Updates

So life is crazy busy, and despite my best intentions, it's been about 9 months since my last post. It's just easier to upload pictures to FB and IG and update everyone that way than it is to sit down and write, even though I'd prefer to do it this way. So here's the last 9 months in a nutshell:
We Slaydons are doing great overall. We made it through a rainy spring, t-ball season (Ab even made All-Stars(!), but she didn't get to play because we were out of town. :(), and the end of another great school year. This summer was hardly a "break" (unlike last year), as Justin and I worked on the barn and pasture for what will soon be Slaydon's Sheep Farm. Yes, you read that right. Someone decided that they wanted to be a shepherd, so here we go! We've got fence still to finish, and grass to fertilize, but in the next few months we should have some sheep grazing out front. Justin needs something to keep him busy now that both girls are in school. We'll be raising them primarily to eat, but the girls are talking about showing them as well. The redneck adventures never end!

Julianne started Pre-K this year, and Abigail is in 1st grade! I have one next door and the other across the hall, which makes this momma super happy! I get hugs and kisses all throughout the day, get to have lunch with my big girl everyday, and hear all about their day on the way home. JuJu is doing better with school than I'd dared to hope for, only one "not smiley" face so far!!  She has a small class with only 3 girls and 7 boys, which I think is really good for her. She loves school and hasn't been too difficult about wearing her school shorts and shirt. (She normally only wears stretchy pants and dresses.) She even earned a dress-down pass already! We are so proud of her. She is sweet (when she wants to be) and smart, but fiercely independent and not always the most compliant child. That strong will and hard head will serve her well in some areas of her life, but in others, not so much. Here's hoping she continues to do well and learns to follow directions even when she doesn't want to.

Abigail is doing great in 1st grade. She loves school and is very concerned about making good grades and following the rules. She has proudly shown Julianne the ropes of school and has introduced her to her all her friends. I love her heart and how she looks after her little sister.

Justin is enjoying being a farmer/rancher. Chickens, pigs, and now sheep...he just can't get enough. He's become quite the sheep expert and has perfected his lamb-cooking skills. We pretty much eat lamb at least once a week, and the girls LOVE it! Now we'll be able to raise our own, and maybe have some to share or sell. No better eating than something you've raised or grown yourself.

I'm still loving teaching, and it's really awesome to be teaching Abigail's group this year! I already know most of the kiddos, and it's just a really great class. I'm still "working on myself", as my precious husband likes to say. I started my journey almost exactly a year ago, and I'm proud to say that I've stuck with it this time. I'm down about 40ish pounds and about 4 pants sizes, and I feel so much better than I did a year ago!

I'll try to be more intentional about taking pictures with my camera (not just my phone) so that I have some to share next time. Now I'm off to enjoy this beautiful long weekend with my people!