Just wanted to let everyone know that I had a miscarriage last week. We would appreciate your prayers for healing and peace.
Love, Anna

This and That

Here are a few things that have been going on with the Dreyfus clan:

....Riley is loving Kindergarten. She especially loves "big dessert days" (Fridays); singing songs from "High School Musical" in music; running laps on Wednesdays in P.E. (she ran/walked 8 laps yesterday); staying on the green light all week and getting a "treasure" from the treasure chest on Fridays; going to a first grade class for Reading; going to the library and checking out books; her friends Hallie Grace, Ensley, Mary Ruth, Kaitlyn; I could go on and on. Basically, she is having a blast and I couldn't be happier about it.

....I am enjoying volunteering at Riley's school and helping her teacher. We have worked it out so that I am at the school around 9 am one or two days a week. She really seems to appreciate the ability to hand me a stack of papers to copy, booklets to put together, or stuff to cut out, and know that it will get done. I feel like I have the best of both worlds...I can do all the Kindergarten-teacher stuff I used to do (before kids), but leave it and all the stress at school. Walker loves going to "Ri-Ri's stool", and takes his matchbox cars to play with. He has been so good and is such a big boy.

....I go to the doctor on Tuesday for my first real appointment. I went last Monday for bloodwork, but did not see the doctor. On Tuesday, he will do an ultrasound to see the heartbeat. I have been feeling pretty bad all week...tired and nauseated. I know that I felt awful when I was pregnant with Riley and Walker, but I think this time is worse...if that is possible. It is not uncommon for me to be in the bed and asleep between 8:30 - 9:00 pm. I will be so glad when this part is over.

....Alabama Football is almost here... I can hardly wait. Riley and Walker are going with us to the game on Saturday...this will be Walker's first game. He's pretty excited, but I may be more excited. There is just something about seeing your child's face light up, watching them cheer and sing the fight song, just the whole gameday experience. Riley is excited, also. She will get to do all those cheers she learned at cheer camp.

....Tim and I are going to be teaching the Kindergarten class on Wednesday nights at church, during the Fall quarter. I agreed to teach this class before I got pregnant...prayers, please? Honestly, I don't think it will be that bad and I am looking forward to it. Since it is Riley's class, she is very excited about us being her teachers.

....I recently broke down and bought a new iron. You know you don't get out much when you get excited about a new iron. This is not just any iron, mind you. This is the Panasonic NI-C78SR. About 2 weeks ago, I was ironing Riley's outfit for church on a Wednesday afternoon. I was in a huge hurry...it was like 1:30 and I needed to pick Riley up from school around 2:30. What do ya know...the iron quit. I would normally have just picked out another outfit for her to wear, but everything needed ironing. I am not one of those people that irons everything as it is coming out of the dryer. I iron on an as need basis because it is my least favorite chore! Anyway, I called Tesney (she lives next door) and asked if I could borrow her iron for a few minutes. This is where I was introduced to the Panasonic NI-C78SR. The thing that sold me on this iron, was when she demonstrated to me the detachable watertank. That's right folks...push a small button, the tank detaches from the iron, and you take the tank to the sink to fill with water. No more filling up random plastic cup with water, leaving a little water in it, only to get spilled later. This feature, along with the one-touch automatic cord reel are the best. Our last iron had this automatic cord reel feature, but you had to push the button several times in order for the cord to get completely reeled in. With the Panasonic NI-C78SR, you really have to make sure no small children or animals are in the way. The cord is reeled in so fast and it is so powerful, it could literally decapitate you if you are not careful. I have to hold it at arm's length away from me when I am ready to put it away. One other feature that I really like, but is pretty standard in most irons is the automatic shut-off. So, I say all of that to say, if you are in the market for a new iron, go ahead and spend the extra $20 and buy the Panasonic NI-C78SR. You will be so glad you did. By the way, I found it at Target.

....Our precious Walker will turn 3 on September 27th and he showing absolutely no interest in using the potty. Several of my friends have told me to not even worry about it until he is 3, but we are getting really close, and I am getting nervous. I know that part of this is me not being consistent enough with the whole process, so maybe I need to suck it up and stay at home for a whole week????!!!! It seems so much harder trying to potty train a boy...maybe that's just me. Any advice from you mom's out there would be appreciated!!

....I am very excited that the Children's Closet Consignment Sale is right around the corner. It is a great way to get rid of a lot of the kid's clothes, books, toys, etc. that I don't want to keep (and store), and also a great way to buy gently used items at a fraction of the cost. A friend of mine at church runs the sale, and I will be helping her again this sale. The sale comes around in the spring and the fall, and it is so much fun.

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend and ROLL TIDE!!!