Our First Day...

The big day has finally come and gone. My baby started preschool today and I was there for the entire day ! (It was my first day back to work..I am the assistant teacher at his preschool) It was a fun day..there was playtime outside, coloring, lunch time, circle time..so much to do with little kids that the 3 hours flew by. It was so nice to be there to watch him play with new friends and sit down on the rug for circle time..he is growing up so fast.

The boys and I just before school.

A hug from big brother.

On the front steps of school.

Gathered around the sandbox with new friends.

First Lunches

Here are the boys lunches, packed and all set to go for the morning. I know this is only the beginning of the many lunches I'll be making, but it was a FIRST to put in the books for me !

First Apartment

A new apartment for a new school year..hope he has a great year !

Firsts

This week our family is going through "firsts". It is an exciting time for us all..we are all looking forward to the new things we'll be doing.

• we moved Darren into his first apartment
• Matthew has his first day of preschool
  
• Mom has her first job since having kids
• Ryan's first afterschool pick up without Mom
  
• Our family's first camping trip with friends (8 kids & 8 adults !)

I'll post photos of all our firsts this week...I am praying for us all to be blessed as we start a new adventure in life !

2 days & 5 days

There are only 2 more days until we take our son back to college. I can't believe that our time with him this summer are just about over. It has been so nice to have him home, playing with the boys, being all together for dinner & all his help with the soccer team. We will miss him very much throughout the year..and look forward to the first visit home.

There are only 5 days until I go back to work part time ! I am excited and nervous and anxious and have butterflies in my tummy...it feels like I am going back to school. Tomorrow is meet & greet where I will get to meet all the kids. It should be an exciting morning, seeing so many new faces, trying to remember them all for Tuesday..somehow we'll manage. I was feeling apprehensive about not being able to volunteer in my kindergartners class, but God is good and answered my prayer. I am going to be able to take 1-2 days off a month so that I can be a helper at Kindergarten ! PTL ! All I can say is God is so Good !

6:45 am...

...was the time when I looked at the clock this morning. It was 15 minutes before the alarm was expected to go off, when I heard some little feet moving around. Ryan had got up, was getting himself dressed for school, made his bed, fixed himself a little breakfast (honey nut cheerios in a baggie) and then came in to tell me he was all set for school, after my good morning kiss !
I just love that he has so much enthusiasm about school..he can't wait to get there and see what he will do for the day. Now let's hope he is as excited when it is time to do homework today ...

Sew Simply Made

I am excited to be preparing for an upcoming craft show this fall. Last night I finished my first item to sell, and it turned out great ! It is a Buttercup Bag (pattern by Rae Hoekstra, madebyrae.blogspot.com) and I just love it! There are so many wonderful possibilities to create with it, including a larger size. I am all set to make another one tonight.

"Sew Simply Made"

the name I have given my sewing shop

Water Slides

Our gym has several sites around the city and a few of them have water slides for the kids. We went to try them out for the first time this summer..bit late I know..but a very fun day. I think that Ryan went down the green slide AT LEAST 50 times, while Matthew was more in the 20 range. I even got in on the fun and did some races on the red slide with each of them. It was a great day to be out in the water !

Matthew on the red.

Ryan on the green.

Eye Exam

This week the boys had a special treat..an eye exam by their Papa ! This was such a special outing for the boys. They were excited to go to his work..and get a treat at the end. (both of them have good vision for their ages, which was the actual reason for the visit..not just the fun)

Papa checking Ryan's eyes.

Learning about how the eye works.

Matthew's turn.

Their "special"glasses !

Bubble Time

This morning Matthew talked me out of going to the gym..wasn't too hard to do since I am still sore from yesterday. Instead we have had some great 1 on 1 while Ryan is at school. We tried out these new bubbles that you are supposed to be able to hold in your hand. While that didn't work out too well, we did have fun trying to blow them :)

Soccer Season

This fall our 5 yr old is starting his first soccer rec league. It is going to be such a fun time for us all ! Dad is the coach, Mom is the team parent, big brother is helping with drills and little brother is cheering on the side lines..it is so fun to have us all doing something fun together.

This week was our first practice..all the kids did so well..they especially enjoyed the drill game where they were to kick the ball at the coach..he would say "OUCH" if he got tagged and then they would try again ! It was a big hit.

"Drop Me Off Please"

Today is the 4th day of school and already my little kindergartner asked to be dropped off at the gate ! I couldn't believe it..he didn't want me to walk him up to the door, he didn't want me to hold his hand in line, he didn't want any of those things...so we drove up to the curb, he gave me a hug, put on his backpack, opened up the door, waved goodbye, and he was off through the gate. It was a little hard for me to see him wanting to be so independent already..I mean we haven't even finished the first week yet ! To help me feel a little better, I made a second circle in the parking lot to see what he was doing inside the yard..he was standing in line like a big boy! I was so proud to see that he was waiting patiently and yet sad that he is growing up so fast.

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was our son's first day of Kindergarten. He was up at 6:30am ready to start the day.

Here he is having some breakfast.

Brushing his teeth.

Thumbs up for a great day !

Photo op with Mom & little bro.

