Monday, June 11, 2012

Last Day of School!


The boys had their last day of school a few weeks ago!  I can't believe another school year has passed us by!  By the end of the year Matthew was just NOT having it, so I didn't make him go the last day!  He stayed home and hung out with me.  It will be a very new and different dynamic next fall when JM goes to school 3 days a week and Matthew will only go for 1 day of Mother's Day Out.  I think Matthew and Noah will really have some good bonding time.  For now, Matthew and JM are so bonded that I think it will be kind of neat for Matthew to get a chance to bond with Noah since big brother will be gone a few days a week.



Here's JM ready for his last day of school.  This year has been full of ups and downs, lots of learning, and lots of learning about things that we need to work on.  He has learned SO much, grown by leaps and bounds, met a lot of friends and delt with a few not so nice kids, and he discovered he loves the computer lab (like Daddy!).  He's matured a lot and started turning into a great little kid.  He knows ALL of his ABCs, knows what each letter "says", can count at least to 20, and can count backwards too!




Here's a picture of Matthew with his precious teacher, Miss Steph!  This picture was his first day of school.....





And this picture was his last day of school even though he refused to go and wouldn't have anything to do with his teachers.



Here's JM with his sweet teacher, Miss Kim!  She was very patient with him this year and taught him a lot!  He's the youngest boy in his class.




And here's the heartbreak picture....first day of school,



and last day of school.  Goodness grief they grew a lot.  Mainly Matthew looks like he grew a ton!



After school we celebrated and had a rare treat of middle of the day, just for fun, ice cream from Chick-fil-A!  We ate and played in the play place.



Even Baby Noah got in on the action!



I know summer will be SHORT and I plan on enjoying it and enjoying them while they're still little.  This summer is already much better and easier than last summer.  Having a 3 year old, an 19 month old, and a newborn was no picnic but we got through it and this summer is going to be different and fun!


Saturday, June 9, 2012

On The Rocks


Several weeks ago we headed out to find something fun and different to do!  It seemed like we were just on the threshhold of ushering in summer and I wanted to do something the boys would love!



We headed to this random place that I have seen a few times when we drive to Oklahoma.  We'd never been there before and it definitely WAS off the beaten path! I thought the giant boulders were really cool.   We ate a small lunch in the car and let Noah finish his nap, then we hopped out, put some sunscreen on and walked down to the water.



Our boys love to throw rocks into water.  I can't figure out why, they just love it!  They threw rocks for forever...



and ever...



and ever!



We dipped Noah's toes in...the water was still really cold!



It took a bit of convincing, but John Michael finally decided to put his feet in.  Once he did, then Matthew finally decided that he wanted to!



Once they were in, there was no getting them out!  They walked and walked around in the water and threw rocks and dug around in the bottom of the creek.  I won't lie, I was freaking out about dirty water and them catching some disease from being in the water.  I really have to make myself stop and breathe and think sometimes because I know I have boys.  Boys love dirt.  I also have a nursing degree.  I have to find a happy medium in letting them be wild, free, happy, little boys who really do need to explore, and the boundary of getting hurt or injured.  I'm working on it!



They had a blast!  Mission Accomplished!



And here's Matthew doing typical Matthew stuff....finding something to make a bat out of.  This time it was a stick and a rock!  He is just crazy about baseball and he's pretty darn good to!




It's out of the park!



I mean, how cool and fun is this for little boys?!  I hope we get to do fun, outdoorsy things like this as the boys grow up.  We literally had to drag them away.  They would have stayed for another hour I bet!  It was a fun afternoon that I'm going to remember for a long time and I hope they do too!


Saturday, June 2, 2012

Splash Pad!

Summer is definitely here....wanna know why?!  The splash pad is finally open!  This year's trips to the splash pad will definitely be different than trying to go very pregnant/with a newborn!  Don't get me wrong, it was still crazy hard getting everything together, sunscreen, snacks, juice, swim diapers, clothes, and keep a good eye on everyone, but it was still fun!  We ended up staying for 2 hours this first time we went.  I had no idea it was that long, but I think JM would have stayed another 2 hours!


Last year JM just wouldn't really go in the water, he wouldn't really enjoy himself and I kept getting very, very frustrated.  What kid doesn't enjoy splashing?!  A friend told me to not worry about it and she said "I bet he'll do great next summer when he's 4", and you know what?  She was right.


JM literally ran straight in and stayed out in the spray of the splash pad the whole time.  What a difference a year makes for little ones!


Now, Matthew, on the other hand is not very thrilled with the splash pad right now. He seems to be a little more clingy lately and uncertain.  I think it's just a phase and I'm trying to keep him close, encourage him, and give him some boundaries so he feels safe and happy!  I hope he loosens up a bit because I just love the splash pad and I plan on going a bunch this summer!




We ate lunch first and then headed into the water.



Here is Noah sitting in the water for the very first time!





The consensus is: he loves it!



Matthew hung around Noah and me and ate snacks and drank some drinks.





They all had a pretty fun time and at the end they kind of clustered together and played in the water all together.  A fun, wet trio!  It was sweet for me to watch!



We love our splash pad and I'm quite sure we will be back a TON this summer!  I'm so glad our city decided to put this fun splash pad in downtown!


 

A School Park Day!

One week before John Michael's preschool year ended, the teachers set up a fun morning for everyone to enjoy a nearby park.  We dropped the kiddos off as usual and then they walked to the park from church.  The kids had muffins, donuts, and juice and the moms got to sit and talk a bit.  It was kind of nice getting to know these people that I pass every week in the hallway while we pick up and drop off our kids!


 



Noah went with me, of course, and he ate his breakfast while we were there.  He crawled around a little bit and played around on the slides.




John Michael and Sarah Kate!  I hope they're always in classes together!




It was neat to see John Michael interacting with his classmates.  He IS on the more reserved side but lately he's been very outgoing: talking to kids at the park or talking to kids at restaurants and introducing himself and his brothers.  I think it's very sweet and I'm proud of him for slowly coming out of his shell and venturing to do new, fun things!



I still can't believe a whole school year has passed us by and next year he will be in preschool again for his 4/5 year old year.  He is such a big boy and growing so fast!  His blue eyes still melt my heart!