Austin and Kindergarten

Dear Austin,

Can you believe it, you are starting Kindergarten.  When did you become such a big boy?

I know you will do great.  You are so excited, as am I, for your new journey.  I will drop you off, give you the biggest smile and send you on your way.  I will be there waiting for you when you are dismissed with open arms and a big grin.  I will not cry...I will not cry...I will not cry.  In front of you.  Let's go out for ice cream afterwards, so I can hear all about your first day!

I'm trying to picture you in your back pack.  We are going out this weekend for your school supplies. You can pick out whichever back pack you want, even the character ones.  But if it falls apart after the first day of school, we will have to get a more durable plain looking one.  You already got your shoes, but we also talked about wearing something cute on the first day. 

Austin, I know you to be the sweetest kid out there, but you do have your wild moments. Please do your best to listen to your teacher, to keep your hands to yourself, to wear your glasses, to share and most importantly learn and have fun.

I really feel like just yesterday I was holding you in my arms for the very first time, rocking you in the glider during the wee hours of the night and being overjoyed in all of your firsts, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking.... and now another first is upon us. 

You are so smart, writing your name, knowing your letters and numbers, counting, now you will learn to read among so many other things.  Daddy is banking on a full ride to Michigan, so we need to get serious ;-)  just kidding, well not about going to Michigan.  That is one of daddy's hopes for you to attend his all time favorite school, hopefully it's a dream you both share.

Please be nice to the girls.  I know you like the girls and talk about how they don't like you.  It's probably because you are a boy, not because of anything you do.

My advice for you.

• If you have to fart, try to do it quietly in the corner, or even better, in the bathroom.
• Raise your hand
• Wait to be called on
• Share the crayons
• Don't talk about poop
• Be polite, say please and thank you
• You like to talk loudly, maybe talk just a little bit quieter
• Get to know the other kids in the class room
• Have fun and learn

I love Austin, to the moon and back.  I'm excited for you as you start Kindergarten.  I know you will have a great time and learn so much.

Love,
Mommy

Vaca

What a magical vacation we had.  Disney was everything I expected, magical, exhausting, fun, and overstimulating.

The boys loved Disney and seeing their eyes light up, made the whole trip, worth it, in my opinion.  They loved Small World, and Petar Pan, the oohs and ahhs and mommy look, daddy did you see that, really made me enjoy our trip.  They loved the rides we went on, especially the Men in Black ride at Universal where they could shoot at the aliens.  Austin hated, and I mean HATED, Despicable Me and Shrek, he screamed his little heart out, and even though John David was fine on those rides, he HATED, Simpsons ride. 

Both boys loved the pool, especially the resort pool.  The pool had zero depth which is comforting for John David and Austin was comfortable jumping in the pool, bigger the splash, the better.  What I did not expect from this trip, was John David going under water on purpose.  He's always been a little more timid of the water, but really has come out of his shell.  I'm so proud of him.  And Austin, he was swimming and blowing bubbles without his floaties.  He has 1 swim lesson and learned so much during that lesson.   The boys are fishes.

I loved Magic Kingdom at night.  I'm so thankful Kevin and I took the kids back.  The electric parade was very cool and the how the castle changed pictures during their presentation was amazing and the Fireworks!  I loved the fireworks.  Boys have only seen the fireworks once before so I felt that this was a special time.  Especially over looking the castle.  It was during this display that I truly saw how magical Disney is!

We went to Chef Mickey's to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto.  Seeing the boys face light up was amazing.  They really loved meeting them and showing them their Donald and Mickey stuffed animals.  They still talk about it a month later.

The SHRM conference was amazing and inspiring. Lots of great speakers and break out sessions and I'm bringing a lot back with me.  Tim McGraw was amazing and am glad that I saw him.  We didn't even get seats, we made our way as far up as we could and stood the whole time.  I think I might even have lost my voice.

