7

So Sunday was Tyler’s 7^th birthday!!!  Unusual for me, I know, to not post on the actual birthday, but today is also a special birthday, or at least an anniversary.  It was 7 years ago today that we were allowed to bring him home.  But that is a story for another post, soon.  For now – look at this kid!!!!!!


Here he is on the morning of his birthday - he was so excited that it was FINALLY here!  He'd been doing the countdown practically since the beginning of the year.

Such a handsome kid.  He's looking a little shaggy, but he is insisting on growing out the top of his hair and is only allowing trims to the sides and back at this point.  We'll see how long that lasts....

We had a nice day - the family came over and we had pizza and cake and presents.  The weather was reasonable, so the kids got to play outside too.  A good time was had by all, and we were all pretty tired by the end of the day.

Here are some right before bed selfies:

Seven.  Wow.  Getting so independent, yet struggling with maturity.  Trying hard at school, but having a hard time focusing.  Almost reading independently, but not quite there.  About to start little league!!  I worry that he won't be able to handle it, but it's time to find out.  The kid definitely has skill, but he lacks discipline.  But maybe this is normal??  I don't know.  What I DO know, is that I will never stop trying to figure you out or helping you navigate this life.

After several re-schedules due to my work and his school activities, on Thursday, we were finally able to have lunch.  I brought Chick-fil-A to him in the school cafeteria, which apparently, makes me the best mommy ever.  One day out of 365 isn't too bad, I guess.



Happy Birthday (week!) to my little monkey man!!! xoxo



6

Totally decked out in a Birthday Boy shirt, an "I'm 6 Today" sticker, and a birthday crown, this kid was ready for school this morning!!!!

 

 

 

 

Old enough to have his birthday announcement in the Washington Post's Kids Post!

 

 

 

 

And finally his turn to have a big party at a venue with LOTS of friends!!

 

 

It was a great turnout, despite some pretty nasty weather.  We had a few cancellations, but still ended up with a great crew!  Because of the questionable weather, I had emailed parents in the morning to let them know that we were going ahead with the party, but I understood if they were unable to make it and to put their own personal safety first.  Some comments I got back were "Oh, we're totally going to be there!"  "My son told me there is no way we are going to miss Evan's party!"  So whether it was because Evan is just so popular, or because the lure of Jump-N-Jimmy's is too irresistible for kids and parents on a snowy Sunday afternoon, it doesn't really matter.  Evan had a fantastic time, and I think he was pretty pleased that all those kids were there to celebrate HIM.

Evan, you're a star.  You're funny, smart, creative, and snuggly.  So much fun to be around.  I'm so excited for how well you are doing in school - YOU ARE READING!!!! - and how interested you are in learning as much as possible.  This year will be EPIC for you!!

Happy 6th Birthday Ev!!  Love you so much! xoxo

4

No longer a baby.  This is my big girl.  My 4 year old.

 

 

 

In the morning, with her long, messy mane sitting across from me at the kitchen table. Who wouldn't want to share breakfast with this kid??  Except maybe when she pulls this face....

 



 

 

 



 

In a rare moment that she actually keeps a headband on.  She much prefers two pony tails.

 

 

In moments of wildness, running around with the crowd at the bouncy place.  But it usually doesn't last too long before she just wants to hang with mommy in the sitting area.

 

 

 

In moments of compliance when mommy forces her to pose with her brothers. They all look so thrilled, don't they?

 

 

 

 

In moments of pure, pink quirkiness.  I just want to eat her up with a spoon!!

 

This is my daughter. I am intrigued, mesmerized, and perplexed by her all at once.  This is my daughter who wants to put on a princess dress and run around playing zombies with her brothers. This is my daughter who, almost from day one, learned every button I had to push.  This is my daughter. She is smart and strong willed and independent, and I'm pretty sure she'll never take any crap from anyone.

 

This is my daughter.

 

May she always make someone smile at breakfast, and get a reason to smile in return.  May she always have a strong sense of what she wants.  May she always have fun in a crowd, yet still enjoy the quiet moments.  May she always be close with her brothers while still keeping them in line.  May she always keep a little pink in her life.

