Toys and toes

Ben has found the wonders of both. He’s been grabbing at his toes a lot lately (I love when babes do that). And just recently I’ve started giving him some toys to play with and look at and he is actually holding onto them and maneuvering them where he wants them (though I did give him a little help with this one). This child is a drooling machine. If I thought it was possible I would say he’s been teething for the last month. Between the fist in his mouth and the drool something has to be going on. So I gave him a toy to chew on today and he seemed to like it. I know all these pictures look about the same, but I couldn’t pick just one (or even two). He’s just too darn cute.

Love my family

Growing up we spent every Friday night with my Mema and Papa. Sometimes we just met for dinner and sometimes we got together after the meal was over. I’m sure I didn’t appreciate it at the time (I remember throwing around the “B” word a few times when I was done eating but the adults wanted to keep on gabbing), but now, I wish we could still find time in our busy schedules to keep that tradition alive. I miss those times with my Mema and Papa and wish my kids had the same kind of memories to look back on with their Mema and Papa.  But, everyone is so busy these days that we take the couple times a year (outside of holidays) that we can get together for a meal (yes, we see each other for other stuff in between) and make the most of them. This week, out of the blue, my mom invited us over for dinner. Of course I said yes. The boys love hanging out with them and truthfully, so do I.

We were supposed to head over to their house about 4 p.m., but the loud rumbling in the sky distracted us once again. Ben is a bit too young to appreciate the Thunderbirds and was perfectly content to watch us all pointing to the sky from the back of the truck.

So, we were a few minutes late. We had a great dinner and then the boys played for awhile before we had to head home.

And because this little exchange is so much better in video than on camera:

Thunder in the Valley

A small group of residents have spent the last year planning and promoting the first air show in town in many years. Originally we had planned to take the boys out to the airport for the day, but after multiple air show accidents that resulted in fiery crashes and death we decided against actually going to the event and instead settled on watching from afar. It turned out to be a very good idea for our family as the boys got very antsy between the “acts” and at least at the park they had something to keep them entertained. Not to mention we all got a little burnt and we spent the majority of the day in the shade of a tree. Even from afar the death-defying tricks were amazing. The boys (and the parents) oohed and ahhed every time a plane flew overhead or could be seen diving into the horizon just beyond the tree line.

The boys lost all interest about 3:30 so we packed it up and headed home before the grand finale: The United States Air Force Thunderbirds. We made a quick pit stop at HyVee for a last-minute dinner need and then just as we were pulling into the driveway we heard the first roar of the birds. We decided dinner could wait so we headed to a nearby church with a big parking lot and lots of open space to watch the rest of the show.

Now, I love my camera. And my one zoom lens is great for some things. But, I never thought I would be taking pictures of planes in the sky and actually have to zoom out to get all four into one shot. That’s how low they were flying. It was amazing. And the boys were so excited to get to see (and hear) them. Zander repeatedly told us that was the best air show ever (you know, in his infinite experience with air shows). And Nick thanked us over and over for letting them watch the planes all day. It was almost enough to convince me to take them to the actual show on Sunday, but then the mom in me took over and reminded me of all the reasons that was not a good idea. Oh well, maybe next time.

It never ends

As soon as one activity wraps up there is another to take its place. Life is already hectic with only one child who really participates in any extra-curricular activities. I’m scared to think what life will be like when all three boys are active in their respective interests. YIKES! Anyway, Nick started soccer this week, but I had to miss the first practice because of work. Despite being tired from school he was raring to go by the time soccer rolled around tonight. And the best part --- I signed him up with my friend’s son so he knows someone on the team and I know someone on the sidelines. There is only so much 4- and 5-year-old “soccer” you can watch before needing a little chat break.

There is some serious excitement on Nick’s face as he kicks this ball. The other little boy apparently had better things to do. Oh, and don’t mind the shin guard/sock combo. I was a bad mom and didn’t do the laundry so his soccer socks were still dirty. I need to remember not to do that again.

This is Dalton. He was very thirsty through the whole practice. After multiple trips to the sidelines for a drink he decided to just take the water bottle with him. It might have been the cutest thing I saw all night.

Although this little guy is a pretty close second.

Bag lady

It used to be I could grab my purse and go. Then, I started work and in an effort to save money I started packing my lunch so I had a purse and reusable bag. Then, I had a baby, so it was a purse, reusable bag and a diaper bag. Then one of my babies started school and added a backpack and lunch box to the mix. Do you see where this is going? I feel like a bag lady every time I leave the house. I’ve contemplated buying a bigger van just so we can fit all our daily stuff inside (and I am only half kidding). Now that Zander is in school I have to get eight bags ready every morning before I leave for work three days a week. The other two days it’s only six.

This is my counter on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Mondays and Fridays I lighten the load by removing the bright blue backpack and the Toy Story lunch box. In the back, from left to right, is my breast pump bag, lunch box/briefcase (the bright green reusable bag), Nick’s backpack, Zander’s backpack, my purse, and the diaper bag. Thankfully I only leave the house with six of the bags (Mike takes Nick and his backpack and lunchbox) but still. I don’t even want to think about the day when I add another backpack and lunchbox to this mix!

