1st and 3rd

And it is over. The first day of school. The first drop off, the first friend, the first lunch time, the first recess. The first day of first grade. The first day of third grade. It's in the books and it was successful.

This letting go thing is not easy. It is so much easier to cocoon those sweet boys in my home, in my arms, with my watchful eyes on them. What if Colin's teacher doesn't realize that he needs alone time? How does a 6 year old find some space in a school of 400?! Will Jack's teacher let him be creative or will she just move forward with the schedule? SO many "what ifs", so many questions that unsettle this momma's heart.

But, I am proud of these boys. Colin was brave and stoic as he walked through the hallways crowded with kids and made his way slowly to his classroom. He took in everything around him, trying to commit everything to memory, so he could repeat it on his own. On our way down the hallway, just as we reached his classroom door a new little boy that he was introduced to minutes before the bell rang turned around, grabbed his hand and told him that this was their classroom. He was going to be alright.  I watched Colin and the little boy walk hand in hand into the room. Mom didn't even need to walk him in.(Don't worry. I cried when I told Ryan that story...and every time I think about it)

Jack is the pro now. The big bad third grader. He put his arm around his "bff" who was feeling a bit nervous with the new teacher. He put his lunch in the basket and got all of his new school supplies out, ready to start.

I was anxious and nervous and teary about Colin being in a big new school, full day. I paced the house, checked the clock, looked at the schedule a million times. I gave myself pep talks. "It's fine. He's fine. Everything is fine."

And it was.

Colin WAS fine. He did great. He engaged with both his teacher and his music teacher. Jack was bummed that he could not check out new books from his new teachers yet. He has his reading placement test today and was excited/nervous.

So on this second day of school, I want to remember those first few nerves. Those first big steps. The oversized backpacks and the shuffling feet. Because all too soon, they will be moving out of elementary into a whole new world. Mom is just not ready for that...yet.

Fading Away

The slow, easy days of summer are slowly slipping away. September starts tomorrow and with it, cooler weather, falling leaves and the start of school. 

Summer is fading away.

But yet...

The memories of bright sun, warm rays and easy days are still fresh in mind.

A family canoe trip.

 A high school reunion, fifteen years in the making.

The Atlantic whispering a friendly hello, it's nice to see you again.

Pretty dirty faced babies swinging into the evening.

Fires so warm, protection from your hand is needed.

S'mores so sweet they stick to your hands long after consumption.

Determination to make it across the bar without falling.

Celebrations of little boys turning one.

Glimpses into the future of what this little man will look like.

Tiny flowers being held by up by brown-eyed girls.

Giggly brothers, taking a ride on their little sister's newly given Big Wheel.

These are the moments of summer.

These are the moments that will be remembered as the leaves begin the fall, the air turns crisp and the sun sets early.

These fading days of summer always seem the very sweetest of all.

Independence!

The Fourth of July is always a special time for us. With my oldest having his birthday on the 4th of July, there is always a reason to celebrate just a little bit longer. 

How did you celebrate?

Ours looked a little like this...

Miss Macy, water balloon helper extraordinaire.

Toddlers making great heroic stands on tree stumps.

Girl cousins frolicking towards the woods, hand in hand. 

Freshly water-ballooned boys turning 7 and asking for a flag cake because " It is ALSO America's birthday, so I should get the flag cake."

Mr. Patriotic 7 yr old.

Sometimes you just don't know what to do when everyone is singing and looking at you. 

This was the best picture we could get of the girls. So, yeah... toddlers.

Blue- eyed boys with blue tongues and blue suckers. The perfect summer trifecta.

The annual golf ball hitting on the 4th. Colin's swing is both scary and impressive.

Boats loaded down with kids, anxious to get the sandy strip up river and splash away.

The Muskegon River

Boat rides at dusk,worth the work of rowing.

When do you know that it is time for some fireworks?

When someone puts on her special celebration sassy pants, that's when.

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Happy Birthday, America!

I hope everyone celebrated and enjoyed their Independence Day!

Friday Favorites

I didn't plan on not posting for well over a month. But after a computer crash, Easter, the start of soccer and daily life, the days slipped into weeks and all of a sudden, another month is upon us.


But on this extra warm 80 degree Friday, these are a few of my favorite things.


1. Macy's nicknames.

 Our little lady is 19 months old now and talking up a storm. She has called Ryan "Daddin" for awhile now. She knows how to say Dad, Daddy and Dadda...but she prefers to call him Daddin.

Her latest nickname is for Colin. Once again, she has called him "Colin" for quite awhile now, but one day, she just started calling him Boo Boo. It may have been transitioned from Brother...but now, 80% of the time, she will only refer to Colin as Boo Boo. It is hilarious. Colin, however, is not so pleased. He is pretty patient with her, but will tell us to not call him Boo Boo, only Macy can do that.

2. Watching the boys play soccer.  

Both boys are back on their old team, which is great for the undefeated Colin and bad for the have yet to win a game or score a goal Jack. They both love it and except for one freak cold snap, we have had perfect outdoor soccer weather!

3. Kid-free trips.

Ryan and I were lucky enough to be able to take a quick trip to Chicago without the kids. It was the first kid free trip that we have had since long before Macy was born. We did a lot of eating, walking and shopping. It was a much needed, relaxing trip. I hope we can sneak away again soon!