 

Happy Birthday, Madelyn, my sweet, precious girl!!

 

 

 

 

THANKFUL

 

So, it’s November, and everyone on Facebook has been doing their daily posts of “I’m thankful for….”  I haven’t been participating in this daily ritual, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about the things that I’m thankful for.  I’ve been thinking about it a lot.  So here is my list, all at once, in no particular order – some of it silly, some of it not.

 

1. I am thankful for, aside from the occasional virus or common cold, my children are HEALTHY.  There truly is nothing more important than that.
2. I am thankful for the crazy way our family came to be – it’s what makes us interesting and normal at the same time.
3. I am thankful that when we were at our lowest low, the universe guided us toward adoption, and five months later we brought home our oldest son.
4. I am thankful that VERY soon after that, the universe and Mother Nature delivered him a little brother and sister. (Technically I delivered them, but you get my point!)
5. I am thankful that my children are so close in age. It has its difficulties now, but I know they will be the best of friends when they grow up.
6. I am thankful that I still have family and friends in Vermont. This month it is 20 years since I moved away, and I definitely consider Virginia home now, but I always get excited for every opportunity I get to visit where I grew up.
7. I am thankful that when I told Mitch that I wanted to go to Vermont for Thanksgiving this year (which translates to: Let’s pack a ridiculous amount of stuff into the van and strap the kids in for what will surely be an at least 12 hour trip through questionable weather!), instead of raising an eyebrow, he smiled and said “Sure!”
8. I am thankful for my mom, and everything she has done for me my entire life. I could get specific, but we would be here all day!
9. I am thankful for wine.
10. I am thankful for the part time job I have that allows me to bring in a decent amount of money and still essentially be a stay-at-home mom.
11. I am thankful for my home.  It is a disaster and needs to be painted and de-cluttered and better organized, etc, but it’s mine. And someday I will get it into the shape I want.
12. I am thankful for the neighborhood I live in, and the neighbors I share it with. They are THE. BEST.
13. I am thankful for my two best friends. These special women have been with me through thick and thin. And even though we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like, I know without a doubt that we will always be here for each other.
14. I am thankful for the family I was born into. Not perfect – but whose is??  Wouldn’t trade any of them.
15. I am thankful for the family I married into. I won the lottery on this one for sure!
16. I am thankful that my brave big sister is recovering ahead of schedule from her DOUBLE KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY. Just something else I can admire her for.
17. I am thankful that, even though my aches and pains are increasing as I get older, I still have all of my original parts (unlike my sister) and for the most part, they serve me well.
18. I am thankful for the preschool that all of my children have attended/are still attending. It’s a place where they feel safe and have fun, and get well prepared for kindergarten.
19. I am thankful that my children have all of their grandparents nearby – one of them in their own house!
20. I am thankful for all the help I get from family and friends on a daily basis. Being a mom is hard, but the love and support of others makes it much easier.
21. I am thankful for good books and good television when I need to escape.
22. I am thankful for my big sister and my big brother. They make me laugh and keep me in check.
23. I am thankful that my children have a dedicated, involved father who is always ready to get down on the floor and play with them.
24. I am thankful for chocolate.
25. I am thankful for my five nephews.  They are all smart and funny and pretty sweet.
26. I am thankful for my one and only wonderful niece. She is smart and funny and very sweet.
27. I am thankful that I was an aunt for many years before I became a mother. It gave me some clue on how to take care of babies!!
28. I am thankful for wine.  Wait, did I already say that???
29. I am thankful for the good food that is cooking right now and that I will be able to complain later about eating too much of it!
30. I am so very thankful for my wonderful, wonderful husband. He takes such good care of me, of us, and loves us unconditionally.  He is my hero and the absolute love of my life.

Happy Thanksgiving – may you all have a very, very long list of things to be thankful for today and every day!!

Back to School !!!!

Well, here it is nearly Thanksgiving and I'm just writing about this now.  We've had a VERY BUSY FALL!!!

