Back to School

Today was a very big day.  It was the first day of school, and somehow I woke up to a third grader and a kindergartner!  I was surprised at how smoothly we were able to get up, get ready, take pictures, and get everyone to school in plenty of time.

Aside from a comedy of errors when we were in the Kiss & Ride line, all went smoothly.  Hannah couldn't open the car door, Jack had to climb over her seat, his foot got stuck in her armrest, and then he nearly fell out of the car and onto the curb as Hannah tumbled out after him.  But after they were both firmly on their feet, I said I love you, and I watched as my two babies walked towards the front doors, hand in hand.  And my mama-heart just soared.

Tonight, we are exhausted, understandably.  But I will leave you with some of my favorite back to school photos from our day!

Our babies aren't so small anymore

First Day of Third Grade

1st Day of Kindergarten

They were so excited and happy!

And very patient with my picture-taking

My loves

Excuse my florescent orange shirt, but that was our first day of school uniform :)

Hannah and one of her best friends on the mid-day bus to daycare...looks like she had a good day!

Look, Mama - no tears!

I couldn't have asked for a better first day experience.

Feet First

We are very lucky to have a pool in our neighborhood.  The kids love it - it's nice and spacious and has three different areas for kids to play and swim and enjoy.

One area that has had lots of appeal, but has also caused some fear and anxiety is the deep end with the diving boards.  A couple of years ago, Jack jumped off the diving board after much pushing, prodding, and, I think I remember, bribing.  It didn't go well, and he hasn't done it since.  And by hasn't done it since, I mean that he didn't even attempt it at all last summer although we talked about it an awful lot.

But every.single.time. we go to the pool, he mentions the diving board and how he might go off.  In five minutes.  After break.  Before we leave.  Maybe next time.

Every.  Single.  Time.

The four of us went to the pool today and about 20 minutes in, Hannah decided she wanted to go off of the diving board.  And, of course, in true sibling fashion, she had to inform Jack that she was about to go off the diving board.  Which, in true sibling fashion, made him climb very quickly out of the pool and speed-walk to the diving board.

And just like that - he found something that he loves.  For the next 2 1/2 hours that's all he did.  Happily.

Hannah went off of the diving board, too.  She just didn't love it as much as Jack.  Yet.

All I can say is, thank goodness for good, old-fashioned sibling rivalry :)

Ready for the Big Leagues

After many months of feeling left out and being sad about not having lost a tooth, Jack has finally made some forward progress in the tooth department.

For some reason, I decided to help Jack brush his teeth.  I've been letting him take over most days, but occasionally, I offer to help out just to be sure we get a really good brushing in as much as possible without making him feel babied.  It's a fine line that I'm learning how to walk...

As I was brushing, I glanced down and saw what I thought was a tooth underneath toothpaste bubbles.  But I was thinking, surely he can't have a new tooth and I wouldn't know until now...

Well, guess what?

He definitely has an adult tooth, and I definitely did not know until now.  Had no idea.

And apparently, neither did Jack.

More worrisome is the fact that this tooth is well behind his baby teeth, and his baby tooth is still intact, although after much inspection, slightly wiggly.

I Googled, and I wasn't the first person to Google "permanent tooth coming in behind" either.  I guess it's fairly common, shark teeth is what it's referred to, but either way, we have an appointment with the dentist Monday morning just to be sure all is well.  I certainly can't wait for our six-month appointment on the 20th before addressing this issue and hearing that this is completely normal.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that Jack can wiggle his baby tooth out before then.  He's very eager for a visit from the Tooth Fairy.

Six Years

Six years ago today, this little man came into our lives and changed us forever. 

We never knew how much we could love someone else until you.

We are so proud of you and the young boy that you've become.  

We love how smart you are, how creative you are, how funny you are, 

what a great big brother you are...

And we wonder every day what we ever did to deserve someone as great as you.

We love you so very much.  You won't really know how much, until one day when you have babies of your own, but I promise - so, so much.

We love you, Baby Boy.  Happy Birthday!

He practiced lunch.

