Lots of little things...

Ashlyn and Corey started school on Wednesday! For me, this summer seemed endless and I admit, I'm glad the kids are back in school so they'll be busy and hopefully, make friends. The school is an older, small building, but I've learned that it's the teachers that really matter. We attended "Meet the Teacher" night on Tuesday and both kids' teachers seem like a perfect fit for them. Ashlyn misses her friends in Arizona so much and has been e-mailing and talking on the phone more than me lately. Surprisingly, she was not excited for school at all, but by Friday, she was all smiles. She came home with a friend's phone number and that made all the difference!

Corey has come back to life since school started. I think this move has been hardest on him because there are seriously no boys in our cul-de-sac. He's such a social bug and is so happy to be back in school.

In other news, by some small miracle, Ashlyn was able to teach Corey to ride his bike this week after months of frustration and failed attempts by yours truly. I had been out with him the day before and, after holding his bike upright while running down the street with him, I went to bed with a sore back. Ashlyn had an idea. She and Corey went to the top of my neighbor's slightly steep driveway and Ashlyn talked Corey into riding down the hill! It's certainly not something that I would've tried, but it worked! Now he wants to be outside riding his bike all day, every day.

Last night he wanted to go ride by himself while I made dinner. "I'd rather you go with Ashlyn. What if you fall?" I asked. He looked at me and said, "Mom, I'll just get up and get back on my bike."

Well, okay then! We were outside this morning and Corey was racing down the street on his bike, like he'd been doing it for years. I should remember for future reference that kids often do things on their own timetable, and not mine:-)