I also had a free day and I went to the beach on the Atlantic for the first time.  We enjoyed lunch on the beach at a bar/grill restaurant and listened to live music, and he pretty much played country music, my fav.  I looked for sea shells and got a few. We went into the ocean and a wave got me a time or 2.  My flip flops broke and I quickly found out how HOT the sand is!  OMG, I had to run so my feet wouldn't burn.

The Hilton Orlando was wonderful, I loved the pool outside and LOVED the PALM trees.  It was great to just sit on a lawn chair and enjoy the scenery.  The only thing I didn't particularly like about the hotel was the bed, which is a big thing, but the scenery at the pool more than made up for it.  Next time the conference is in Orlando, I will stay there again, and enjoy that pool again!

What I learned about Florida:

• the lights are forever LONG
• the handicap stall has a sink in it
• there are birds everywhere and they like to eat your food 
• It rains almost daily
• They like keep the convention center cold
• The flowers are beautiful
• And most important, I loved Florida!

The boys and I went to Wisconsin with my dad and Mary, aunts, uncles and cousins.  We had a blast but sure did miss Kevin.  He couldn't come since he didn't have the vacation time after our trip to Florida.  We went to Scharenberg's which is where my family would take us when we were little.  We hung out at the lake all day and really had a blast.  The boys loved the water and mostly the sand, sometimes they said they didn't like it and other times they did.  Both brave boys went tubing.  I can't believe it!  We were in the boat and next thing I know they were asking to tube.  What is going on?!?!  I feel like yesterday, I was bringing them home from the hospital and now they are doing big kid things.  It's just surreal and overwhelming.  They also went fishing for the first time and caught a few!  We were only there for a couple of days but we sure did have a blast.  It was nice hanging out with everyone!

We truly did have a wonderful vacation.  I look forward to the many vacations we will take and memories we will make.

A lot is going on now too, t-ball, summer and back to school, which means next month, Austin will be in Kindergarten.  Can't think about that now, must focus on summer.

Happy 4th birthday, John David

Oh Johnny, what am I going to do with you, I told you to stop growing and here we are again celebrating another birthday.  John David, you are the sweetest kid I know.  And you have quite the personality.  You always have us cracking up with your silliness. We love you so much and want to wish you a big happy 4th birthday. 

You have been so patient, you know your birthday was coming up but you didn't ask about it too much, well until now.  Now that Austin's birthday is over, you know your special day is just around the corner.  We have been crossing out the days on our calendar.

Where are you today!  Gosh, it's funny because as I'm typing this, Darius Rucker's, "It Won't Be Like This for Long" is on and boy oh boy he is correct. 

You weigh 43 pounds and are 42 inches
 

 Your most favorite foods are cheeseburgers, pickles, salad, meatballs, applesauce, monkey yogurt, and bagels.  Let's rewind for a minute, salad?  When did you start liking salad?  We were out one night and you told me you wanted salad with the orange stuff.  I played along, since you told me you eat it at school, and sure enough you ate it!  And that orange stuff, it's yummy french dressing.  I like french too!  You also love spaghetti and you get that spaghetti face that kids get.  I always wanted a baby with spaghetti face, loved those Ragu commercials and now I have my very own.  You don't like the spaghetti at school, because, and you tell me this, "it's not mommy's spaghetti"  It makes me so happy that you like my cooking.  Just like daddy, you like vanilla ice cream.

Last year, I really had to help you with your bike.  Now, you are a master at it, going up and down the street.  It's amazing how much difference a year makes.  Pretty soon, we will all be able to ride together.  We just need to get daddy a bike!

You know your letters and your numbers 1-10, how to write your name and draw amazing pictures.  You like to make us special pictures and put them in envelopes.  Mommy and daddy need to lick the envelop though, and then you make a special delivery.  One time, you even put the note in our mailbox and mad daddy go retrieve it.  We need to teach you how to address an envelop and put a stamp on so we can share your precious pictures.

You love to sing.  And of course, it's Frozen, "Let it, go"  You were doing a puzzle the other day and you were belting out Let it Go.  I thought it was super cute. When we came to your Spring Sing, you were front and center singing your songs, and at bed time you like to sing songs together.