Zander is off to preschool

I can’t believe it. The little guy that has been my baby for so long started preschool today. And we didn’t even get to savor the moment. I woke up just before 2 a.m. to feed Ben and as I was putting him back to sleep I heard a huge boom and the house went black. Yep, the power was gone. I fumbled around for a flashlight (dang boys are always stealing them and our rechargeable batteries are old and never hold a charge) and immediately called MidAmerican to alert them of the outage. I figured I was about the only poor soul in our neighborhood up at that awful hour. I set the alarm on my phone and hoped I wouldn’t need it. No luck. About 4:15 I woke to the sounds of MidAmerican guys clanging on the electrical box just outside our fenceline (I had opened the windows to keep some air circulating in the house). They had a huge spotlight beaming from their truck and were chatting away like it was 4 in the afternoon. Fifteen minutes later the downpour began and the men retreated to their truck. Thankfully I had already told my boss I would be in late so I could take Zander to school because I was going to be getting ready in the dark. The storm also woke Nick up earlier than normal so he headed out to the living room to play (in the dark). This is what it looked like with my camera flash (which Nick said “freaked” him out).

This is what it really looked like in the house. I give him credit for even attempting to play.

When we realized that the power wasn’t coming back on we made a last minute decision to have a special first day of school breakfast at Panera. The boys loved that idea and it allowed us to keep the refrigerator closed as much as possible.

Mike kept Nick at Panera while I quick ran home, grabbed Zander’s lunch and the rest of his stuff and quick headed to take Ben to daycare and Zander to school. And while we were running late I couldn’t help but snap this picture of the work being done in our neighbor’s yard. Apparently this was a pretty bad outage.

With minutes to spare we got to school, snapped this one absolutely adorable picture and rushed him in to daycare just in time to head to preschool. Zander sat down with his new daycare friends and waved bye to me like he’d been doing it forever. I did my best to find excuses to stick around but finally I just had to leave. My baby is growing up. Good thing I still have one more.

Another season comes to a close

Nick wrapped up another T-ball season (hopefully his last) the same day he went off to his first day of kindergarten. I could tell he was tired before we left, but he really wanted to play in his last game, so we headed out and hoped for the best. Even sitting on the bench you could see he was tired. He was zoning out. If this were the majors I’m pretty sure he would have tipped his head back and covered his face with his ball cap a la Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own.

But when he went up to bat he was all business.

                  

Unfortunately this was the week the coaches decided to play three innings instead of just two. Nick’s team was up to bat first. By the end, Nick had had enough. After his last at-bat he told the coach “bye” and we went home. Kindergarten and three innings was just too much for him. He took a quick shower, ate a snack and then dang near put himself to bed. He said “Mommy, I don’t want you to read me a book tonight.” That says something coming from the kid who usually tries to choose the longest books possible just so he can milk a few extra minutes before bed.

Off to Kindergarten!

My little boy is little no more. Today he is officially a grade-schooler. And he couldn’t be happier. Truth be told, neither could I. I am truly hoping that this new routine will make life a little easier at home.The boys have been at each others throats non-stop for the last few weeks and I am thinking a summer together at daycare is just too much. But, on to the good stuff. Nick got up so excited for the morning. I took the little ones to daycare and then headed back home to see Nick off. There is a bus stop just down our street, but Mike will be taking and picking Nick up from school each day (the beauty of working from home).

Nick was excited (even though it doesn’t show here) because I offered to make cinnamon rolls (just Pillsbury from a can) for his first day of school breakfast. This kind of treat is usually reserved for weekends because we don’t have time during the week.

After I dropped the other boys off I came home and took Nick outside for a few first day of school pictures. This first pose (Runner’s take your mark) was all his idea. Not sure where it came from, but there it is.

       

                  

After these pictures Nick looked at me and said “Are you going to take my picture at school, too? Because I don’t want any more pictures." Tough luck kid. You’re a kindergartner. You can maybe tell me to put the camera away in a few years, but not now. It’s not even an option.

Then it was off to school. Once we were there he wasn’t so against the camera and even let me snap one of him with Mike and vice versa! It’s funny because even though he looks nervous he so wasn’t.

 

He walked right up to his teacher, got his nametag and ran off to the playground. I had to yell at him to come back just so I could get a hug! Such a 180 from his first preschool days, when I had to go up to daycare and physically drag him across the room. I am so happy he has grown up so much in the last two years. He’s a good little kid.

Again, I don’t know what is with the nervous/sad little face. There were actually more parents crying than kids from what I could see!

And they are off, ready for a whole new experience.

I do have to say, though, that it was so weird not to be the one to pick him up. Getting these kids to and from their daily events has mostly fallen on my shoulders for the last five years. I had a very hard time not leaving work early so I could pick him up and hear all about his day. I wanted to see if he was smiling when he came out of the school and hear the few details he might share with me about what happened on his first real day of school. Mike did call me with an update, but it wasn’t until we sat down for a hurried dinner before T-ball that I finally got anything out of him.

He likes his teacher. They played all day. He didn’t learn anything new. He got to pick three friends (one boy and two girls) to play at the center with him today. He loves recess. He sat by another cold lunch kid at lunch (she also has an allergy) and the hot lunch kids had peanut butter (not true). I think that was more detail than I extracted through two years of preschool. Hopefully this is a new trend and not just a first-day anomaly.