Back 2 School

'Twas the night before first grade...and all through the house, not a creature was stirring.... 

ok....so maybe some creatures were stirring....especially this little guy who couldn't resist sneaking into the picture.

The backpack was packed up, the shoes ready to be tied tight.... 

Treats for the teacher all tied up with string.....

 

Dreams of the school year danced through his head....

Eli was up early that next morning, and eagerly got dressed in his new shirt that he picked out for the big day. He did his best to hide his anxiety and was all smiles.

After proving to be a strong and solid bike rider this summer, we decided Eli could ride his bike to school this year. It is his favorite part of the day. He is super safe and is riding so well. It is mostly an uphill ride on the way there, but he doesn't give up and rides hard. 

The year is off to a great start! He got in there and got to it. He really likes his new teacher and is making new friends in his class. His best buddies from last year are not in his class, but he still sees them on the playground a bit. 

Eli is determined to have a great year. It is always so emotionally draining on this Mama....seeing her oldest son tackle yet another first. First day of first grade. Such a big deal. He is going to be amazing.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

My walking buddies and I had to distract ourselves from missing our sweet Eli, and thankfully a flock of geese did the trick. Jude had the best time trying to chase after them and honking at them. So funny.

Finally, it was time walk back up to the school to get Eli. Too bad we got caught in a downpour on the ride home. We were definitely a sight to be seen....E on his bike and Mama pushing the little ones in the double stroller through the rain. 

Nothing a few Back to School treats and some dry clothes couldn't fix. Here's to another wonderful school year!

Last Dog Days of Summer

We crammed as much fun as we could into the final week of summer. I went with the "yes" mentality and just found as many ways to have fun as we could. Had to squeeze every last ounce out of our summer. I could hardly believe how much we found time to fit in....even some learning too! Had to prepare Eli to start off first grade strong.

We made it out to Lake Ella for some tree climbing and rock throwing. It was a hot, but gorgeous day. Eli got braver and kept going higher and higher into the tree. Jude was content not too high off the ground...and would rather throw rocks.

Both boys were in their element and happy as could be.

The morning after our anniversary, I decided to put that white craft paper I used to cover the table with to good use. I wrote sight words all over it with white crayon. Eli had to find the words by painting over them and then read each one. He really enjoyed the activity...so much so that I had to go back and add more words for a second round of fun. Jude couldn't be left out and painted right along with his brother.

 

Turned out to be a great way to get Eli practicing more difficult sight words without it being boring. 

That afternoon, I set up a math game that was perfect for a hot afternoon. 

The green balloons had math problems on them for Eli to solve and the other colors had numbers for Jude to recognize. Once the boys figured it out, they threw them at number targets I had set up in the yard. 

Again, the boys had so much fun, that I ended up filling up more balloons for a second round....but the second one was just for fun. Mommy got a little wet too. So fun!

During that week, the boys were over the moon excited to have another little cousin born into the family. Brandon and Christine welcomed their beautiful daughter Reid into the world. Eli and Jude were both incredibly excited, but Jude was truly smitten and couldn't stop looking at her picture. 

Congratulations Brandon and Christine!

My boys know how to make a mess is .06 seconds. It is as if Eli and Jude tag team and see who can make the biggest mess the fastest. Our great room can go from clean....

....to this in just a moment or two. And trying to get them to help clean it up is no fun. Sigh. I think this will be my favorite part of back-to-school....less messes. 

Eli's school held its annual Back to School Bash mid-week. We were excited to learn who Eli's first grade teacher would be (though we wouldn't meet her until the following day...) and get sno-cones. 

Can you guess what Jude's favorite part was?

To wrap up our last week of summer, we decided to host an end-of-summer Ice Cream Party/Playdate at the park. It threatened to rain, but it didn't keep many away, and we managed to have an amazing time with our friends.

These 3 Musketeers have been friends since birth! I love that they are still close despite going to different schools.