 

Big doings around here back in the month of September!!  Tyler MOVED UP TO FIRST GRADE(thanks to a very confident kindergarten teacher and a three week spell in summer school), Evan STARTED KINDERGARTEN, and Madelyn STARTED PRE-SCHOOL!!

 

 

Elementary school started first, on the day after Labor Day.  The boys were ready - and SO WAS I!!!!  It was a fun summer, but I was looking forward to a little peace and quiet around here.  

 

The morning started with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and freshly ironed polo shirts and khaki shorts.  The obligatory Back to School photos:

 

Evan sure is gaining on Tyler - only about a half inch separates them!

 

And off we go!!!

Evan was a little nervous, but I knew that in his red (favorite color) shirt and Superman sneakers, he'd be just fine!!

During orientation the week prior, parents are given the opportunity to sign up to come in and help during lunches the first week.  It's a great idea, since for most kindergarteners, this is brand new territory.  Schedule-wise, the best day for  me to join Evan's class for lunch was on the first day.  It worked out well because I was able to tell Evan in the morning that I would see him in just a couple of hours and that helped to ease his nervousness.  But it was clear when I joined him in the cafeteria that he was already adjusting very well!

And here is the happy boy at the end of the day:

On Friday, it was Tyler's turn for a lunch date!

 

 

On Thursday of that week, Madelyn had her orientation at pre-school.  We learned in late summer that our beloved Ms. Belinda (who had been Evan's teacher in the 3's "Busy Bees" class) would not be teaching this year.  I worried because I had been telling Maddy all along that she would be in Ms. Belinda's class! 

 

But when we showed up at orientation, we met Mrs. K!!  Right away I knew she'd be a wonderful teacher.  I loved her enthusiasm and demeanor, and she reminds me very much of Joy, a friend of my in-laws whom Mitch has known his entire life.  I was very comforted by that feeling.

 

So here's our girl checking out all the great toys in her classroom!!

 

Madelyn's friend Madeleine was also starting preschool and they are in the same class!!! :)  On the Saturday before, the girls and the mommy's went out for a celebratory lunch. (We also have a tradition of going out to a birthday lunch in December since the girls are only 6 days apart!)

And here are our girls on the first day of school:

The backpacks are SO BIG!!! :)

So crazy seeing my "baby" girl march into that school!  I'm glad it's only two afternoons a week because I'm not ready to let go of her entirely!! I know it's necessary for her to go, and it's such a wonderful environment for kids - SO glad I found this school! - but it makes me sad.  She's growing up so, so fast. *sigh*


So far, so good.  Everyone is enjoying school and working hard.  And now the holidays are upon us and there is no sign of anything slowing down anytime soon!!!

Summer Part 2

Well, the summer can be summed up in a few words….  Academics, swimming, 2 wheels, camping and friends!!!

Academics:

Well, it’s no secret that Tyler struggled a bit through kindergarten.  He did well socially and behavior-wise.  But the reading and writing? Not so much.  I think he was just too busy, had too many other things he was more interested in, you know?  I tried to work with him as much as possible, but our classic head-butting made it difficult.  About 2/3 through the year, I gave up on making him do the homework, which, frankly, I think is a bit ridiculous for kindergarten anyway! But I digress.  Anyway, it was recommended that he attend summer school in order for him to be properly prepared for first grade.

Here he is, boarding the school bus on the first day – my brave little guy!!

 

It was just for three hours a day, for three weeks.  He never had much to say about it, but from the work he brought home, I could definitely see improvement in his writing. And he is getting better in his word recognition.  I still worry about him, academically, but we’ll see.  I know he’ll find his niche eventually and be ok.

Here he is – very happy – on the last day of summer school!!!

 

 Swimming:

 We have spend A LOT of time at the pool this summer!!!  In fact, due to two sessions of swim lessons, we were there almost every day for four weeks straight!!  Evan and Maddy were first for a two week session of lessons, and then Tyler for a two week session.  The lessons are given by one of the pool lifeguards.  We’ve been lucky this year in that we got a very good crop of lifeguards at our community pool, which hasn’t always been the case.  The lessons were taught by a very sweet young man named Nikolai.  Nikolai is from Serbia (as are all of our lifeguards), where he is a professional basketball player!  But here, he is a swim instructor adored by the children!!
 