Speaking of bedtime, you have your own system, and like last year, you like to change it up.  We never really know how its going to go. Sometimes you want to hold your blankies with the tag closest to you, other times you want them covered over you and sometimes you don't even want them in your room.  You have a special love for your teddy bear and kangaroo or bunny, whatever it is and love to cuddle with them.  You 95% of time need a sip of water before bed.  You love to hear songs, stories and you love to talk before bed.

You have a blast with daddy.  He likes to play ball with you and watch you ride your bikes.  He does his wrestling moves on you but most of the time you aren't a big fan, only because you don't like to be locked down, but you like to lock him down.  Soon, my son, you will be locking him down. When grilling season started, you needed to have your play grill outside beside daddy and you love to cuddle with him

You like to be comfy and only wear jeans sometimes, very rarely, you are much more comfortable in comfy pants and a shirt.  You are very good at dressing yourself and usually match.

If you watch TV and it's still not a lot (like your brother) you will choose, Doc McStuffins, Daniel Tiger and Henry Hugglemonster.

You are having a blast playing Spot It, Go Fish and Memory with me.  You are very good at it too. You always beat me at Memory! 

You also love the ipad just like your big brother.  It's amazing really because when we first started Despicable me, you weren't very good, but now you are awesome!  You like Sonic too.  You love to do puzzles on the ipad as well as on the floor. 

John David, we better start getting ready to call you JD because I'm sure that is what they will call you on the team.  You start your first t-ball practice when we get back from Disney and you will be a star.  I'm so impressed with your ability to HIT the ball with no tee, and you hit it hard!  I feel for the pitchers because they are going to get a lot of line drives right back at them.  Your aim is awesome.  I'm just in awe of how good you are at hitting and throwing.  I hear soccer is in the fall, if t-ball goes well maybe you'll like soccer too. It doesn't matter what kind of ball it is, you love them all.  When we go to the park, you want to bring your football, basketball or just any kind of ball.

We are so lucky because you love to make our coffee in the morning and you love to make pancakes with Grandma.  We like to call it a cup of Johnny and your pancakes are delicious.  You will set the table for us too, so helpful you are!

 You are amazing John David.  Mommy and Daddy just think you are more caring little boy out there.  We hope you have a wonderful birthday and year.  This summer should be so much fun.  Can't wait to see you jump in the pool this year!  Happy Birthday, buddy!

Happy Birthday, Austin

My dear sweet Austin, happy 5th birthday to you.  Can you believe it, it's FINALLY here!  You've had a hard time with waiting for your special day.  You know it's after mine and Mother's Day, and before John David's but the 3 weeks in between is very hard for you, you are so excited.

Happy

It's hard for me to believe that you are already 5.  And little man, you are starting Kindergarten in the fall.  You will be going to daycare in the morning and then will be bussed to school.  Such a big boy you will be.  You are starting t-ball in a few weeks and we are so excited to watch you.

Let's see what you have been up to.

You are 48 pounds and 44.5 inches.

You can't have a messy room.  We will put you to bed, get you all tucked in and then will start hearing banging and moving going on in your room.   Then you'll come out of your room with a purpose and want us to see your room.  You have no problems keeping a mess in the living room, but your room has to be clean, with the exception of under your bed, although you just told me that you want to clean it.

Loving on Buster

You have a deep love for Buster.  There are times, when you will lay on the floor with him and pet him so nicely and look into his deep brown eyes.  You have to kiss and hug him before we leave in the morning and before you to go bed.  You often tell him you love him and that you love his big brown eyes.

Mommy cuddles

You have learned that mommy loves to hear sweet things from you.  You see, buddy, I'm trying to show you what your mom and your potential girlfriends will want to hear.  It makes us feel so happy to hear nice things.  So sometimes, you will say, "oh mommy, I have a secret for you", you'll pull my hair away from my ear and whisper,  "I love you".  It melts my heart every time.  You say things like, "I will love you forever"  "I'm going to love you all day"  "I still love you"  "Oh mommy, you look so cute with your hair like that". 

