Fall pictures! FINALLY! :)

 Looking super cute in his Halloween PJs! 

 Poor Zoe...I like to make her "sit like a person" just for photo opps

 Proud of his October school proejct!

 Lovin' life at "Repticon" - a BIG reptile convention at the Fairgrounds

 For the NON-snake lover...this place would be a NIGHTMARE.  There were snakes in these little containers EVERYWHERE. For BC, well....it was a dream come true!

 These little girls' parents are reptile breeders.  I think one of these girls may be BC's future bride...  Look at the snakes they're holding!

 He was THRILLED to bring home another fence lizard, which he named, "Repticon" or "Rep" for short.

 Pumpkin picking!  BC found the perfect one...it took awhile for him to find one with no "lumps, bumps, or dents," but he DID IT!

 Love, love, love my handsome boys  :)

 Time to carve!  (Notice the vining plant off to the left...that's a pumpkin vine from LAST year's carving...seeds got buried and sprouted back in the Spring!)

 BC wanted to make the pumpkin look like Zoe, so he drew this on to help with the carving.  So cute...but we had to change the design, just a tiny bit.  ;)

 Finished product and pretty Zoe-like, I think!

 BC with one of his fave cousins - Miss A!  We went on a nature walk together and she was very into holding his critter container. 

 What a pair.  :)

 Our new patio furniture! 

 BC's "character parade" on Halloween day at school.  It was SO cute.  The kindergartners paraded around the cafeteria for the parents, in costume, holding the book they were dressed up from.  He was the frog from "Ribbity, Fribbit!"

 I was a helper at his afternoon Halloween party - so fun!

 And...the cutest frog EVER!!

 Hoping to get some tasty flies when trick-or-treating!

 Ready to go!

 "Zoe" all lit up!

 Waiting patiently for his name to be called at the Awards Ceremony.  He earned Honor Roll (so proud!) and Perfect Attendance.  Go Bear Cub!

One quick smile for mom ... and his pretty (and absolutely WONDERFUL) teacher in the background!

Happy Fall, ya'll!

Oh my...here we go...almost mid-October!  I'm afraid that this whole school year is going to be a big 'ol blur...time is moving so fast!

We're doing great here.  Bear Cub is doing very well in Kindergarten...he seems to like everyone at his school and is bringing home all kinds of great work.  We are so proud of him!!  He looks as cute as a button in his little school uniform everyday.  I just love his school!  I'm so, so, SO happy that we got his name in the charter school lottery and that he was chosen!  His school feels like home.  How awesome is that?!?!

This month is going to be a busy one...filled lots of fun, Fall stuff.  Although it doesn't FEEL like Fall here...still in the 90s.  In fact, BC and I went to the pool today and he swam at Mimi's too this weekend.  We usually can swim well into November before needing to take a few months off for "winter."  Ha!  If you can call it that!  ;)

Just a few things about BC - random Mama thoughts here!

1.  He can read!!  Wahooo!  He's doing so well reading books and finding words everywhere that he knows...or even doesn't know...and successfully sounds out.
2.  The boy still LOVES reptiles.  He is such an animal lover...and he'll tell you that!
3.  He's growing up in so many ways...showing empathy for others, being considerate of others, following directions (well...a lot of the time!), and just acting like a real big kid.  Wow.  Where did that baby in the stroller go??
4.  BC loves his baby girl cousins...it's so sweet!  He loves to be around them...especially the almost 3-year-old.  They are buddies!

5.  We are working on his Halloween costume!  Another animal...any guesses??

Pics coming soon!  Need to upload the photos from my phone to the computer.  Check back soon!

  Have a great week ahead and enjoy the Fall!  :)

September! Where did the summer go??

Hi there!  Ok...I am officially a HORRIBLE blogger now.  Wow...what has happened to me?  We are doing fine and dandy here - just busy and then too tired at night to blog, I guess!

Bear Cub started Kindergarten 2 weeks ago and is adjusting pretty well!  His teacher and new school are WONDERFUL.  We definitely made the right choice to send him to this charter school.  I'm really happy with the school!  BC is making some friends and also likes his teacher.  I think he's starting to feel at "home" there - which is good!  He was SO sad to leave his preschool that I'm glad he's getting more comfortable at the new school.

Daddy Bear and I are doing well, too!  I am just part-time now with my work, so I have time to work out again, grocery shop on my own, AND clean!  Sounds exciting, right?!?!  But I am thrilled and so glad to not have the hectic afternoons and nights anymore. 

Here are a bunch of pictures to get you caught up on the last couple of months!  Hopefully you'll see more from me before Christmas!  LOL!  I promise I will try to be better!  Happy September!

** Warning!  Most of these pictures contain some sort of reptile or insect!  We have a serious scientist on our hands here! **

 Just relaxing with Mimi...love this pic!

 BC's pet ring neck snake that he caught on his own!  No worries...they are not venomous!  Unfortunately, this lil snake is no longer with us... They just don't do well in captivity!

 All smiles at an indoor play place that we discovered! 

 BC's frog artwork and sentence about a book he had to read for summer reading homework.  I love this pic!

 And this, ladies and gentlemen, was probably the biggest walking stick that I'd ever seen!

 BC still likes to play "puppy school" every once in a while, where he sets his puppies up and teaches them about a subject...usually reptiles.  It's pretty darn cute!  On this evening, he thought the puppies need to go on a field trip...so off we went!  :)

 Before school started, we spent a weekend up in N. Florida to check out our property and some of the state parks in the area.   There is LOTS of nature to explore up there!

 He caught another fence lizard up there!  This one is named, "Fencey Jr."

 Checking out the clear blue, cold waters of Madison Blue Springs.  This is where Nestle bottles water from!  Gorgeous!

 I was giving Zoe a bath one evening and BC ran downstairs and brought these 2 guys back up...I was told that they were Zoe's "cheerleaders" for her bath.  Too funny!

 Fake snake!  I promise!  Boy, it sure looks real in this photo though!

 First day of Kindergarten....looking handsome and disheveled all at the same time.  He had WILD bedhead that day and no amount of me chasing him around with the brush could tame his 'do. 

 Check out his cool snake backpack...I was THRILLED when I found this at Pottery Barn Kids!

 We had time for a quick walk around our block before that first day of school...and he caught 2 lizards.  Why wouldn't he?!?!  We call him the "Lizard Whisperer" here.

 Big boy got right to work on his first day!  No tears and a good report from his teacher!  I, on the other hand, was a BUNDLE of nerves all day.  I was the first in line at car rider pick-up that afternoon! 

 School spirit shirt...or dress??  It looks more shirt-like once he gets shorts on with it too!  I think he can wear this one until he's 15.... 

Some creature... 15 years ago, I would have fallen flat on the floor with just the thought of having CRITTERS GALORE in my house.  My, oh my, how things change!  :)