First Day of School!

Today was Rafe's first day of school. He was so excited this morning. I, of course, was sad. I enjoy all of our time together, but I guess two mornings a week won't kill me! Since this was a new school for Rafe I was not sure how he would react. He acted like he had been there forever. Rafe walked right into his classroom, hung his book bag exactly where it was supposed to be and then found the seat with his name on it. I had to make him tell me goodbye. It made me feel better leaving him so happy. After school we went to McDonald's with his cousin and school buddy, William, to celebrate. I feel so lucky to have Rafe at such a wonderful school. I know we are going to have a great year!

Rafe loving his new lunch box and book.

And, of course, the new Batman book bag.

Walking into school

Getting into the car after a great day of school!!

The "always smiling" cousin Jay!

Rafe and William had fun with the high chairs!

All Dressed Up and Nowhere To Go!

Apple Festival

Rafe, Gram and I went to the Apple Festival in Hendersonville, N.C. today. This is an annual fall festival, although we did not experience fall temperatures. We were all extremely "fweaty" when we left. One time Rafe said, "I am so hot. I am on fire, I mean FIRE!:" We had a great time, though, despite the heat. We were smart enough to let Rafe ride the rides and do the jump castles this morning before it got too crowded. I think Rafe's favorite jump castle was the pink, Princess one. He was not going to leave without jumping in that pink inflatable!! Rafe's next highlight was, you guessed it, getting a tattoo of no other than Batman. His arms were already taken so Rafe opted for his belly. We have eaten enough apples and had enough apple cider to last us for a long time now. I look forward to going back again next year. (maybe it will even be cooler next time!!)

Go Gamecocks!

Open House

Today was Open House at Rafe's school. Rafe had a great time. The school has a camping theme and in his classroom was a tent, a campfire, trees, sleeping bags, chairs and different animals you might see in the woods. Rafe was especially excited about the beaver. (he has a thing for beavers!) This is probably the closest Rafe will ever get to really camping with the parents he has!! Mrs. Bagley made trail mix with them and they got to bring home their own bucket and canteen. Rafe met 1 boy and 2 girls from his class. The boy also LOVES Batman. I am sure they will get to be good buddies. Rafe explored his wonderful classroom. It was funny to see that all of the boys were spending time in the kitchen and the girls were in the tool area! We left there really excited about the school year. Rafe is ready for Tuesday to come!

Rafe's Masterpiece

Rafe created this robot this morning. His name is Monkey. Rafe said, "Monkey shoots and protects our house from rats, lizards, crocodiles that bite and sting rays. If you knock him down he will just be a monkey, but standing up he is a fierce robot."

Funny Quote

Rafe and I leaving soccer practice last Thursday:

Mommy - "Rafe, you did a great job at soccer tonight. Did you like playing with that girl on your team?"

Rafe - "I did. She isn't ugly either!"

I thought this was so funny!!

Rafe Bowling??

Here is Rafe having fun bowling this afternoon! Enjoy!

Wild Wednesday!

Today has been a busy, fun day. Rafe and I went to a class at Greenville Zoo this morning. It was fabulous! The children learned all about the creatures in their backyard and we all know how "critters" fascinate Rafe. They had creation stations set up all around the room for the children to explore. He even got to hold an empty turtle shell, a hummingbird nest and a rabbit. They made squirrels and adorable ladybug cookies. I was really impressed with everything they did. We both had a great time.

When we got home his new teacher, Mrs. Bagley, came to visit him. She brought Rafe a t-shirt and crayons and talked to him about their exciting school year. He is looking forward to his classroom because they have a tent in it!! During her visit she asked Rafe some questions for their class book. I was surprised at all of his answers. Here they are:

• What is your favorite color? green
• What is your favorite food? okra
• What is your favorite restaurant? Miyabi's
• What is your favorite toy? my robot (he hasn't played with it since Christmas day)
• What is your favorite TV show? Batman

After Mrs. Bagley left we headed to the dentist. Rafe was wonderful in the chair, as always. He loves to go to the dentist and watch the silly monkeys get their teeth cleaned on TV.

Isn't it funny how everything always happens on the same day?!

Who is that cute soccer boy?

Well, the long awaited day of Rafe's first soccer practice finally came last Thursday. We have been talking about soccer, practicing soccer and buying adorable soccer gear for quite some time! Rafe was so excited about his first practice, but boy was he in for some disappointment. Practice was supposed to start at 6:00 so we got his new clothes and shoes on and went outside for some pictures. I cannot believe I am going to say this, but I was upset when I saw that it was pouring outside. Rafe did not understand that they probably would not have soccer practice now. We had to take pictures in the garage before we left.

We decided to drive to the soccer field anyway because summer showers usually do not last very long. Rafe jumped out of the car ready to play. It looked as if the rain had escaped the soccer field. He met up with his buddies, Hudson and Carter. Unfortunately the rain kept everyone else away so practice was cancelled. Hudson's daddy decided to do some "warm up" exercises with the boys and they did not know the difference. After about 5 minutes of warming up the rain came down hard and we had to leave. Rafe said, "Is practice already over? That was a short practice!"

So, last night was Rafe's official first practice. The weather was absolutely beautiful. I thought nothing was going to stand in our way. Boy was I wrong. It took Rafe the first 25 minutes of practice to "warm up" as he called it. He absolutely refused to do anything. What happened to my enthusiastic boy from the last practice? Luckily Cory arrived just in time and they had a nice father/son talk. I don't know what was said but I looked up and Rafe was running around, dribbling the ball, throwing and having a great time. If he needs to "warm up" on his own we will be going to practice at 5:30 from now on instead of 6:00. When we left Rafe said, "That was so much fun!" Who knows what goes on in the mind of a 3 year old!!