Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes

My 2 blue eyed boys with their brown eyed brother.

This week Brody and Case started taking the bus to and from school.  I was a little hesitant about letting them do this so early in the year, but after much begging, I caved and decided to let them.  Let me tell you, it has been AWESOME!  First and foremost, having the boys taking the bus saves me a good hour and a half of drive time each day.  Although we live super close to the school, I would have to leave extra early to find a place to park, unload all 4 kids, get 2 of them to their playgrounds,  while making sure the other 2 aren't wandering off.  The parking lot at their school is a mess which is a whole other story so often I spend a half hour circling the parking lot trying to find the closest spot to park. As if the above reasons aren't good enough, I now have 2 little brown eyed cuties who get to take their WHOLE nap each afternoon!  I don't have to wake them up anymore, dress them AGAIN, and load them in the HOT car.  I simply leave them sleeping while I walk to the corner to get my 2 blue eyed cuties.  It's perfect and oh so convenient!   I do feel bad when my 2 blue eyed boys step off the bus and their little faces are BEAT RED and they have beads of sweat covering their noses.  I have told them time and time again that I am happy to pick them up, but they loooove the bus!  Oh and another bonus to the bus, Brody's little 5th grade bus buddy helps him with his homework on the ride home.  Do you know how wonderful it is to just check his homework instead of arguing with him about when he's gonna do it?  It's AWESOME!! 

Look at how big our stop is.  There are about 15-20 kids each day at our stop.  Our neighborhood is full of kids which makes riding the bus that more fun!

So last week after Miss B., Ledger and I walked the boys to the bus stop, we get home and Ledger says, "Mom, Brody and Case have blue eyes and they go to school.  Miss B. and I have brown eyes and we get to stay home with you!"  "I love that I get to stay home with you, he says." And boy do I love that I get to stay home with my brown eyed cutie pies! What else could I ask for? It's perfect!

In One Month...

...this little monkey will be turning 1! 

How did this happen?  Where does the time go?  Don't I still have this extra baby weight because I JUST gave birth?  Doesn't my C-Section scar still annoy me because I JUST had a baby? Isn't my life CRAZY because I JUST added another child to the mix?  Apparently time is not standing still and my kids are growing up!  I hate when that happens!  

So Miss Spunky is 11 months old today and although darling and cute, she is a WILD woman!  She is so busy and fast at everything she does. Sunday at church the Relief Society ladies nicknamed her "Turbo Crawler" which is oh so true! She can get from one side of the house to the next in a blink of an eye.  Right now she LOVES to throw things, especially FOOD!  When she is done eating or doesn't like what I have given her, she throws it as far as possible.  Sometimes it is followed by an AWWW-OOOO, other time it is followed by a LOUD scream.  Another of her favorite things to do at 11 months.. unload my kitchen cabinets.  Half of them have child locks on them from Boy #2, the rest were somehow removed by Boy #1 (who will probably be an engineer someday!) So here comes Miss Spunky, aka Turbo Crawler into the kitchen and fast as lightening, the Tupperware drawer is all over the floor.  Or the baby bottle drawer under the microwave is thrown across the family room.  It's great fun picking things up...100 TIMES A DAY!! Note to self as I'm typing this, MAKE JEREMY PUT THE NEW CHILD LOCKS ON THE CABINETS THIS WEEKEND!! Have I mentioned that I've NEVER had a baby who liked to pull all the clothes out of the dresser?  Well I do now!  All those clean, nicely folded clothes that barely get put away each week, they are scattered around the house and thrown in the dirty clothes hamper.  It's fun let me tell you!  She loves to pull her flowers out of her hair and throw them and she also loves pulling hair right now.  I think she has hair envy and is a little jealous that her brothers have such nice hair. Thank goodness I don't have boys with long hair, she would go CRAZY with that!  What else...oh, Miss Spunky is standing by herself.  She thinks it's hilarious (as do the boys and I) when she takes 2 steps and falls into my lap.  We clap and cheer for her which she LOOOOVES!  She'll be running in no time, maybe by her 1st birthday! 

 I love that Miss Spunky is understanding more and more each month.  I love when I say, "yeaaaa Miss B" and she starts clapping for herself. I can say to her, "Miss B., kisses!" She opens her little mouth as big as possible and goes right for it.  It's more like a make out session then a little kiss but still yummy and fun.  When I say, "Miss B. hugs?" she will lay her little head on my shoulder and hug for a second. I crack up when the boys ask her, "Miss B. where's your funny face?"  She scrunches her face up and snorts through her nose. Or when Miss Carolyn says, "Time to go to the deep end" and she starts crying, I feel bad, but am so happy she understands. 

