The Studio

As you know, or don't know, I bought the dance studio that I have been teaching at for 9 years from the previous owner. At 23 years old, that is big step to take in life. We had our first week of practice this week and we had around 50 kids show up. I have 3 other girls that teach with me.

The building we were at for the past 3-4 years decided to sell. So, that meant we had to find a new location. I found a new spot on the highway that is a business center. The ceilings are lower than I had hoped for, but they have seemed to work pretty good.


I've been so nervous and have been losing sleep this past week because of this new venture. I went to school for Business Management, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be owning a business this young.


My mom has helped me tremendously with bookwork and signing new students up. I have had some calls this week for more girls who want to join, so I am excited about that.



What is nice about the studio is that we only are open Monday-Thursday from 4-6:30 or 7:30. I can take Alden with me while I teach. I teach 3 days a week for a couple hours. I love it.


This year, we are going to start competing again. The studio hasn't competed since 2004, when I was dancing. So, it is time to start again. I'm very excited about that.


I think this will be a great addition to our "Family". Hopefully, it will make us a little extra (very much needed) money.

BBQ At Grandma's

Over the weekend, we went to Lyndon's grandma Kay's house for a BBQ. Every summer we have lots of BBQ's out at her house. It is so nice to sit in her backyard and enjoy the warm summer evenings. Since the summer is coming to an end, there aren't many more BBQ's. I think this will be the last for the year.

Lyndon's Great grandma Donna came out. Which is Alden's great-great-grandma. She enjoys watching Alden play in the grass. He is getting pretty big, so she has a hard time holding him. She held him for a few minutes. It's so fun to see them interact.


We had corn on the cob as one of the side dishes. So, after we ate, we took the cobs to the horse and donkey for a little treat. Alden helped feed them.


It was so cute. He wasn't quite sure about the huge animal right next to him.


Then, we went and checked out the chickens. Grandma Kay has a rooster in there. Alden is not fond, what-so-ever for the rooster. He is way too loud for Alden's little ears. He didn't crow while we were close, so he enjoyed it.


We enjoy spending time with family. We are with Lyndon's or my family a lot. We are so grateful to have everyone around.

Watching Notre Dame

Lyndon has been waiting all year to watch a Notre Dame game with his son. Today is the day! :) He finally got his wish!

Learning "No"

Now that Alden is on the move, we are learning the word "No". It is a struggle and I feel like I am saying it constantly all day.

We have a basket of magazines that he isn't allowed to touch. I felt like this was a good learning experience because he can't hurt the magazines but he can learn that he isn't allowed to touch them.

However, I went to grab something from the kitchen and when I came back I saw this...



Guilty!?

This is How My Dad Babysits! :)

I was at my parents house, using their printer. Alden was playing in their living room and my dad started playing with him. I walked out of the room and when I came back in, this is what I found.

Back To School!

School has officially started, which means I pick up my niece Hannah from the bus stop when her dad is working. My sister works a 9-5 job Monday-Friday and her husband is a police officer that works 4 days on 4 days off. So, when he is working I pick her up so my sister can save money on daycare.

Since school has started, we have gone to the Public Library, which is 2 blocks away from my house. We have made homemade chocolate chip cookies, and read lots of books. She helps me with Alden.

Normally, we will get back to the house, she will start her homework, which is a worksheet because she is only in 1st grade. I will make her a snack while she works and Alden and her will eat. Then, we will read a book, play a game, bake something, cook something, blow bubbles, play with sidewalk chalk... Anything we can think of. I have really enjoyed her coming over.

Napping Dilemma

We are having issues napping. Alden is sleeping just fine, but he thinks he needs to be in our bed to nap. The problem is, I can't be in the bedroom the entire time he naps, because he naps about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. He fell off the bed a few weeks ago. Not from rolling over. I had my glasses and my Bible sitting on the table by the bed and when he woke up he saw them and wanted to touch them. He crawled over, tried to grab them and fell. I felt horrible. Since then, I have been trying to have him nap in his crib. Which is a struggle. He wakes up and cries. I've been giving in a couple times and putting him in our bed and I will watch TV or a movie while he naps. But, that means I get NOTHING done. He sleeps JUST fine in his bed at night.

I'm not sure what to do.