t-ball

Dear Kaylee,

You started your first YMCA sport- T ball! You love it. You tell me all the time that you “are good at this game, and a good hitter!” I love watching 3 year olds play t ball. It's so funny. You are all so little out there and you're trying your hardest, but every now and then a butterfly catches your attention or someone ends up running the wrong direction. I love listening to the coach. He is so kind and patient. “OK guys we're going to practice hitting the ball, stand up please, first we have to make sure we have a helmet on, no not yet don't grab the bat yet, we have to stand up now please, we wear the helmets so nobody gets hurt, please take the glove out of your mouth...” ha ha. I love it. It is clear that every ones biggest concern is what the snack will be at the end of the game, and who is in charge of bringing the snack. We took baseball sugar cookies for our snack and you were so proud of yourself for helping me make them because all the kids went nuts over them!

You started preschool too. This year you are a caboose. I didn't do a very good job preparing you for the upcoming school year. I had my mind on home school and the baby. This will be my 4^Th year taking kids to preschool at Bethel and so I guess I thought it was old news. Well, it wasn't. You were so excited on the first day of school and went running up... to your old class. Ugh. Epic Mom Fail! You were so shocked that you had a new class, with new friends, and new teachers. You went in just fine, but when I picked you up you wouldn't talk about your day. Then the next time you told me you didn't like school and you didn't know who your teachers were. The third time you cried your little eyes out and said you didn't want to go to school. However, when I picked you up that day you came out of class bright eyed and happy and said you know who your teachers are now and now you like school. I'm sorry I dropped the ball on preparing you. I will try harder to remember that things are new and scary for you even if it's old news for me. Your teacher today told me that you made a new friend in your class, Cadence. She said you two really hit it off. You also have a friend from last year in your class named Kaylee H. You really like Kaylee H. and talk about her all the time. We're going to have to start having some play dates with your friends.

We've had a lot of whining lately. I think all the little changes in our family; new baby, new schools, new friends, etc. have really taken a toll on you. One day you were fighting over a chair with Hunter and Daddy put you in time out. For whatever reason you took the chair with you, which is normally not allowed. Daddy said by the end of the three minute time out he found you in the corner, asleep, with the chair on your lap. It made us laugh pretty hard. You've been doing a lot better lately so I think you're starting to adjust to everything pretty well. 

I think we're finally all starting to settle in for the school year. I at least feel like we're all coming back to a place of normalcy. I love you so much, and I just can't wait to see what this school year has in store for you!

XOXO

Mommy

Kindergarten!

Dear Connor,

You are a big Kindergartner now! I can't believe it! You really love school this year. Well, you've always loved school so I guess this year is no different. We are learning at home this year. I didn't want to put you in an all day Kindergarten program. It is going very well. You are really determined and you work really hard. On Tuesdays you get to go to MCP to take 5 classes and have lunch with your friends. You are taking Art, Where I live, Solids and Liquids, Lunch, PE, and Magic School Bus Science. You talk the most about Magic School Bus Science but whenever I ask you what your favorite class is you say all of them. The first day of your classes I stayed with you the whole day. You were very concerned about being in school and changing classrooms all by yourself. I don't really blame you. Typically kids don't have to worry about that until Middle School and they even panic. During one of your classes I had to leave to go give Rusty more food and you were so upset. The teacher had to pull you off of my leg while you were screaming and crying. But by the end of the day you went to your last class and just waved to me saying, “see 'ya later mom!”

You are really going through a “mom is going to leave me” phase right now. You have always been slightly concerned about that. When you were two I had to tell you every day on the way to preschool that I would come pick you up at least ten times. You calmed down the next couple of years but this year it is back with a vengeance. If I go to the bathroom you start yelling through the house “MOMMY!” I walked across the hall of Kaylee's preschool today and you came running to see where I had gone. You want me to tell you where I am going several minutes in advance before I go anywhere. I am trying to work with you on that, because I really want you to trust that I am not going anywhere. You are stuck with me. Sorry, buddy.

We have a joke in the house. We like to say, “and here's another Sad Moment by Connor.”  We say this because you like to point out all the things that are “sad.” We will be having a great time and you will suddenly say, “ hey guys, here is something sad. I lost my lego.”

