The Rest of August

The Rest of August had one more fair in it, our favorite fair of all time The Box Elder County Fair. One last night of glowing lights, dutch oven dinner, elephant ear scones, distant screams from distant rides, and who can forgot the berry pie.

That lucky Mickey was a fantastic seat mate for Lukey accompanying him on every ride.

He only needed a few rounds with the spin cycle, Mickey was a little filthy after that night. I don't think he was meant to ride the giant yellow slide, shoved under Luke's shoes. Or dropped in the dirt lots,to be trampled a few times when Luke found other things more enticing and forgot his devotion to the mouse for a few minutes.

Poor Mickey.

The Children's Place look a likes, we were loving their very similar just different color toned shirts. Elle's Bell had the same shirt only in yellow. Obviously Jo, Ash and I all shop at the same store, good old Children's Place. Where would Katelynn's closet be without you?

Goodbye County Fairs until next year.......

The rest of August found Lukey starting a new semester at Sound Beginnings.

"Well hello there little boy, you are looking mighty cute sweetheart."

"Who me?"


"Yes you, Lou bird."


I was told a big fat no when I asked for a picture with his new back pack.

He would rather a picture with a basket instead.

But never fear, if you are desperate to see what the new back pack looks like, just scroll down a bit. It's the exact same as Lance's only on Lance it looks cute on Luke it looks like he is carrying a Woolly Mammoth on his back.

It's just slightly too large for such a little boy like Luke. But what can I say you pick your battles with Luke and this was a battle not worth picking. Just let the boy have his back pack or his basket!




The rest of August has already found us in the throes of Homework.

Homework? In Kindergarten?

Seems funny to me, but so far Lance loves doing his homework, and I get a kick out of helping him with it, I am sure it won't last...... Lukey wouldn't hear of being left out of the pictures, so he is posing with his Journal from school.



And on this last day of August I read Becky's blog : http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2010/08/photo-challenge/
And took her photo challenge, try this it was a fun spin on your every day average picture. I love what setting my camera down and taking a photo of where our life happens every day. Day in and day out it's our kitchen bar for sure. We do everything at this bar, and I love what this little snapshot shows. I see a pair of kiddy scissors left from the boys opening their own Otter Pops again. I see Lance's homework still strewn about waiting for me to come back and help him finish it. I see a baby in a bumbo......bless that baby she lives in that bumbo. I see a Luke who is about to go to time out for standing on the counter yet again. I see my spring/summer centerpiece about to go down and be replaced with Fall decor. I see our picture bulletin board in the background that needs some major updating those pictures our favorites from Summer 2009.

Try this little challenge it was fun, set your camera down and see what is shows you.

Happy September everyone!

Quotable Quotes

Luke:

shoving a popsicle into my face to open "Mommy open."
"Luke, patience please."
"mommy open patience please."

"Mommy put K-Kum (Katelynn) down, Lukey up", (when he wants to be held).

During family prayer when he feels it has gone on too long, he randomly shouts out "In the name, In the name, In the name.......".

Lance:
"There's so much to remember, my head hurts."

"When I get bigger I want to work at McDonald's or be a daddy."

"Katelynn you keep falling down."
me "She is learning how to roll over."
"Oh like a seal."

"Hello Mr. Katelynn."

"Lance it's Miss Katelynn."

"But she has no hair, so she looks like a Mr."

"Mommy it's pretty windy today, Mrs. Carlisle said it's so cold today it might snow".

Me thinking his teacher is nuts, 84 degrees is not cold enough to snow, "Lance I don't think it's going to snow for quite sometime, it's the end of August".

Exasperated "oh mom don't you know it's a joke, I love that joke, my friends and me laughed. Mrs. Carlisle is SOOOOO funny."

And while we are on the subject of quotes, here is a classic from Eric:

(I was telling a first time new mommy, the joys of the baby blues.)

"Don't be surprised if for the first few weeks all you feel like doing is crying, you have no idea why, you love that little baby but you just feel sad, crazy, overwhelmed and not yourself those first few weeks, you are just kind of a hormonal mess."( I say oh so gently.)

Eric oh so innocently asks me "so when do you snap out of it after your THIRD child?"

Oh yes he earned a slug for that one!

Kindergarten

So I apologize in advance if this post gets a little mushy and unbearable to read, I promised myself long ago that I would not be one of those moms who cry and get all emotional about their babies going off to school.

Because really I am just not like that.

I'm not.

But this was a whole different ball park than I was expecting, I had no idea it would hit me so hard about having a little guy in school now every day. And yes I know Luke has been going every day now to Sound Beginnings for six months but that is somehow different, he is still my baby and still so young to me. And that doesn't feel so much like school, it feels more like an amazing experience for him that is blessing his life in more ways than we can imagine. But Lance is growing up all too quickly and this week I have experienced that with him.