Being silly before bed

You crack me up with your style.  In the winter, you would only wear jeans.  Do you know how many pairs of jeans you went through, a bazillion.  Because, while you will wear jeans every day, you will not wear ripped jeans.  But the minute we come home, you rip the jeans off and put on comfy jammy clothes, which entails, shorts and short sleeve shirt.   Now that it's warm, one might think you would wear jean shorts, but no, it must be basketball comfy shorts with no strings.  We will have to cut off the string or just remove it. You like to be cute and often ask me "Mommy am I cute?" after you choose your clothes.

 Austin, right now your favorite foods consist of pizza, but only cheese pizza, and if the cheese comes off, you have a melt down!  You like cottage cheese, monkey yogurt, oatmeal squares.  What's different about you know versus a year ago is that you are more willing to try food.  You may not like it, but you will try it.  You are definitely my child, because you like shrimp, and you take my shrimp.  Austin, you must know, that I would not give you my shrimp, if I didn't love you.  Shrimp is my favorite dish and I don't share with just anyone. I do share, but when it comes to shrimp, I gotta be selective. Good thing you chose the Lobster place for birthday dinner so you can eat shrimp. You love ice cream, chocolate ice cream, just like me.  Vanilla just won't do.

Happiest when on bike

Thank god, Daddy got your bike down, because you love to ride.  Last year, you were riding with a little help from me, now, oh my goodness, slow down!  You are giving mommy gray hairs.  You go so fast, in circles and you fall a lot, but you get right back up.  You are so determined and courageous.  Maybe, next year we will have the training wheels off, my whole head will be gray! ;-)  When you ride your bike, you have the biggest grin on your face and it just makes me so happy.  I'm sure you feel so free!

You love to play on the iPad!  And you are good at it too.  Minion Rush and Sega are favorite games, but you are known to play memory, puzzles and ant crusher.

Your favorite  shows are Henry Hugglemonster, Doc McStuffins, Up (The funny movie), I'm not sure why you call Up the funny movie, but you do.  Other shows you like, Jake, Daniel Tiger, Ella the Elephant.

I have a question for you, why do you go unbelievably crazy the minutes before and after the bath? Maybe one day, you'll be able to answer this for me as I really would like to know.  Bath time, is crazy.  There is water EVERYWHERE.  And I don't know what to do, yes, you get water all over the place, but you do clean it up afterwards, pretty good too.  Just scared that one day, you will have a nasty fall.
 
Something new the past couple of weeks.  You are freaked out by ants.  You were playing in the dirt and all of the ants appeared and some got on you and you were running and screaming, "GET THEM OFF"  Then, you had to go go inside and wouldn't come out. John David was outside with daddy and you were inside coloring because you didn't want to be by the bugs.  It's okay, Austin, mommy hates bugs too!  I'm sure you'll be over that soon.  And that you'll be bringing me your treasures and I'll be screaming.

pictures before bed

You have a blast with daddy.  You love it when daddy traps you and tickles you.  It seems as though you can't get enough.  Daddy loves getting you with the hose and hearing that contagious laugh of yours.  Recently, we have all started playing Spot It and Go Fish and it has been a blast. 

He even gave his guy a name

You have been so creative with your pictures.  It's amazing to see how much your pictures have changed in the last 6 months, especially your self portraits. They started off pretty basic and now they have hair and what looks to be glasses.  I love it.  And you are so creative with your chalk drawings outside.  When I pick you up from school, it's amazing what you have in your folder, so many fun and creative drawings.  Thankfully, I'm keeping some of them in a bin to look at.

Stopping to look at the view

You like to be the boss and tell people what to do, especially John David.  Apparently, you like to tell on people too, at school you told the teacher your friend was playing with the string on his shorts.  Silly boy.  We try to tell you to worry about yourself, but to you everything needs to be in its place.  We are working on this.