The latest sad moment by Connor was the other night at MCP. They were having a back to school night. There was a giant bounce house style obstacle course and root beer floats. They were selling bags (which you got one) and t-shirts. It was a very fun event. You turned to Kaylee and said, “Kaylee, when you turn 5, this is the place Mom is going to just drop you off and leave you here for a whole day... yup. She will.”

You weren't telling her in an excited, “I bet you can't wait until you're 5” tone, it was more of a “enjoy life while you can because 5 is all down hill.”  All I could do was laugh because how sad could a place with bounce houses and ice cream be?!

You are playing flag football right now and you absolutely love it. You are pretty good too. You were disappointed that there were no snacks given at the end of practice and I am thinking maybe your coaches heard all the surprised 5 year olds asking for their snack because at the second practice there were snacks. That makes the sport practically perfect in your eyes.

You have been such a good kid lately. So funny too. You've taken on a British accent at times. I have no idea where it came from. You taught yourself charades and you act things out several times a day instead of just telling me. You think almost everything is funny.

I am so glad I have you around. My life would be so boring without you. And thus, you are stuck with me forever, or until you turn 30 and I kick you out so I can have a grand baby. Hee hee.

I love you,

Mommy

Russy

Dear Rusty,

I can't settle on what to call you, Russell or Rusty. I switch back and forth depending on what I happen to say. I like both of them so much. On accident a few times I have called you “Russy” and I even like that! I am not the only one struggling either. My friend Leanne goes back and forth too and she called you “Russy” by accident once!

You are so blue eyed! You have the lightest blue eyes ever! Connor keeps telling me that it looks like you're going to be a blue eyed boy. I think he's right.

You are sleeping really well. You sleep a six hour stretch and then a three hour stretch. Every few nights you wake up every three hours, but it really isn't bad. You just eat and go back to sleep. You mid day nap is very consistent; three solid hours in the afternoon.

You eat so much. I am pretty sure that is all you do, and yet you are not as chubby as I would have expected you to be by now. You are solid. You weighed 14 lbs at your 2 month check up. But you are long and still fairly lean, considering.

We took you to the pool for the first time. You didn't seem overly enthusiastic, but you didn't not like it either. I think you were pretty neutral, but you sure looked cute in your swim trunks!

You absolutely love to sit up. You grunt and push your body until whoever is holding you helps you sit up. You love sitting in your Bumbo although you are pretty tipsy in it stil. You do really well in the exersaucer. You love to sit in that and will sit there for up to 20 minutes playing and smiling at your siblings. Daddy says that he thinks you will be left handed because you always touch your face with your left hand and you use your left hand when you are playing. He says the exersaucer is “clearly made to gear babies towards being right handed because all the fun toys are on the right hand side of the toy.” hee hee. Daddy just rotates the chair so that you can reach the fun toys with your left hand.

I love snuggling you so much! I told myself that I would put you in your crib and not in our bed when the time came. Well, the time has come and it hasn't happened. You sleep in your crib for a few hours each night, but the truth is I would much rather you be with me so you sleep right next to me in bed. You prefer it too. I can tell because you don't sing in your sleep nearly as much when you are in bed with me and Daddy as you do when you are in your crib.

You smile at EVERYTHING right now. You love it when I snort and say “Uh-Oh, I'm going to get you!” because you know that means that kisses are coming. You are getting way more than your fair share of kisses around here. I think someone is constantly kissing you. Who can help themselves though with those adorable chubby cheeks!

You found your feet. You would look down and then jump out of fear. Grandma would say, “those are your feet. They've always been there.” Then a few minutes later you would look down and jump out of fear again. You did that four or five times. We all got a good laugh out of it. The next day you were staring at your feet in the car. Except this time you were wearing your monster pajamas and you had little monsters staring back up at you. I laughed to myself and thought 'I guess that would be confusing'. I can only imagine what you were thinking, “where did my feet go and what on earth is that?”

Daddy and I are going out of town tomorrow for an overnight trip. I decided to leave you home because you are not a huge fan of your carseat and I thought it would be more relaxing and fun for you to stay with Grandma rather than being dragged around in a car all weekend. I am struggling a little bit actually leaving you. I am not sure how I am going to make it 30 some hours without holding you. I guess we will have to have extra snuggles when I get home and before I leave! You're definitally sleeping in the bed with us tonight!

I love you buddy. I love watching you grow and explore your world so much! I can't wait to see what each new day brings.

XOXO

Mommy