Today felt like a big day around here.  Jack got to practice eating lunch in the school cafeteria.  Our kindergarten program is a half-day program, and so usually, Jack goes to daycare and has lunch there.  But about a week and a half ago, his teacher sent home a letter explaining that the kindergartners would get to eat lunch in the cafeteria one day this year in order to better prepare them for first grade in the fall.  I thought this was a lovely idea, and I immediately got excited about a new lunch box and using the lunch box notes I've been pinning since before Hannah was born.

Saturday night, on our date night, Brad and I stopped into Target after dinner and a movie to pick out a lunch box and a thermos for our little man.  We settled on Spider-Man (of course!) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Last night, after Sunday Steak Dinner, I made lunch like I imagine the best mommies do.  I pretended that this is a task I will not grow to despise before the end of the first week of school.  I even added the lunch box note.  And then I was worried the condensation from the thermos would smear the note before Jack would have a chance to read it.  So I put the note inside a baggie.

I couldn't wait to pick Jack up from school today to hear about his special lunch.  When I first saw him and asked about how it went, he said it was fun.  So I asked him if he found anything special inside his lunch box.  He said he found strawberries, blueberries, and bananas.  

"Anything else?" I asked.

"A Lunchable," he told me.

"Anything else?" I asked again.

"Nope."

"Did you see the note?"

With his little nose scrunched up, he asked, "Was I supposed to give that to my teacher?"

"No, silly - the note was for you!"

We went inside, and I went digging for the note to show him how much I cared.  I found the note, still in its plastic baggie, but I also found all of the trash from Jack's lunch.  Hard bologna, yogurt that had spilled all over the inside, uneaten cookies that had gone stale...

Apparently, he hadn't eaten fast enough, and in his new surroundings, decided to stash his food back into his lunch box.  We had a chat about using the trash can in the future (there were apparently five available, a tidbit he shared, but he still chose not to use one).

It wasn't until after dinner that he finally settled down to read his lunch note.  I think he thought it was pretty cute, even if it didn't go anything like I'd envisioned in my head.  I'm learning that it never does!

*****

And just because - here's this sweet, little beauty this morning before I had to wake her up.  Sometimes, she takes my breath away...

A Lesson in Letting Go

This afternoon was gorgeous.  It's rained for three days, and then finally today, the clouds parted and the sun came out.  The kids were excited when I picked them up from school.  They couldn't wait to get home and ride their bikes, and to be honest, neither could I.

We didn't have the best morning.  For the second straight day in a row, Hannah cried, kicking and screaming, on our way to school.  I think it started today because I had put her hair in pigtails for her spring pictures, and she wasn't loving the way her cowgirl hat sat atop her pigtails.  It escalated from there.  We hadn't even left the house yet before I, literally, broke out in a full-body sweat and had to do breathing exercises to remain calm.

To answer your question - yes, she wore a cowgirl hat in her spring pictures.  And her pink cowgirl boots.  And her plastic, princess necklace.  I've learned to pick my battles.  Apparently, the photographer thought it was a joke until Hannah was adamant and the teacher let him know I'd said it was okay.  "Okay, we can work with that,"he told them.  We can't wait to see how they turned out.

Anyhow, this morning was rough, so I was excited that we'd get to go out and play.  Soccer practice was canceled due to muddy fields, and so we had plenty of time before I had to start dinner.  We started to go for a walk around the block when Jack met a friend from our neighborhood.  She is also in kindergarten, although they are not in the same class.  She was initially walking a neighbor's dog, and then she was riding her bike around the block, lapping us at least once or twice.  I was impressed with the way this little girl was just riding freely through the neighborhood, watching for cars and making new friends.  She and Jack chatted a bit, and then she asked him to ride bikes with her.  Jack was thrilled, I could tell.  Off they went, until I couldn't see him anymore, and I started to panic a bit.  I could only move so fast because I also had Hannah on her bike, but we walked around until we caught up.  By the time we all made it back to our house, the little girl had disappeared back to her house, but she'd forgotten her helmet on our driveway.  Jack eagerly wanted to return it, so we decided to go for another loop around the block, only this time with Hannah in the stroller since her little legs were tired.

We got halfway around the block before the little girl's brother claimed his sister's helmet, and we headed back for home.  I had just started to cook dinner when our doorbell rang.  There stood the little girl, asking if Jack could play.  He was out the door before I could even think of a reason he couldn't go...