 Though Madelyn and her friend Madeleine weren’t too interested in listening to Nikolai’s instruction, they sure had fun doing their own thing!! 

And thanks to them being in their own world, Evan essentially was getting private lessons!! :)

 

 

 

And Tyler had four of his friends in his session!

 

 
The lessons were great – and very productive.  Evan’s and Tyler’s swimming skills improved exponentially, and even Maddy came a long way.  On day one of her lessons, she wouldn’t even put her face in the water to blow bubbles.  By day four, she was going under to get rings from the bottom (in the very shallow water, but still!).  So we’ve spent a lot of time at the pool and the kids are really enjoying themselves.  I love seeing them have fun in the water, though it will always make me nervous.  I want them to be the best swimmers they can be, since I’m not that great myself.  And I think they will be, in fact, Maddy keeps saying that she wants to be a lifeguard when she grows up – although I think it has more to do with the whistle…!

 

 

 Two wheels:

This says it all for me:

  

Just one of the major developments for Evan of late.  He also FINALLY this summer started pumping his own swing! I know he’s been capable of it for a long time, but he chose not to. He preferred to keep getting pushed.  Of course! Who wouldn’t?  Lazy little stinker…. J 

AND, Evan has lost TWO teeth and has a third one loose!!  So we’ve had our first visits from the Tooth Fairy!

 

 Camping:

So we weren’t able to get away for a weeklong vacation this summer, but we were fortunate enough to be able to join Mitch’s parents (and sister and family) for a long weekend at Lake Anna State Park.  Fammy and Granddad rented a cute little cabin on the lake, and Ashley and Richard rented a campsite.  During the day, we spent time at the beach and on the dock where the adults enjoyed hanging out and the kids enjoyed jumping off!!

 

Richard brought his canoe and the kids loved going out on it.  And I even conquered my fear of canoes (yes, I have a fear of canoes – what of it!!) and went for a ride myself!!

  And we spent some fun time on the hiking trails too!

 

At night, Mitch and the boys joined Ashley, Richard, Nathan and Charlotte at the campsite!  It was the boys first time sleeping in a tent and they had a blast.  Maddy and I stayed behind at the cabin with Fammy and Granddad.  On the last night, we all hung out at the campsite for a bit and had some s’mores.  Almost made me want to stay overnight in the tent!  Almost…..

 

 

 

 

 

 It was a great weekend and the kids were quite tuckered out at the end of it, which is always a good thing!!!  AND - we even made the paper!! :)  Every summer, the Kids Post in the Washington Post encourages kids to take pictures on their vacations holding up the Kids Post. Well, it took A LOT of effort, but Ashley got a pretty decent shot of all the kids and I sent it in to the Post as soon as we got home. It got published the following week!

 

 Friends:

Madelyn went to a week of summer camp!!  She starts preschool in September, and I thought this was a good way to get her used to going to, and being left at school.  She’s familiar with the school, since she went with me to pick up Evan all the time last year, but she’d never been left there by herself.  I was nervous about how she’d react! She was a bit apprehensive, but she ended up doing quite well!  It helped that she went with her friend Madeleine, who will also be attending Daytime Playtime in September!!

 

 

 

 

 

These two seem to have a real budding friendship and it makes me so happy!  I can already picture them running around as pre-teen girls, and it only scares me a little bit!! J  But I’m not too worried because her mom and I are pretty good at sharing the wine, so it will all be ok!! :)

And the boys have had a great time all summer playing with their friend Ryan who also lives on our street.  They spend a lot of time riding bikes and scooters and playing with their DS’s!  Of course I only have this funny picture of them playing their DS's...... :)

 Ryan’s sister Anna has taken a shine to Maddy too which is sweet!

 

 

 

So, it’s been a good summer – lots of outdoor fun, in and out of the water!!  And in the morning, Tyler starts first grade, and Evan starts kindergarten!!!  Let the next life chapter begin!!!