My little graduate

Here is my little pre-k graduate, hat on, diploma and year-long portfolio in hand!

I'd been looking forward to Jack's pre-k graduation all year. Because I teach pre-k I always have to go to the ceremony, but this year was going to be extra special because my own son was graduating! Unfortunately, on Tuesday, I came down with a nasty stomach flu and was so sick. I was worried that one of the kids would get it, too, and Wednesday, the day of Jack's graduation, he proved to be THE ONE. Poor kiddo! It was with sadness that I attended the ceremony that night, thinking of how MY little graduate wasn't there.

The next day, however, he felt much better. He wore his cap all day and carried around his diploma and notebook wherever he went. It was adorable! When I told him he was ready for kindergarten, he said that he wasn't going to kindergarten until he got a tour of the school. So, I guess we have a couple of months until he's ready for it, and that's just fine with me.

"Fishing" Fun

My parents have a lake cottage that we love to visit in the summer. There is just something so relaxing about a lake house--especially one that includes grandparents! As the boys have gotten older, one of their favorite things to do with Papa is fish off of the dock, though I'm not sure Ryan or my dad enjoys it quite as much as the boys do. The fish probably like it because they know that the lure is really attached to the pole of a loud child! It's like a big flashing light that says, "WARNING! Stay away from that one!"

So, after Ryan untangled the line on my dad's expensive fishing pole for the umpteenth time last summer, we decided perhaps kid-friendly poles were in order for this summer. Last week I went to Target, bought some cute Cars and Star Wars poles that the boys were begging for, and walked out of the store, hearing that I was the best mom in the whole wide world. This lasted about all of one minute because as soon as we got to the van, Grant proceeded to pull something that broke the line, which then led to wailing and sobbing. (The child is seriously a blubbering mess when he's upset!) I said Daddy would try to fix it (Ryan loves when I say that!), and that seemed to momentarily calm things. I figured I couldn't figure it out, but we still had Jack's unbroken pole to use as a reference. Can you see where this is going? Yes, Jack broke his pole just before Ryan got home. So Ryan spent hours trying to figure out how to fix these $12 kids fishing poles.

After an evening of working on them and still not coming up with a solution, he decided to take them to a fishing store to see if they could fix these poles. The guy there looked at them, said it wasn't worth it and that Ryan should go return them. He also said he'd sell some samples for the same price as we'd bought the cheapo ones. This wasn't good enough for the boys, who really wanted the logos on them. The solution was stickers! We bought some stickers that Jack and Grant could use to decorate their poles. They loved putting the stickers on their poles, and we love that the poles seem to be nicer than the originals!

Once we got the poles home they needed to practice using them. I love these pictures! Do you think they'll get any bites if they actually sit this still and quietly? Can they sit still and quietly? That remains to be seen!

And little miss wanted to get in on the action but will have to wait a few years to join in on the fishing fun. Instead, she just gets to watch and learn, which I think she does often anyway. Hopefully she's learning all the GOOD stuff and ignoring all the BAD! Is it too much to ask that the third child be perfect?

Happy Mother's Day!

For Mother's Day, I thought I would just show the reasons I am a mother: my three awesome, sweet, lively, sometimes (often??) spirited, lovely kiddos. There is nothing better that I have done in my life than having these children, and I pray that this year as a mother I would enjoy each day and not wish away the time, wishing that I were at a different stage of life.

If Mama Ain't Happy...

Okay, it's confession time. The last few days I have been anything BUT the perfect parent. (And let's be honest--I never even come close!) I have been grumpy, quick to become angry, nit-picky, etc. I have not controlled my tongue, and my children have born the brunt of it. I could make all sorts of excuses, like, "The weather is making my grumpy, " or "If my kids would only get along, I would be a happier mom." The problem is, if I am trying to teach my boys (and eventually Caroline) to be self-controlled and kind, I need to model good behavior. I don't know if they are picking up on my grumpy cues or if they would be difficult regardless, but we have not had a happy home the past week. It's amazing how Scripture can really speak to the heart of the problem. Today I read, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again. Rejoice!" in Philippians 4:4. I am thankful for the reminder that, regardless of my emotions, I need to to choose to have joy, and hopefully teach my children to choose joy as well.

Weekend Fun with Visitors!

This weekend Ryan's brother and his family came down to visit us and their former hometown. It was great to see them, and Ryan and I felt like we had our own little vacation since we packed so many things into 36 hours. Needless to say, the kids were exhausted by Sunday night and crashed in bed before 7 pm!

On Saturday afternoon we went to the zoo. It's a great zoo, and we love the part where you can touch the sharks. Grant even got in on the action!

Brent somehow ended up with both his own son and Caroline, who were born a month apart. It's fun to have kiddos so close in age!

We swam in the hotel pool, which Jack loved! He swims in preschool so he's now quite comfortable in the water. It was fun to see him so excited to swim!

On Sunday we went to the Children's Museum and introduced Drew and Landon to our current favorite exhibit, Dora and Diego. They liked stopping and smelling the flowers, which actually do have a scent.

There are little puppets around this area, and Grant had fun playing with Caroline using them.

It was Dia de los Ninos, so Dora and Diego came to visit. Jack loves Diego and was excited to see his rescue pack and watch--and him, too, I guess. Grant and Caroline were not too interested.

Caroline's new thing is making the motions to the song, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." It's seriously so cute, and Jack was more than willing to oblige in the performance. He loves this little area that has a stage where he can perform. We love the Children's Museum!