Austin, my sweet Austin, we love you so much.  You are a hoot and definitely keep us entertained.  You are wild and crazy but have a big sweet heart.  You keep us on our toes and laughing.  We look forward to another fun summer and a lot of firsts this year.  Kindergarten is in just 3 short months.  And you will rock it!  You will love riding the bus and making new friends. You will do wonderfully.  We are so proud of you, happy birthday buddy!

It always happens this time of year....

and it probably always will.  The time between my birthday and the boys birthday, the weather starts to get really nice and I get all nostalgic.   I know it has to do with the boys having a birthday, and probably with changing of seasons.   But I get this pit in my stomach.  And maybe that is more so this year, because we are having a lot of changes.  Austin is starting Kindergarten, we are going on a big trip next month, boys are having their first kids birthday party,  we are starting them in t-ball.  I know I say this every year but they really are growing up. Kevin took the bikes down, he was a rock star last fall and got them all hung up in the garage, and from the first time on their bikes they were already riding down the driveway into the street, and I only really need to help up the hills.  Unfortunately, our neighborhood is pretty hilly so a tad hard for the boys, but they are rocking in.  They love having their bikes down.  They love using their muscles and John David as he was riding in circles in the backyard told me he was getting exercise.


The boys are crazy about their bikes.  We have rode to the park, which was an experience.  Once we got to the park, they were riding around the park on the sidewalk, and I was watching as a proud mommy, not sure what to do, stand and watch, sit, chase after them.  Austin was riding on the basketball court but decided not to turn and went down the grassy hill.  I ran after him, for a few reasons, but mainly because he was headed downhill for the marshy area.  Luckily, he spun out just in the nick of time, in front of all of the frisbee golf players but not quite in the marsh.  Everyone was quiet but me, I was running, asking him if he was okay.  Austin was silent, we got him up, and not one time did he cry.  I laugh because one of the frisbee golf players, yelled, "AND HE'S GOOD"  I was shocked that he didn't cry, but merely got right back on the bike and proceeded to ride.  I think a year was shaved off my life and received a few gray hairs and Austin got some bruises, okay a lot of bruises from the past couple of days, but man that kid is persistent, courageous, determined.


Mother's Day.  My kids are too funny when it comes to keeping secrets.  They can't for the life of them.  So they made me something at school.  Austin comes to me, "I made you something special at school today, but I can't tell you what it is.  It's a bracelet and you're going to love it.  Oh, don't tell Miss Brenda or Miss Angie."  And then the boys are in the back seat telling each other what they made me. They had their gifts ready for me on Wednesday, but I was good and waited to Mother's Day to open them (so not like me).  In hindsight, it might have been better if I opened them early, because they were super excited to have me open my presents at 5:45 a.m.  We had a very nice day, we went to breakfast with Milly, and then the boys and Kevin and I went to the forest preserve near our house for a bike ride, kids rode their bikes and Kevin and I walked behind them. John David didn't make it too far so Kevin and him rode back to the bench by our car and Austin and I continued.  I thought we were only going a bit further but the path kept going so I thought it would be best to turn around.  I had to run to keep up with Austin on the way back.  He is a speed demon, I hope this isn't a look into his future with him driving.  Then we ran around in the grass and took some cute pictures.  Took a nap at home, organized clothes and then went out to dinner.  All in all a great day!

Spring Sing.  We had spring sings for both boys. We didn't know what to expect.  Austin was super excited for us to come, but when we get there he was so shy.  A lot of parents were there and I think as a 4 year old I would be scared too!  He didn't sing, but he did play with his sticks and had the cutest I'm so shy smile on his face!  John David on the other hand, was up front, singing all the songs!  He was so excited as well and just had the biggest smile on his face.

