Yesterday my Mom, Nick, Cody and Colton arrived for their annual Colorado visit (I least I hope it continues to happen annually). : ) Here are some photos from yesterday and today. We just relaxed today since the boys are heading up to Pikes Peak tomorrow to watch cars race to the top of the mountain.

Joe made milkshakes after dinner.

Mia and Grandma at the pool.

Daddy and Mia warming up after some swimming.

Mia with her Uncles.

Uncle Cody feeding Mia.

The boys being boys.

Today was Mia's last day of daycare at Bright Horizon Montessori. I'm not going to lie, I was a little emotional saying goodbye. The daycare has been such a positive experience for Mia and myself. Her teachers were very knowledgable and able to answer all of my questions. They did an awesome job taking care of my little girl for the last 6 months! Mia is quite social and I know she will miss all of her little friends, but luckily I have a lot of friends with babies so there will be a lot of play-dates in the future.

Mia and her little friend.

Mia's friends.

Ms. Maggie feeding Mia

Ms. Katie changing Mia's diaper.

Sitting at the table.

Ms. Katie

Ms. Jaime

We had a nice father's day today spending time together as a family of 3. Mia is very lucky to have such an amazing daddy. Even though Mia can't say it herself, I know that she absolutely adores her daddy. It is quite evident in the way she lights up and smiles uncontrollably every time he enters the room.

Tuesday was the last day of school and of course I read, Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the Last Day of Kindergarten. I didn't cry but had a hard time fighting back the tears when one of the little boys in the class handed me a piece of paper that read...

Mrs. Jones,

Don't forget about me.

Love, Zane

This year's goodbye was definitely different since I couldn't say the usual, "see you in the fall" or "come visit me when you're a first grader". Parents got out of their cars at carpool and gave me hugs and well wishes. Even though I'm leaving the most amazing school (Mia is already on the wait-list), the sweetest kids (this is the school where elementary and middle school boys hold the door for adults) and the most fabulous co-workers, I still feel peace about my decision, which is more than I could ask for.

Thursday was my last day of work. My classroom was packed up, my keys turned in...Goodbye Kindergarten.

Hmmm...where do I start. Well, about a couple of months ago I started having some conflicting thoughts with being a working mom vs. stay-at-home mom. My negative thoughts towards working started a couple of months ago because Mia was (and still is) going to bed around 6:30pm. With her early bedtime, I was hardly getting anytime with her. I didn't want to push her bedtime back since we were already waking her in the morning when we had to leave for work. As most of you know, I LOVE my job so I knew I couldn't just make the decision to quit. This decision was too big for me or Joe to make. I needed to listen to what God wanted me to do. So, I started praying. I prayed that it would be clear if I should work or stay home next year. It wasn't soon after I started praying that Joe's boss left the company. It then occurred to me that this could be my answer. I told God that if Joe got the promotion, I would stay home and if he didn't, I would work. This might seem silly to some of you but it made sense to me. Even after committing to this decision, I had more fear about staying home rather than working. My good friend, Robyn, sent me this scripture from Philippians 4:

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praise shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when God displaces worry at the center of your life.

We found out last week, that Joe got the promotion. The promotion that is almost exactly the income that I bring in every month (after paying for daycare). Wow...God it good! On Thursday, I broke my teaching contract for next year. I'm still nervous for my new job as a stay-at-home mom to start but so excited and feel total peace with this upcoming season of life. Someday, I will return to the classroom and hopefully get to teach kindergarten again. Until then, I will be teaching my one, very important, little baby girl.