One with Dad too.

Sporting his name tag.

Listening to his teacher.

I am happy to report that he had a great first day. He is ready for day 2 and all that a Tuesday has to bring.

Art Board

As part of the boys room makeover, I wanted to have a nice way to display the art they will be bringing home from school this year. (with both of them in school, we'll have double the projects this year)

I went to Joann's, my favorite craft store, and bought 6x6 cork tiles. I then took some old frames we had and removed the glass. Then I cut the cork tiles to size, glued them in, and hung them up. Here is the finished product for their art. I am happy with the way they turned out, and the best part is it only cost me the amount for the cork..not bad for a days work !

3 boards for school projects.

A close up of smaller frame.

The Boys "Big Boy" Room

For quite some time now the boys have been asking for bunk beds and a big boy room. No more changing table, no more teddy bears on the windows...time for superheros, bunk beds & room to play !

So this weekend we did a BIG BOY makeover for them.

Bunk beds for our 2 big boys.

A hook for the backpack.

A hanging globe, so we can learn about the world.

An organized closet !

(that was mostly for mom)

Shelves for superheros & cork boards for art !

Wii Time

Big Brother is home for a few weeks before his second year of college begins. The boys just love having him home..someone to wrestle with...someone to tickle...someone to play games with...Oh speaking of games, big brother has a Wii ! It was fun to watch them playing together, was one of the highlights of my day !

The race is on !

Not sure who is winning !

Forgot the Camera !!!

UGH !! I realized when we got to the school that I had left my camera in the swim bag. We had been taking pics of the boys at swim lessons yesterday and I didn't move it back to my purse...ugh !

Even without the camera, this morning went well. Ryan had fun making a craft, we parents listened to the principal go over dozens of lists for us to remember for Monday... :) It wasn't really that bad, but I am glad we were given a packet with the reminders on it.

The kids were all given School water bottles and we got Ryan a school shirt to wear on spirit days. It is red & white, which are the school colors, the perfect colors for him..his favorite is RED !

Kindergarten Round Up

This morning we are going to Ryan's new school to meet his teacher and classmates. We are all so excited to be starting on this new journey with him. We have started out the morning well...boys go up on time...had a good breakfast of cereal...took a bath, don't want to be dirty on the first day...and now they are playing nicely together.
Dad and I will get to go into the Multi-Purpose Room and have our parent meeting while the kids are getting to know one another. I am sure we'll be handed some notes and given reminders for the first day, remember those tissues :) Now the question is...do I join the PTA?? Have to think about this one...I'll see what they have to say...

(photos to come in the next post)

National Night Out

Tonight we started a new tradition on our block...an ice cream party for NNO ! We had 3 families come over and have some yummy homemade ice cream in the front yard. The kids played, ate ice cream, played some more, ate some more ice cream..it was a fun time. The parents also got in on the ice cream fun..it was a yummo night !

Our table set up with lots of ice cream & toppings !

Ryan making up his bowl.

Sitting and enjoying M&M ice cream.

The Dads having a chat.

Fun Cards

I felt "scrap" inspired today, so I made these 2 purse cards. They were a quick impromptu for some sweet girls. It was fun to make something for girls, since I am mostly doing boy related pages. I am going to try and get a few more made this week, so that I am ready for a JIC situation !

Our Little Fish

The boys are in the middle of their second session of swim lessons this summer. We usually try and do a session early in the summer and then again towards the end. Back in May, Ryan would get in the water and do most of the lesson, but would not put his head under water. He just did not want to do it. So that meant taking the same level of lesson now.

The second day of lessons this week, my boy became a FISH ! He is now swimming underwater, doing the strokes, lifting his head up to breath...I mean he is actually swimming on his own, no teacher holding on to him at all ! It has been so exciting to see him all of a sudden love being in the water and doing so well. I can't wait to see what new skill he'll learn next week !

Here's a little stroke by stroke photo shoot !

Crockpot Burritos Recipe

I have a dear friend, who lives far away now, that gave me this great little crock pot cookbook one year as a gift. She knows as a busy mom herself what a life savor crock pots can be. I use ours quite often in the winter for beef stew, pot roast with all the trimmings inside, spaghetti & meatballs but in the summer I find I don't use it as much. Not sure why..It has always felt like a winter cooker to me.
Well with swim lessons this past week and the next week yet to come, I have changed my mind ! It has become my wonderful helper yet again, as we have lessons just before dinner, it is nice to come home to 90% of the meal ready to go.
The cookbook title is "101 Things To Do With A Slow Cooker" by Stephanie Ashcraft and Janet Eyring. It has some wonderful dishes inside that I'll be sure and share more this fall.

Here is the recipe..I hope you enjoy it..we sure did !

1 pound ground beef, cooked & drained
2 cans (16 ounces each) refried beans
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
flour tortillas

Combine all ingredients except tortillas in greased 3 1/2 -5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low hear 6-10 hours. Spread hot bean mixture on flour tortillas. Fill with favorite burrito toppings. Fold and enjoy.
Makes 4-6 servings.

Thank you Ny for this great gift ! We are using it and enjoying it !