My most favorite times of the day are when it's nap and bed time.  I love taking her into her room, closing the door and feeding her while softly tickling her chubby little cheeks.  She literally wraps her body around mine and soaks in every minute of it.  It is so fun to see her relax and snuggle.  I treasure this time with her the most simply because she doesn't hold still for really anything else!  I love watching how excited Miss B. gets when Brody and Case come home from school or when Ledger goes in her room first thing every morning.  I love that my boys get in fights every morning about what outfit she is going to wear or what necklace matches best.  This little Spunk has been a true blessing in our lives.  We love her so much and can't wait to start planning her 1st birthday party.

Look at ME!!! I'm 3!

Today Ledger went for his 3 year appointment with Dr. James.  He did super and is growing like a champ!  It seriously seems like he has grown up so much this past month.  He is getting better at expressing his frustrations and talking things over instead of screaming.  Now that his brothers are at school all day, I have had more time to spend with him. We are having fun running errands and hanging out together.  I had forgotten what a cuddler he is.  He lets me snuggle and love on him all day long, I love it! This kid is smart as a whip which is fun when we are talking in the car about things going on around us.  He is super aware of his surroundings and really good at listening and following directions.  I love spending time with this boy and learning about his funny personality.  Still can't believe he is 3!   Love you cute Ledger-Man!

At 3 years 1 month old, Ledger weighs 31 pounds, (38th %)

He is 37 inches tall, (30th%)

He has 20/20 vision,

and has perfect hearing.

He is super cute and we love him lots.

A Rough Start

Well, it was a rough first day, I'm not gonna lie.  When I went to pick Case up from school today, he had that blank, glazed over look.  He looked hot, tired, and worn out.  I was so happy to see him!  As he walked through those gates, still expressionless, I asked him, "Case, how was your day?"  His ever so calm response, "I didn't like it, it was too long."  I laughed it off and we went to get Brody.  He was thrilled and happy as can be.  So we get in the car and I start asking questions.  "Who did you sit by at lunch?"  "What did you have for snack?" "What friends are in your class?" "Is your teacher soooo nice?" "Case looks at me and says. "Mom, I don't want to talk." Of course Brody DOES want to talk cause he NEVER stops talking.  He tells me all about his teacher, friends, the easy math they did and the class money they can earn for behaving.  We get home and all you know what breaks loose.  Brody starts screaming that he didn't get a Smartie from his teacher.  Nobody likes him, it's not fair, we like Case more then him.  He is hysterical.  Case is crying on the couch because he is so tired he can't even hold himself up. He is telling me about not getting a snack because a fly was bugging him and landing on his cheese crackers which annoyed him so much that he just threw them away and went to play.  He can't remember anything other then a naughty girl bit another kid on the rug and a naughty boy was grabbing another boys head and moving it all around just to bug him. Then he starts screaming and crying which honestly I'm not even sure why.  I'm not sure he knew why.  Eventually he screams and crys himself to sleep in Berkley's room (on top of her clean and folded laundry no less).  He wakes up 15 minutes later, comes in the kitchen, and grabs on to me for dear life.  Was he having a bad dream? Was he hurt?  I have know idea why he is hugging me like it's the last time we will see each other.  He is crying and mumbling, he won't let go.  It was obvious that he was exhausted, overwhelmed, and ready for the day to be done.  So Jeremy gets home and we are having dinner.  Case won't join us because he is still crying and delirious.  Jeremy makes him come to the table and starts asking him questions about school.  All he can say is that it was way too long.  Then he says, "Dad, when my teacher said we had 20 minutes until lunch time, I just put my head down like this (shows us how he is hiding his face in his arms on top of his desk.) cause I had tears coming out of my eyes. I was soooo hungry. It was so long." Then he starts crying more.  My heart sank as I listened to him tell this story. I thought of what it must be like for a 5 year old to be at school all day, away from his Mom and Dad, brothers and sister.  I thought of what lunch must of felt like as he sat by 2 girls he didn't know and ate.  I thought of how he doesn't know how to tell time and was probably wondering when I would be coming to get him.  I felt bad. It was obvious he missed me.  He missed us.  I know this is a typical thing for kids when they start school.  Case is just so different then Brody.  Brody never did this when he started school.  He just went and did great.  This is going to be a lot harder for Case.  He is just a different kid.  Being inside a classroom and having to stay focused that long is hard for him.  I worry about him.  I worry about what tomorrow morning will be like.  Will he want to go to school, or will it be a fight to get him out the door?  I hope he will be rejuvenated when he wakes up.  I hope he will get to school and know a little more about what a typical day looks like.  I hope his teacher will help him and be compassionate toward him.  I hope tomorrow he comes home happier! 