4. Movie dates with my boys!

I was able to take Jack and Colin to see the movie Home during Spreak Break. It was a surprisingly sweet movie and I loved spending time with the boys. Now if I could just find a sitter for the Avengers movie with the biggest boy...

Colin and Oh, the main character of Home.

5. Kissing (and sometimes pushing) Cousins

We had my nephew and niece over for a few days and it was fun chaos. One thing that was constant was the great love that Macy has for her little cousin, Elliot, or as Macy calls him, Eyener. He was given many, many kisses and a few hugs that may have looked more like body slams. While the love between Macy and her 2 yr old cousin Audrey wavers with the toys involved, the love of Eyener remains true...until he can reach and take those toys.

Happy Friday!

Conversations with Boys

I will tell you one thing. Having two boys in the house is not dull, nor is it boring, or monotonous.

Every day something pops out of their mouths that  makes me laugh, shake my head in pure wonder of HOW and WHY they think like they do. Little boys are gross. They come by it naturally. No one teaches them to love all bodily functions or laugh about certain body parts. They certainly do not hear that stuff from me, ( I am 90% sure they do not hear it from their dad...but I can not guarantee it, since he is, in fact, a boy)

So, once in awhile I remember to write some of things that have come out of their mouths. Ya know, to document it for future blackmail and embarrassment ;)

 Here are just a few conversations with my boys:

J-“ Mom, are you making broccoli?”

M-“Yes, I was making some for myself, but you can have some”

C- “ Yuck. I hate broccoli. Do I have to eat some.”

M-“ No, as long as you eat all of your salad at dinner.”

J-“ Yes, Colin. You need to eat green food. Green food is good for you. Green food makes you have hairballs in your armpits.”

While playing Skylanders/Superhero something together.

J(in play voice)- " I am going to lock you in in a deep, dark pit that you can never get out of"
C(also in play voice) -" Noooo. I will escape you."
J-" I am going to put in in a dark pit....THIS dark pit!!!" said while lifting up shirt and pointing to his very skinny, pale and completely hairless armpit.
Both boys fall to the floor laughing.


At bedtime, after getting off the phone with their Dad, who was working over night in Chicago.

J-"If I could have any super power, I would be able to reach through the phone and be able to see Dad and give him a big hug good night! Because I miss him and don't like when he is not here."
C-" If I had any super power I would crush stuff, like Crusher (a Skylander Giant, who happens to be Colin's favorite Skylander) I would crush my brother and I would crush this house."


While looking through some of our wedding photos with Jack to prepare for a school assignment, Jack comments on a picture of his dad waiting for me to walk down the aisle.

J-" Look at Dad's face. He looks like aghhh (while making a weird face)"
M-"Why do you think he looks like that? Do you think he was nervous to marry Mommy?"
J-" Yeah. He was probably thinking..I don't want to taste that spit!"
M-" Are you talking about kissing?!?"
J-" Yeah, when you kiss you taste spit."



While this is not a conversation, per se, it is a wonderful look into the minds of little boys.

When Colin is at preschool, he usually chooses to go to the writing center and will create a story. This will include him drawing the actions of the story, writing some of the words and verbalizing the entire story that he made up to his teacher or an aid. I love his stories and look forward to reading them when he comes home.

This was the last story he wrote:

"Once upon a time there were 3 snakes. They saw 2 gorillas and then the 3 snakes attacked the 2 gorillas. Then there was a dragon. And then the 2 gorillas, the snakes and the 1 dragon were fighting. After they were friends.
The End."

So, pretty much regular life here. Fighting and than friends.

It is all slowly starting to make sense, this life with boys.

Fabulous Fall: Soccer!

The cool mornings now come with a frosty grass coating. Leaves are changing and gently dancing their way down to the damp earth. Your warm breathe turns to a cloud of steam as you exhale.

Little boys layer up as they pull their oversized jerseys down.

Soccer season is coming to an end.

 Daddy and Macy cuddling to keep warm.

 Jack the goalie, ready for anything.

Happy boys with their soccer metals.

Great season, Cardinals!

This picture is the essence of preschool soccer. Everything that you need to know about preschool soccer is summed up in one single image.

Colin on the move.

Everyone needs a water break.

Good game, good game.

Great season, Volunteers!

While our Saturdays are now open, and the frantic rush to get everyone dressed and piled into the car by 8am is now over, we will miss spending our mornings on the soccer field.

It was a wonderful first sports experience and the boys both are looking forward to playing in the spring.

What a fabulous fall!

Firsts of Fall...

We jumped from summer and vacation into school and fall activities at full force.

Zero to 100 mph in a day.

It was crazy.

On September 2nd, Colin started his first day at preschool. 

 

 

Jack started his first day of First grade! 

Not only did they both start school, but they both started soccer! Our Saturdays are now filled with  cleats, shin guards and jerseys.  Colin plays on a co-ed preschool team, while Jack is on one of the boys' First grade teams.

Both the boys ended up being number 29! They are having so much fun playing. Colin absolutely loves it and will run and laugh and smile the whole time, regardless of what position he is playing or if he is winning or losing. Jack enjoys defense and taking big kicks up the field.

It's a whole new world now. School and sports with two little guys. It keeps us busy and we are just starting to get a rhythm now.

One thing I know for sure...

There are many soccer games in this little lady's horizon. Many a game...

Happy first week of fall!