Slowly, but surely...

We ARE going to find our place here in College Station...and so far, my neighbor has greatly helped us get started! Ryleigh had her first day of Mother's Day Out on Friday, and can I just say, wow- she was excited.


She would ask me repeatedly about "going to sku," and kept reminding me that it was only a "cup-a days" until she could go. The program here is a little different, with shorter, more organized days. I'm sure she would have had more of a schedule to follow anyway, getting older and all, but regardless, we were excited about the routine. We signed her up for two days a week.


Ryleigh jabbered non-stop all morning, getting her ready. She put on her new Elmo backpack first thing when she woke up and wanted to help me fix her lunch. She asked specifically for "baids" in her hair, and giggled about her new friends the entire time I was braiding.

She went straight into her classroom, running to new friends and picking up toys to play with. I asked her for a hug and kiss, and she grinned and told me no. She truly cared less when I left; which should have made me sad, but truthfully, I was just so excited that she was excited, I did not care.


When I picked her up, her teachers said she did great! (I always wonder how much they filter info...) They told me she stayed dry all morning and told them when she needed to go potty, she was sweet to the other kids, and she LOVED painting her picture. Ryleigh jabbered excitedly the entire way home, and even sang my "get to go to school" song that I made up last year when I was trying to get her excited about school. We hung her painted picture on the refrigerator, and she kept taking it off to show Jesse and I. She keeps asking when she can go back, and I'm happy to tell her, "in only a couple of days."


Super Hooray for my neighbor helping us get plugged in!


On top of that, the same neighbor invited Ryleigh to her daughter's 3rd birthday party at The Bounce on Saturday. It was right during Ryleigh's nap time, so I was worried about how she would behave. When we first got there, she did great, running and playing, bouncing on everything. During the birthday party, she did not want to sit still, and I kept chasing her around. At one point she fell off the table, and from then on, every time any little thing happened, she would cry. And cry. And cry. Finally, I just took her home. So, she did not really meet many new friends or interact with people the way I had hoped...


However, I met some wonderful ladies and thoroughly enjoyed visiting and getting to know them. Honestly, I wish I could have gone to the birthday party by myself!! Sad, I know. Anyway, so several really nice people, including a few more neighbors. I cannot wait until it cools off and we can start hanging out outside again- I think we are surrounded with some great people, and I look forward to getting to know them better. I also got hooked up with several ladies in a local Mom's club, and they helped me get information about plugging in there. I guess they have get-together opportunities several times a week, and you just come and go as you can. I'm definitely going to try to get plugged in there!


SO, we are slowly but surely building a new life here. I know it will take awhile to feel apart of it all, but I'm so thankful for the kind women who have reached out to me so far. I look forward to repaying the favor and getting to know and love on these women who have taken time to do so much for me. Yay for friends!