Although it was a wild and unhappy afternoon around our house, I wanted the boys to know that school is a great place.  That we are happy they started school and they should be too.  My friend Ashley did a cute celebration with her kids that I thought looked fun, so I did the same thing with my kidddos (thanks Ashley).  I baked a cake this afternoon and after dinner, each kid got to make a wish for a happy and fun school year.  They had a ball blowing out their candle and even laughed when I sang, "Happy back to school to you..." It was a great way to end the day.  My wish...for a happier day tomorrow after school.  Stay tuned! 

Brodys wish..."For everyone to have a happy and fun school year."

Case's wish:  "To learn math this year."

Ledger's wish:  "I want to go to preschool."

First Day Of School and A Letter To The Teachers

Brody, Ledger and Case on the first day of school.  Ledger was a little confused as to why HE wasn't going to school today.  He was crying and all upset.  He can hardly wait for Miss Jody's preschool to start!  He is going to miss his brothers while they are at school all day!

Case was awfully quiet this morning.  I think he was a little nervous (even though he would never admit it!)

Brody was so ready to start school.  He is so smart.  School is right up his alley!

Case and Jefferson in line waiting for the teacher.  Case would not even smile for a picture.  Not sure what was going on in that brain of his!  

See the teacher giving directions to the class?  See Case and Jefferson?  Hmmmm...

Brody has a super sweet and happy teacher.  He is going to have a great year!

A desk all of his own!  He has been waiting years for this!  

It's gonna be a great year!  

Today I sent both Brody and Case off to school. I was super excited for them both but a little nervous.  I worry so much about these kids (especially Case).  I love them so much and want them to be happy.  I want them to be loved and to feel special.  So this morning I decided they would not be taking the bus and that I would just drop them off.  We pull into the parking lot and both boys jump out of the car like it was not big deal.  When Case realized he forgot his backpack, he came back but then was off again.  Brody has this whole school thing down so he headed right to the "big" playground.  Case walked over to the kindergarten playground, dumped his backpack somewhere, and then headed for the swings.  I loaded Miss B. in the Bjorn, got Ledger out, and headed over to take lots of pictures of my cute little kindergartner.  Case played until Jefferson arrived and then the two of them kinda walked in circles before it was time to line up.  Case's teacher came out, lined the kids up, gave them directions on what to do when they got inside, and off they went.  Case of course didn't hear even one of the directions about where to put your backpack or what to do when you get inside because he was too busy talking to the kid behind him who had on a super cool Mario Bros T-Shirt!  It was weird watching Case head into that classroom without me this morning. Not sure how I feel about it right now!  A little sad but so happy for all he will learn and do this year.  So during this time, Brody is off playing on his playground.  I had a huge sack of stuff for his teacher, so I headed inside.  His teacher is so awesome and sweet.  She is bubbly and cute and her class is super organized and clean.  She told Brody on Monday at Meet The Teacher that she likes to teach kids how to be organized.  Brody's eyes got as big as watermelons.  I even think I saw him salivate like one of Pavlov's dogs.  He was giddy beyond words since he too loooooves to organize things!  This is going to be a great year for these boys.  They both have fantastic teachers and they are both excited for all they will learn.  I am excited too but will miss them all day.  I love these kids, even when they are crazy and wild! Lucky for me today is Wednesday early release so I will get to pick them up at 2:25 today. Can't wait to see how it went. And now a letter to the teachers:

Dear Miss A., and Mrs. H., 

This morning I dropped my 2 sweet boys off to school for the first time this school year.  My heart is aching and my tummy feels nervous!  While I realize that this school stuff is part of them growing up, I am not ready for it.  I am not ready for them to meet new friends that will replace me.  I am not ready for them have to spend their afternoons doing homework instead of playing.  I am not ready for them to be away from me for 6 and a 1/2 hours a day.  That's a long time!  I'm not ready for the language they will learn on the playground or the songs they will hear on the bus.  I'm not ready for the kids who will make fun of them for what they wear or how spiky their hair is. Please be kind to them today, and every day.  Treat them with respect and love them like they are your own.  They are good kids.  They can be rowdy and rambunctious but sweet and loving all at the same time.  Have fun with them.  Get to know them and their quirky personalities.  Expand their minds and show them that they are capable of anything they put their mind too.  These boys are smart.  Teach them how wonderful books are.  Show them how science works.  Explain to them the importance of numbers and how they relate to everyday life.  Let them use all those crayons and markers you asked us to send in. 

