John David goes to Kindergarten

Dear John David,

Can you believe it?!?!  It's time to go to Kindergarten, and you are so ready for it.  We picked out all of your school supplies, bought new shoes, laid out your outfit, went to your classroom and met your teacher.  It's time, and boy are you excited, and yesterday for the first time before bed, you said you were a little nervous.  Let me fill you in on a little secret, I'm nervous too.  I have this pit in my stomach, will you get on the bus, will you cry, or will you just go and not look back?  I will be strong for you, I promise, but as daddy and I walk away from the bus stop, I will have tears.  You see, you are my baby, my last born and this is the last first day of Kindergarten I will have and it makes me a tiny bit sad.  You are just growing way too fast.  Stop it.  Okay? 

I really enjoyed our date yesterday.  It was important for me to spoil you as much as I could.  Thank you for not suggesting we go to the toy store ;-)  I enjoyed going out to breakfast with you and going mini golfing.  Great job on the hole in one!  Playing catch will you is one of my all time favorites!  I remember playing catch with my dad and enjoying it too.   And you rocked making cookies (I'll take credit now, for your future wife, yes I'm teaching him to cook, you're welcome, ladies).  Austin was so surprised and excited to sit at the table and talk about his first day with you, me and daddy while eating cookies.  We will talk about your day too, but we are going out for ice cream :-)

You loved getting a call from your teacher yesterday.  How sweet was that?!?!  Too bad we missed her, but she called us three times.  When we tried to call her back, how you said her name was so sweet in the voicemail.  I just love your sweet voice.  I just love you!

So, as you go to Kindergarten today and I want to give you some advice.  Much I like I did Austin on his first day.

• Make sure you sit and are quiet on the bus.  I want you to get to school safely.
• Listen to your teacher, she has a lot to say, she may be teaching you something important, or may be telling you something funny
• If you need to go to the bathroom, please lift the toilet seat up.  No one wants to see any pee pee on the seat.
• Wash those hands, count to 20 or sing a song in your head, not out loud.
• I know how much you love to sing the songs you hear in the car, please please please do not sing Shut up and dance with me.  While it's super cute to hear you sing that, it's not appropriate at school and you may get in trouble for saying shut up.
• Meet new friends.  
• I know you like to be funny, there is a time and place for it, so look at your surroundings.  If your teacher is giving you the look, you know "the look"  stop and wait for recess.
• Oooh this one is important, listen up.  Eat quick!  You only have 20 minutes to eat.  So as Miss Diana says, "talk a little, eat a little, talk a little, eat a little"  
• Have fun!
• And learn!

Kindergarten is so much fun and you are going to have a blast.  We can't wait to hear about your first day.

I love you to the moon and back.  You are my number one favorite surprise! 

Have a great first day buddy.  Enjoy the bus ride, enjoy learning, meet new friends and fly!

Love,
Mommy

Summer is ending

I'm sitting here, feeling a little bit emotional, thinking about how my boys are gearing up for Kindergarten and 1st grade.  I'm thinking back to when I first found out I was pregnant, to their birth day, all of their firsts, and it is just a bit overwhelming.  I just can't believe how fast they are growing.  And it's great.  I really do love the stage we are at,  I'm still "cool", they don't need me every second of the day, but I admit, I miss miss miss, holding them and rocking them.  I'm lucky that they love to give me hugs and kisses and we do have our little bedtime routine which is pretty amazing.  But, I look down the road, and I'm definitely NOT ready for what I see.  So, can we just please hit the pause button for a little bit.  Please.

Climbing to the top with Daddy

The boys are adapting very well to our new house.  They absolutely love it here.  They have a pretty cool play room, where we are trying to keep the toys.  And they have pretty awesome rooms.  One thing that Austin said when we were driving there on moving day still makes my heart melt.  John David said something like, "we are own our way to the new house" and Austin said, "No, John David, we are on our way home." So sweet. 

One thing we did not anticipate was the difference in temperatures upstairs vs downstairs.  It's pretty cool downstairs but pretty hot upstairs, we have been sleeping with the ceiling fans and even slept with the window open when it was cool outside. I do look forward to sleeping with the windows open when it's fall outside.  All nice and cozy in my bed with the cool air coming in. 


John David has been loving t-ball and he is a star.  He has quite the arm and is always asking Kevin and me to play catch outside.  He's even starting to catch.  He has his own bat and brings his bag to t-ball.  I think he loves it.  He does awesome with the ground balls too.  We are definitely proud of him.

Austin has mastered the monkey bars.  He has successfully gone across.  He has quite the serious look on his face as he is doing it, but the big smile on his face afterwards are great.  We joke that he will be on American Ninja Warriors because he loves creating these obstacles at the park.  And now he can add monkey bars to it.  He also loves the show!

Austin has a huge heart.  Lately at daycare, he has been making bracelets with one of his friends, we even got him his own kit.  Toy day is on Tuesday and every Tuesday he would come home with 3-4 bracelets on his wrist.  His friend Dana made them for him.  Dana this, Dana that.  So one day, he tells me, he is going to Dana's house on Saturday.  Ok buddy, how are you going to get there, maybe I should talk to Dana's mom, maybe we can set something up, you know the drill.  So I give Austin my number on a piece of paper, so he can give it to Dana, so she can give it to her mom, so we can talk.  The chances of my number ending up in Dana's moms hand is SLIM, I know.  I told the teacher, so she knew why I was giving my number.  Austin's teacher said, "Austin, didn't tell you?"  So apparently, Dana was moving to Texas in 9 days.  I pick up Austin from school, and say, "Hey buddy, how come you didn't tell me that Dana was moving to Texas?"  "Oh yea, no problem mom, we'll just drive there".  Poor guy doesn't know its not a quick drive.   Fast forward to this morning, Dana's last day was on Tuesday.  We are driving to daycare.  "Mommy, are we going to get on a plane to go to Texas? ..... On Saturday?"  He was legitimately upset, when I told that we were not going to Texas.  Poor guy and his little sad heart.  I feel for him.

Almost at the top with Daddy

John David is a comedian, he's always coming up with the funniest things.  I woke up with a stiff neck.  I asked Austin to get me an ice pack, thinking he would bring me, my blue or green one.  Nope, he comes back with a frog one.  I ask Austin, "what do you think the people at my work will say when I show up with this frog ice pack.  Austin thought this was funny and had a huge smile on his face.  John David was a few feet away putting on his shoes and says "Ribit"  -----Where does he come up with this stuff!?!?!



All is good with us!  We are very happy in our new house, we are getting ready for school to start in 2 weeks (seems really late this year) so stay tuned to see how the boys first days of Kindergarten and First grade go.  I truly can't believe we are here....they say it flies by, and when you are in it you don't think so, but when elementary school rolls around, you really start to see it!