So I need to hit the highlights of the last week and a half because there was a lot of defining moments for Lance and for me in my journey of mother hood.


It all started last week at Back to School Night, he was so excited to come with me to the big crayon school (they have big giant crayon pillars outside all of the doors). We got there and slowly, slowly I saw him start to clam up. He became very quiet, and restless, we talked to a few of the Kindergarten teachers and he was so anxious and nervous. Not like him at all, he has been talking of going to Kindergarten all summer long. Not an ounce of fear.

We got home and I just new something was bothering him, I kept asking him and all I could get from him was "he was cold". Okay.....I fixed him up with a nice warm bath, gave him some warm milk before bed and tucked my quiet little boy in all the while having these horrible thoughts of I have made a mistake. He is a June birthday, he will be one of the youngest in his class, we debated back and forth for along time about holding him back another year.

But finally we went with what our guts told us all along and registered him for this year. He is so ready, he needs to be challenged, he needs to be out of the house, he is so ready to learn, he is so tall for his age. We felt it would be a huge disservice to him to hold him back another year simply because he has a late birthday. I feel in my heart I know he is ready for this but seeing how quiet he was I started having serious doubts about our decision.

So I asked him one last time what was wrong. I laid down by him in his bed so we could have a little chat, never before has he not told me what was on his little mind. Finally out it all spilled, "it's a big school, there is a lot of kids, what if it was hard to make friends, I miss Miss Jen and Caleb". We talked for almost an hour addressing each of his fears. Finally I tucked a little happy relieved boy back into bed who was once again all geared up for school.

My thoughts about my boy going into Kindergarten are not just about my baby is so big and growing up, going away for a few hours each day but more along the lines of..... This is it. This begins the life of a school aged child. My days with Katelynn are exhausting, she is a fuss budget between 6 and 9 pm only wants to be held, she wakes up entirely too much during the night. Luke's tantrums are on my last nerve, why does everything have to be a fight. Motherhood is hard and tiring when they are little but I never imagined the pulls of your heart strings as they grow older and more independent.

Will he make the right kinds of friends, will he be respectful, will he have confidence in himself? How do I teach him these things, how do I guide him down the right path? Will he be kind and courteous, will he remember to say thank you? How do I keep our relationship to the point that he will always know he can tell me what is on his mind? Will I always be mindful, will my mothers intuition alert me when something is wrong?

A warm bath and a late night chat may not always be so simple.

Lance this week was so defining for me as your mother. I am so proud of you and the little person that you are. I pray that you know that I am always here for you, that you can always talk to me, and that you remember who you are and how much you are loved.

So the first day arrived, he is ready he is excited all fears are forgotten....or at least put on the back burner, and excitement on the front burner.

New clothes, new shoes, new backpack.....


I walked him into his classroom Mrs. Carlisle AM kindergarten.


You are right my baby that is a big school and you are still such a little boy......

Conclusion he loved every second of it, he hops out of bed each morning at 6:30 am bouncing away on his bed begging to go, he has made four friends though for the life of him can't recall their names. Mrs. Carlisle is super nice. It's color week, today he wore red, tomorrow blue. They are learning about safety and the letter A, they have snacks an Otter Pop to be exact. He got a gold coin and a sticker for being a good boy.

Oh and perhaps one of the greatest things for me is this cute little sight each morning. Eric drops both boys off at school on his way to work each morning. He loves this one on one time with each of his boys, they love their daddy and I love a few hours to myself each morning while the little miss takes her morning nap.

Yes I would say we have gotten off to a fantastic start to a new school year.

As for Lukey he begins next week, so stay tuned for more first day pictures.

The ABC's of Life, Finale

Pink NIGHTIES in the laundry are still making me smile, I love little girls........


Hallie girl sure does know how to show her cousins a thing or two about enjoying the great OUTDOORS......


PEARS and rice cereal a first for this girl......


QUILTS given to us by great grandmothers, what a treasure and a keepsake......

RAMONE'S body wash, the newest toy to join our household, (side note this toy involves a lot of water, what was a certain mother thinking when she bought this).......


SNUGGLES with daddy is a favorite time of day for both of these two I dare guess, it's sweet.....

TRAINING......potty training that is, the boys are enjoying a new game called Potty Training Super Hero's it involves Super Hero's sitting on juice glasses.....I don't know......

The goal of this game is to see who can knock each other off their tube first and go down UNDER the water.......

Fresh VEGETABLES such as corn on the cob, get it in while you can, only a few weeks left this season.....

Lance at WOODRUFF elementary for the Kindergarten assessment.......

X marks the spot, my hand has a cramp now, too much school signing.....

We buy 20 YOPLAIT YOGURT'S a week at this house, it's a family favorite.......

Lunch dates at Cafe ZUPA'S my favorite, especially their turtle cheesecake......