The kids gorged themselves on ice cream and toppings and then played and played and played. It was the perfect way to end the summer.  Eli and I decided that we should do it every summer. Tradition started. Yes!

That afternoon, we were invited to see Planes with friends. I managed to take the three boys to the movies....by myself. A proud Mama moment....silly, but true.

The movie was super cute. I am excited to watch it again when it comes out on video. 

And yes, this kid tagged along every step of the way. He is so go with the flow. Love him....

And that's it. The dog days of summer have sadly and officially ended. Bittersweet. But happy that we went out with a bang! Summer 2013 was a summer of fun and full of adventure, learning, and excitement. 

Month 6 in Pictures

Our sweet little punkin's half birthday came and went almost two weeks ago. Still in denial that Jonah is halfway to one already. Sigh. But whether I like it or not, he sure is acting like a six month old lately. 

He went from a newborn to a baby just. like. that. He is learning all kinds of new tricks and trying all kinds of new things these days. And he couldn't be happier about {most of} it. 

One day he needed a lot of support to sit upright....

....and then the next, he could sit all by himself. Such a big boy!

He went having no clue that he had toes....

....to thinking they are the best things EVER.

I used to know that I could always find him where I left him....

....and now he is a roly poly little thing who loves to move about and roll all around (especially in his crib!) He is even trying to pull his legs under him and will scooch around. Slow down, Little One!

He went from needing one or more nighttime nursing sessions....

....to sleeping through the night a couple of times. (As of today...i'm probably jinxing it....he has slept through the night 4 nights in a row!!! My babies have always been horrible sleepers and don't usually sleep through the night until closer to...or beyond...a year. I'm feeling spoiled!) And he is a champion napper too. He takes a 2-3 hour nap, twice a day. If the second one is cut short, he will take another catnap right before dinner. So nice!

He proved me wrong and did not get any teeth this month...

...and that's ok. We love his gummy smile!

He decided that he wanted to eat about a week before he turned 6 months. He was swatting at all of my food, trying to get it to his mouth. He got some bread one day and licked a package or two. I caved and mushed up a banana one Saturday afternoon....

...he loved it. I gave him more bananas here and there until he was officially six months. His second food was avocados. And I really wanted him to like them....

.....but he didn't. Bummer. He also tried some cantaloupe through the mesh and loved that! 

Jonah continues to be a happy baby who loves to play and interact with others. He squeals and talks at his brothers while they play. He thinks Eli and Jude are hilarious and that they hung the moon. 

He makes all kinds of noise and is quite the chatterbox these days. Seriously a happy and playful fella....

....except from about 5:30 until bedtime. He wants to be held constantly, and by Mama only. Makes it interesting to get dinner on the table each night, but we manage. 

The little guy is officially our smallest baby. He gained only 7 ounces in the past 2 months and was in the 20th percentile for weight (16lbs 5ozs)  and a little lower than that on the growth curve (25.5 in.)....

....but I still hear from strangers about what a big baby he is. Hmmmm??? I guess it is that 75th percentile head of his. Haha! All 3 boys got their Daddy's head! (just for fun: Jude was 17lbs 7ozs and Eli was 19lbs 7ozs at their six month appointments.) 

This kid is so precious and so sweet. I can't stop smiling at him and telling him how simply adorable and perfect he is. Almost (almost) makes me want more. 

I guess after a few babies, I'm finally starting to gain some insight and perspective on the baby phase. With Eli....my first, I spent my days trying to hurry him along to each milestone; celebrating each one. I was so excited that to push him on to what was next. And with baby #3, I can't help finding myself trying to slow him down. I didn't want to even begin to think about feeding Jonah. I realized I hadn't even tried to see if he could sit up on his own. I feel like, subconsciously...and maybe a little consciously too, I am trying to slow this stage down. I don't want the next milestone to come because it means that  my {probably} last baby is growing up and leaving the newborn stage, and later, the baby stage behind. I don't like it. Must. cherish. the. days. Heck, I wanna cherish the seconds.