Michigan flag. I thought they were very nice to think of us and took it as a welcome gift. On the other hand, John responded, “Thanks we were low on toilet paper.”

This week has been full of signing up for activities for me and the kids. We have found a church, St. Sebastian, to join. Cooper started his first gymnastics class and the teacher came up to us afterwards saying that it was obvious he had taken gymnastics before (we were so proud). Bella is signed up for Ballet and Kindermusik. I am beyond excited to take her and have been checking our doorstep each day for the ballet shoes and leotard I ordered for her to wear. It finally arrived and Bella was very excited to start dancing right away.  Now, I want my children to make their own choices on the activities that interest them, but I can do everything I can to persuade right?

Bella modeling her new ballet leotard- this was actually a video but it wouldn’t let me upload it 😦

We also bought a family membership to the YMCA, which has been on my to do list for years!!!! I felt that I was in good shape before Cooper was born and then have just continued to drift farther and farther from feeling energetic, flexible, strong, etc. I have already gone to a cardio kickboxing class, Zumba, and Step. Our goal is to go every morning after Cooper goes to school. Bella can go to the Kid Zone, which we are calling her school because she of course wants to be just like Cooper.  Change can be hard and Bella has had trouble at the Kid Zone.  She doesn’t want to go and screams and cries, it breaks my heart but I keep telling myself it will get easier (and it is only 45 minutes).

Friday night was our 1st Byron Center Football game. It was Marshall Elementary night (Cooper’s school), so the kids gathered on one side of the football field and ran to the other side. They then got to cheer on the players as they ran onto the field. Cooper was pumped for the game and asked “can I do this again Mom?” This is a once a year thing so he was a little disappointed, but not as much as his mom because of the Byron Center colors. For those reading who are familiar with Dowling Catholic you probably know that their main rival is Valley. So can you guess the colors of our school district??? Yes- orange and black (same as our high school rivals). I am an open minded person, but it just doesn’t feel right cheering on an orange team…change can be hard!

Cooper showing off his school colors and bulldog tattoo