They put on their helmets, and they were off, as I rushed Hannah back into the stroller and chased after them as fast as possible.  Through my mind were mama questions like, "Is he old enough to ride bikes without me?  Does he really know to look both ways?  What would Brad do?  When is he old enough to play in the neighborhood?"  Thankfully, it was right about that time that Brad called while on his way home from work.  While gasping for air and running with Hannah in the stroller towards my independence-seeking son, I filled him in.  Brad was so happy for Jack - it was adorable.  I was scared and shaken, but Brad?  He was just proud.

We decided I'd give him the rules and then let him play.  I would go home with Hannah.  Brad would drive by in a bit to check on Jack and bring him home for dinner.  Nervously, I talked to Jack, who was beaming with excitement.  Hannah and I set off for home, and she started to cry, loudly.  I had to bribe her with nail polish and a mani/pedi to cease the screaming fit she was throwing on the sidewalk.

As I concentrated on painting Hannah's fingernails and toenails, the doorbell rang.  And there was my son.  Crying because his new friend had pushed him down.  He wasn't bleeding, he didn't seem hurt, but he was upset.  And I felt awful.  I'm sure he has never pedaled his bike as fast as he did on the way home, with his friend and her brother and his friends following behind.

I'm not sure about exactly what happened.  I'll never really know how it went down.  But I think as Jack gets older, it's going to be so important for him to have these little independent times to himself and his friends.  I can't be with him everywhere, and he has to learn how to handle all those tricky situations where, up until this point, I would have likely intervened.  We talked about how he could handle a similar situation next time, and we snuggled on the couch as I finished his sister's nails.  His feelings were hurt, but more than anything, I think he was scared to be out of reach, if only by a few houses and only for a few minutes.

*****

It's okay, Buddy.  The feeling was mutual.  You are growing up so fast, and Mama's so proud of you.  We'll figure it out together, Love.  I promise.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

Today was a perfect spring day, and we had a great time with the littles getting ready for Easter.  This morning, we headed to the annual egg hunt in the front of our community.  They were both so excited, but when it was our turn to visit with the bunny, Hannah wasn't interested.  Jack posed for a picture, though!

They were in separate age groups for the hunt, so Hannah went with Daddy and I took Jack.

He was scanning the yard for the golden egg or a jumbo-numbered egg.  When the hunt began, he ran past what felt like hundreds of eggs in search of a prize egg before I suggested he start to gather a few for his basket :)  Nothing if not determined!

They agreed to pose for a picture before we headed home for lunch.

Hannah took a nice nap, and then after snack we headed outside to practice riding bikes.  Jack's been working on balancing on a glider bike, and today, after some coaxing, he felt ready to try his Spider-man bike with pedals and no training wheels.  And he did it!

We were so proud of him - truly a happy moment for Brad and I.  We both took videos, and Jack was beaming from ear to ear.

{I can ride a two-wheel bike now.}

He still has a little trouble pushing off, but once he gets going, he's pretty solid.  He can't wait to go back out tomorrow.

And Miss Hannah?  She rode her tricycle all the way around the block.  When we got home, she said she was tired, and I bet she was!  Those little legs of hers had to work pretty hard to go all the way around.

After we came inside, Brad colored eggs with the kids and I frosted our Easter cupcakes.  They were so excited to choose their colors and watch the eggs transform.

Hannah thought for a second that maybe she'd give a hard-boiled egg a chance, until she saw what they looked like, and then she quickly changed her mind.  Jack loves them though - which, being the picky eater that he is - makes us very happy :)

After dinner and bath time, we were tucking Jack in, and he asked about the egg hunt that the Easter Bunny may leave for him and his sister.  He turned to us, and asked, "Will the bunny leave a note telling us how many eggs there are?"

"What do you mean?" we asked.

"So we'll know how many to find?"

We swear.  That boy?  We think he's so smart.

And OCD.

But mostly smart.  Made us smile, for sure.

What a good day.

Silent Sunday

Spring is close - we can feel it.

{Also, one of our little lovelies is learning to pedal, and the other is learning to balance without training wheels.}