 I hope you have a wonderful first day of school.  I hope you showed my boys what a great year this is going to be.  I hope they get in my car this afternoon with smiles on their faces anxious to tell me all they learned.  Please know I will help you in any way possible this school year.  This is going to be a great year, I can tell already! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.  I appreciate all you do!

Sincerely,

Brody and Case's Mom

Slippery Fish!

Last Tuesday, Miss B. started swim lessons with Miss Carolyn.  I do realize that she is only 10 months old, but I like my kids to start swimming early on so that they feel comfortable in the water.  I also want them to be able to get themselves out of the water if they were to fall in.  The first day was a half hour of screaming, hence no pictures since I was practically in the pool with her! The second day was better, a little fussing on and off but nothing half a piece of licorice couldn't cure at the end of the lesson.  By the third day, she was smiling and splashing, kicking and having a ball.  She went through the ring in the deep end and got dropped off the diving board. She was loving it and so was I!  Way to go Miss B., you cute little slippery fish!

She is pretty good at waiting her turn.

She loves to practice her big arms.

Miss B. is a cute little monkey monkey!

Circles in the water are so much fun!

Miss Carolyn is the best swim teacher ever!

Yep that's me dropping my 10 month old baby girl off the diving board in the deep end!

Swimming is over and Miss B. loves her licorice!

Just add water!

How fun is it to jump on the trampoline with the hose spraying you? 
School is almost here but we are not giving up on having fun this summer.  Last Thursday after swim lessons, Jackson and Jefferson came over for one last play date before the new year starts. After playing Legos and swords for an hour,  we headed outside to the extreme heat!  We got out the slip and slide, put a hose on the trampoline and swing set and played  till we couldn't stand the heat any longer. I will definitely miss the easy going days of summer!

I Love The Smell Of Back To School!

Does anyone else out there love the way back to school smells? When I taught First Grade, I loved the beginning of a new school year.  While I was nervous about the types of kids that would be in my class and the thought of having to retrain a new bunch of kiddos overwhelmed me, I loved the excitement of getting back into the swing of things.  What I loved most was the new school supplies.  I love unsharpened pencils with the perfectly shaped erasers.  A new box of crayons makes me happy beyond words.  Who doesn't love the exactly perfect shape of the crayons when you first open the box? And the smell....nothing better then the smell of starting over, starting fresh.  The possibilities are endless and the opportunities for success are unlimited. I love notebooks that have never been opened.  I love how each piece of paper is super flat without a wrinkle or crease in it. I love new lunchboxes, backpacks and pencil cases.  They smell good and make me HAPPY!  

When I took my boys to Target to get their supplies I was in heaven!  All that brand new stuff put me over the edge!  I wanted it all.  The boys went through their lists and got everything they needed for a great school year.  Can't wait to go to Meet The Teacher on Tuesday to see all that fresh, unwrinkled bulletin board paper hanging on the walls.  Ohhhh and those (hopefully) super clean desks that they teacher cleaned for a new school year.  What about those super clean whiteboards and whiteboard markers ready for the teacher to write the class assignments on?  I can already smell the new workbooks and paper dictionaries that will be in Brody's second grade desk!

Back To School Supply lists.  On the lists:  Crayons, Pencils, Erasers, Whiteboard Markers, Pencil Cases, Ziplock Baggies, Paper Towels, Kleenex, Markers, Dixie Cups, Baby Wipes, Hand Sanitizer, Markers, Envelopes, and Glue Sticks. Oh and yes these boys are in their swim suits because Berkley and Ledger are still swimming with Miss Carolyn and they have to come along!

.25 cents for a 24 box of crayons?  Unbelievable! How can Crayola even make money off that? Still can't believe this guy is starting Kindergarten?  

Does anyone out there like glue sticks?  I'm an Elmer's girl.  It holds waaaaay better! 

By the way...how can I have a second grader this year? Ugggg!

Stomach Pains

I am having serious stomach pains these days because of this kid!