I have really been missing my mom lately and I’m kind of angry about it.  I know she’s proud of me and looking down on me and my family.  I feel her.  But I want her here to share in my excitement with the kids.  I feel cheated.  Mother’s Day is even harder than most days, I see pictures of my friends with their kids and their mom’s and just want that!  It’s just sad.  Now, I do know she is with me, I “see” her all the time.  See, when I see the numbers 333, that’s her sign for me.  She is buried at 9A333.  My dad saw 333 right when she passed and now when I see 333 I think of her.  I’m lucky that I do see 333 a lot and that makes me both happy and sad.  Just the other day, I   And I just cried, because I couldn’t do that. So when we were driving and talking, I turned behind a car and wouldn’t you know the license plate was 333.  I was mad at her because I had no sign of her on my birthday, it just made me so sad. And then of course I feel mad at myself for being mad at her.  Crazy ripple effect, I tell ya.  I posted the picture of my mom the other day as my facebook profile picture because I wanted to be like everyone else showcasing their moms.  Just before that, the boys and I came across her picture.  Austin says “she took care of me as a baby!”  He remembered me telling him that.  So on Mother’s Day, I looked at all of the supportive comments people gave me on my profile picture and just smiled.  I know she would be proud of me, want to know how I know, because on Mother’s Day, I looked up and saw the time, 333.  Her sign for me.  I know she’s okay, I know she’s looking down on me, smiling, but I admit I still feel cheated and I’m mad because I know that she would love being a grandma to my 2 amazing, rambunctious, little men.
was telling Kevin how upset I was about my mom and how much I missed her. On the radio that morning, people were giving shot outs to their mom.

Preschool is ending and it'll be time for summer activities at daycare. Both boys received portfolios of their time there.  I saw, name writing samples, cutting samples, drawings, paintings, self portraits, photographs, letters, and it was AMAZING.  Definitely brought a huge smile to my face as I can truly see how much they have learned there.  I will treasure this book forever.  
 

April

It's April!  I hope that means the cold weather is behind us.  I was doing okay with this weather until recently, I'm so over it and am longing for nice weather.

Yesterday, I took the boys to the the park, yes the park for the first time in MONTHS!  And it was wonderful!!!!  Although I got a little teary eyed when a group of kids ran out of the school, after school program?,  and started playing with Austin.  He just ran up to them, and they all started playing.  I was pushing John David on the swing, and when he was finished, he started playing with the big kids too.  Yes, big kids, thinking 8 or 9, okay, maybe 7, not really sure, but definitely older than my kids.  And they were playing nicely, running around, chasing each other, laughing and it made me realize Austin and John David truly are big kids.  What happened to my babies?  It seems like yesterday that they were toddling around and now they are having conversations with other kids, bigger kids.  It's all so surreal!

In other events, I just finished my first 8K, the Shamrock Shuffle.  It was okay, my official time was 102.33.  I really wanted to finish it in 59.59, but it didn't happen.  From the start, I knew it was going to be rough, my knee has been twinging when I have been running and sure enough it started right away, so I ended up walking and running.  Kevin was there to cheer me on and see him while I ran past him was the best feeling in the world.  Made me so happy that he was out there supporting me!  Thanks baby!  Well, I'm happy I finished it and next time, I'll aim to do better, but at least I finished.

It's almost time to register Austin for Kindergarten!  In just 4 months, Austin will be in Kindergarten!, Wait, what?!?!?  He's going to attend the elementary school nearby and bus back to daycare.  He will have the best of both worlds.  If we can, we are going to try and get him in the afternoon program, so he can have daycare's pre kindergarten program and then the school's kindergarten!  I think Austin will love going on the bus. 

We had John David's ENT appointment and 1 tube is almost out!  However, the other tube is still right where the doc placed it.  We go back end of June and if it's still in there, we will need to think about removing it.  They are concerned now, but as the time grows, they become even more concerned.  I hope that baby comes out on its own, because I don't want John David having surgery again.  The tubes worked so well for John David, we went from constant ear infections to just 2 in 2 year!

Boys are excited for spring and for their birthday coming up.  They know we are going to Disney, but I don't think they quite understand the timing. I can't wait to see their faces light up!  We made a reservation to have breakfast with Mickey and the gang!

I know I say this every year, but I think the boys are going to be so much fun this summer!  Can't wait!

