Where Oh Where Has This Year Gone?

My goodness time has been flying by lately. While I was waiting for some videos to upload into my iMovie app tonight, I started looking at the last 12 months worth of pictures and am amazed at how much my kiddos have grown. I don't really feel like I've ever caught up with this year. Being down for over a month at the beginning of the year really takes its toll! I am happy to report that 6 months out from surgery, I am doing fantastically well. I have had no scarring and no loss of vision in any area that's pertinent to my daily function or my career. I have a slight deficit in the periphery of my right eye near my nose and my other eye more than compensates for it. I am able to practice dentistry without any problems. I am still LOVING my new job. I am finally able to do the kinds of dentistry that I've always wanted to do. I have gone to several training courses over the past few months and feel like I am finally catching up with technology in my field. My boss is in the process of building a larger place for us to move into by the end of the year and it's fun to see that process as well. This summer was filled with camps, classes and short vacations. Joshua attended an art camp at his school, a young botanist camp at the Botanical Research Institue of Texas and spent countless hours in the pool. He took private swim lessons this summer and went from a kid that wouldn't let go of the wall last summer to a kid that will jump off the diving board and swim the length of the pool. I am thrilled! He also likes to dive underwater with me to touch the bottom in the 10 foot end of the pool. So thankful for the wonderful teacher he had this summer! Joshua also hit another major milestone this summer. He spent 2 weeks in Midland with Grandma and Grandpa Robinson by himself! He had a blast and wasn't homesick in the least. He is already talking about the next time he gets to go out there alone. I think SKYPE helped out with the homesickness issue and the fact that my parents had him so busy he never had a chance to dwell on it. Lily wasn't overly amused at being left behind but she got some good girl time with me to do things that Joshua would never go for if he'd been here. Miss Lily started a dance class this summer and is absolutely hooked. She's my dare devil and has absolutely NO FEAR. Unfortunately, she's also a little on the clumsy side so she ends up bruised in several places. I have been looking for some sort of outlet for all this energy but she's too young for most programs. I found a little dance class that is right next door to her school that had a summer class for 2.5-3 year olds. She LOVED it. They do tap, ballet and tumbling and it is so cute! Tap seems to be her favorite but I think it's mainly the deliciously loud shoes! I got to sit in and watch the final class of the summer and was impressed by all that she had learned. She was the youngest in the class but seemed to have no trouble keeping up. We have signed on for the year and I am looking forward to the little recital in the spring! School started on August 8 for Joshua. It seems so early but I love the early release in May. We are able to hit vacation spots before they become crazy crowded. With his late birthday, Joshua just started Kindergarten. He loves it so far. He turns 6 next week but the cut off for Texas is September 1. He had a wonderful time in Pre-K last year at the same school and we can't wait to see what this year brings!