Case will be starting Kindergarten on Wednesday and I am sick to my stomach...literally!  Do any of you have that one kid in your family that you worry about more then the others? (please say yes!) Well for me it is Case. There are so many reasons I worry about this handsome kid.  First off, he is smart.  He really is.  The problem:  He doesn't like to show how smart he is.  As a matter of fact, he almost acts dumb (don't call me a mean Mom please!) I'm not trying to be mean but it is true.  He purposely asks questions or says things to act like he doesn't know what is going on.  I guess that is called not being able to have a serious conversation with him. The truth is, he does know what is going on.  He can answer questions, carry on a decent conversation, when HE wants (which is not very often).  Case loves to tease and act silly.  I worry that he will end up being the class clown because he does inappropriate things at  inappropriate times. Second, Case has no attention span for school-like activities.  His patience runs out and he shuts down.  He gets bored really easily.  Now give the kid free time outside and he will spend hours playing and making a mess.  Give him a ball and he can throw it like no other.  Throw him in the pool and he will swim his little heart out.  He is athletic!  His gross motor skills are super developed while his fine motor skills are lacking.  It's obvious by the way he cuts and holds the pencil.  Another worry is Case's rough aggressive personality.  While Case can be the most kind hearted, loving, thoughtful kid in the house, he can also be the loudest, toughest, roughest kid.  It is so like Case to take a bite out of your shoulder or leg while playing roughly on the ground, or jump on your back while your resting on the floor. Not good when it comes to the other kids at school who like to get rough and wild on the playground!   Next, I worry about Case and how he doesn't pay attention.  He will listen and follow directions with a teacher who is motivating, fun, structured and consistent. Without these things, Case is a mess! (I can tell you first hand that with the unstructured craziness of our house these past 2 weeks, he has been in more trouble then ever!)  What I love about Case is that he wants to learn.  He wants to do good and make good choices. He is SUPER excited to go to Kindergarten because he want to go to P.E. and the playground.  He wants to learn to read and do math.  He want to be just like Brody.  He is excited to take the bus (eventually) and make new friends. I hope that his new teacher will love him and appreciate his funny little personality like I do.  I hope she will work to bring out the best in him and treat him kindly.  I hope he will love school this year so that each year after he will look forward to going back after the summer break.

Look at this cute kid. Today he got to meet his teacher and see his new classroom.  He was super excited that he got to stay at school for 30 minutes without me to read a story and have a snack with his teacher and new friends.  Of course when we got in the car and I asked him about it, his response was, "I didn't like it!" "We didn't do anything." "Was that Mrs. Hebting?" "I don't know what story we read." "That's all."  I'm telling you...this kid can't be serious to save his life! He drives me crazy!!

Case is waaaay too cool to stand right next to his new teacher.  He was super embarrassed when I asked if I could get a picture of him with her!

Watch out Mrs. Hebting!  They look cute but....!

Coming And Going

It's so weird to see Brody loosing all his teeth and Berkley growing all hers.  We are pretty sure the tooth fairy takes all Brody's teeth and puts them in the Little Lady's mouth.  I'm not kidding when I say every time he looses one, we open her mouth and she has a new one. At 7 and a half years old, Brody just lost his 7th tooth. At 10 months old, Miss B. has grown 4 teeth and has 4 on the way. Weird right?

It Finally Happened!

That's right folks...Miss B. got her first haircut today.  My boys are on the every 6 week schedule and today when I took them for their back to school appointment, Chrissy decided the Little Miss needed a trim.  How is it that my boys have been getting their haircut since they were 2 months old and I finally get a Little Lady who doesn't have any hair?  Doesn't seem right, right?  When Chrissy first started cutting, Miss B. was not having fun.  She screamed and wiggled and threw herself all over.  After she realized Brody was taking pictures of her, she smiled and held perfectly still.  She just got a little trimmed of the back but it looks waaaay better.  Not so mullet-like! Hopefully it will make her hair grow quicker but we'll see.  

Cute Chrissy (AKA Chrissy Scissorhands!) with Miss B. The only person I would let touch my kids hair.  She is the BEST!

It's about those cheeks!

Looking lovely Miss B.  Up next, a few highlights in that changing color hair!

I've been SEW busy!

While we were at the cabin, I was able to do a little sewing.  Since even the smallest projects take me hours, (the 4 littles ALWAYS need something!) I was only able to do a couple projects.  I am more then thrilled with what I have done and can hardly wait to see the Little Miss wearing them.  The skirts paired with an Old Navy T-shirt, complete with an interchangable flower, look adorable. We'll see how well they hold up after she wears them and I wash them!!

By the way... I can't take credit for the darling blue, green and hot pink skirt (second from the left).  My Mom made that for my Little Lady.  I loooooove it!!