Happy New Year (2014)

Happy New Year everyone!  Wow, what can I say, 2013 flew by.  We had a great Christmas, full of love and joy.

We are freezing here and wanting warm weather.  Everything is so wet and well just not fun. I long for the days when we can walk to the park, feed the ducks, swim, it's right around the corner, right?  It is, but it feels like it's very far away.

We are having a blast.  The kids are doing fantastic.  Dare I say it, but for the past 3 weeks, bedtime hasn't been hard.  We took naps away on the weekend, but they still nap at school, which is hard for us, but we are managing.  They fall right asleep on the weekends and on Monday.  Hopefully it was just a phase.  Although, we do need to work on 5:00/5:30 wake up calls.  This mommy is one tired cookie.  Taking naps away as been hard on ME!  I miss that 1 1/2 hours of quite time.  I sometimes would nap, watch TV, read, clean or run.  But now I'm trying to find things to during nap time, so they don't fall asleep.  Even though it's hard to get through nap time, it makes it so much more rewarding when they do fall asleep quickly.

John writing his name 2/14

I have to say I'm so impressed with the boys new school.  They are learning so much and it's amazing to see how far both have come in just a few short months.  Austin is cutting paper out on the lines, writing, recognizing his letters, drawing awesome pictures, it's truly amazing.  And John David is doing the same 1 year younger!  I also heard that John David is picking up on Spanish very easy.  It's so hard to see how much the boys have grown up, I keep thinking they are babies but I realize that was awhile ago. 

Austin writing floss/dentist 2/14

We went to visit the day care's kindergarten.  I really am having a hard time with Austin going to Kindergarten in August.  How did this happen so fast?!?!  We had parent/teacher conferences, my first one for Austin, and yes, I got to sit in a little itty bitty chair and hear about how my Austin is doing.  I will admit, I was nervous, hoping to hear good things, and you know what, I did!!!!  Obviously, some things to work on, which I know, but she said he was a joy and that he's ready for Kindergarten!  So now, we need to make a decision, send him to the kindergarten at his school, which is full day and I don't need to work about transporting him to a different school, or send him to the one where he is district to go.  If he goes there, it's for 1/2 day and we would need to have him transported back to daycare via their bus.  We went to 1 open house and will go to the other one next Thursday to see which one is better for us.  I'm not ready.

So we had a scare with our Buster.  Long story short, he had 2 broken teeth an infection and an abscess.  The vet thought it was cancer and gave us a big scare.  Luckily, we opted to bring him in for a biopsy, which ruled out cancer and showed the broken teeth/abscess.  After antibiotics, he is back to his normal, fun loving, food snapping self. 

Some cute things the boys have said or done.

Family picture, John David is the blue dot top right corner 2/14 (A)

We went to the mall to run around their play area and they wanted to ride one ride.  Well Austin saw someone in the ride that he wanted to go on, he turned to me and said, "we need to be patient and wait our turn!"  That same day, both boys, wanted to run around in circles holding hands.

Austin and his pictures, are bringing big smiles to my day!

John David constantly tells me, "I like you"  which I think means even more to me than "I love you" because it truly comes from himself.  I don't say I like you to him, I say "I love you" so I truly feel that's his version of  I love you and it melts my heart every time.

Out of the blue John David will kiss my hand, my arm, my leg.

Kevin likes to smack their cute butts, and over this past weekend, I taught the boys to say to daddy, "Stand up, and take it like a man!" So then of course, they get to smack daddy's butt too.

Playing hide and go seek with John David is hilarious!  It will be his turn to hide and when it's our turn to seek, he will come running out laughing and all excited, or you'll call his name and he'll go EEEK and give up his hiding spot.  Austin, will be as quiet as he can.  He's good at the game.   Kevin and Austin were seeking me and John David, and Kevin is like "John David" and I had to hold my hand over his mouth and remind him to be quiet.  Cracks us up every time.

Ok spring weather, it's time.  We are ready and need the fresh air.