An Early Start to Summer

First can I just point out that the temperature got up to 90 today and it was only in the 50's on Friday. Yes, 3 days, 40 degree swing. I can't complain too much though, because I'm ready for summer! I know this isn't really the beginning of summer, but it's hot enough, school's out for us, and let's face it, we had an incredibly cold and wet winter/spring. So, we started "summer" with a fun parade, spent most of the day outside, did some gardening, ate ice cream at Mr. Freeze, busted out the baby pool, got some good use out of the grill, and enjoyed eating on our patio. Looking forward to doing a lot more of the same over the next few months!

It's Official...

...this mama is not going to have to give "the talk" to any of her kids. Baby Ring #3 is a boy! He's due October 14 and we're all super excited to meet the newest member of our family.

Dang Hormones

All I have to say is I'm glad I'm not planning on being pregnant during anymore last days of school for my kids. Last week was Colin's last day of school and normally that sort of thing would not get to me. I'm not really a crier and on top of that I don't like to cry so even if I feel the urge, I always fight it. Some of my friends asked if I was feeling emotional and I was like "No way! I just need to figure out what we're going to do this summer." Then arrives the actual day. I arrived at the school feeling excited because Colin said he was actually going to sing during this program. We got there early so we could watch the video of pictures the teachers had taken during the year. Both sets of grandparents were there. It felt like a party. Then the video started and what got me was not the pictures but the sweet music their teacher set it to. I felt the tug at my heart and I started hearing sniffles coming from all around me. I decided to take a moment to shush Eli thinking that might distract me, but I kept tuning back to the video and then I felt it - the welling. Oh no! I wore mascara, there would be no tears shed! Thankfully, I was able to talk myself down convincing myself that I didn't want my make-up to run because that's just not a cute look on me. Now, you might be saying to yourself, what does this have to do with hormones? A lot of moms might cry when their first-born child finishes their first year of school. Not me. It's just not my bag. And let me tell you how I know it was not a normal reaction. That afternoon, my next door neighbor's daughter was dressed in her cap and gown and taking high school graduation photos with her family in front of their house. I took one look at their family and the tears started falling. Not even a warning this time. I had to pretend to the kids it was my allergies. I don't even know my neighbors that well. Dang hormones.

Back to Colin's program - it was absolutely adorable! Colin didn't sing like he said he would but he danced his tushy off and had a big smile on his face the whole time. The kids all got a photo album filled with pictures of them with their classmates and teachers from the year. So sweet! It was a really fun morning and afterward the class had a pizza party and then we headed to Mr. Freeze to celebrate. Congrats to my Colin for finishing his first year of school with a bang!

A Picnic in the Rain

Saturday was the annual TPG Go Fly A Kite Spring Picnic. In past years, we've been super lucky with great weather. We weren't sure if this year's picnic would be cancelled since the forecast called for rain all day. As the morning progressed, the forecast changed slightly and a small window of no-rain opened up. The picnic was on! When we got there, Colin was super excited to get our kite out and start flying it. Unfortunately, his fun lasted for a grand total of 5 seconds. Despite Chris' warnings before even handing him the kite to stay away from the tree and the shelter and despite Chris calling at him to run the other way once he handed him the string, the child ran straight for that tree and....

Chris attempted to save the poor kite. He got it out of the tree but not without some damage.

Thankfully there is a super fun playground that the kids ran to next.

Our brave Eli climbed that structure all the way to the top. Chris practically had a heart-attack. After I snapped the above pic, I was off taking pictures of other people's kids and was oblivious to said climb.

It did start raining again maybe an hour after we got there, but that didn't slow down my boys.

We love this picnic and were glad it wasn't cancelled this year.

Down on the Farm

Last week Colin and I went on his final preschool field trip of the year to Country Lane Tree Farm. It is an awesome farm and it was a great time of year to go. Right off the bat the kids got to milk a cow. I was shocked when Colin volunteered to go first and despite his expression in the picture below, he really enjoyed feeding the cow afterward. He even got to milk the cow twice since I missesd the first picture opp (not that my second picture came out much better). He loved it and thought it was hilarious that he squirted milk on his boots.

After milking the cow, the kids got to feed a ton of animals including deer,

pigs,

reindeer,

 goats,

sheep,

llamas & alpacas,

and baby goats that they got to bottle feed (Colin's favorite part - awww!).

They also got to hold a baby bunny,

go through a straw maze that had a super fun (and tall) slide,

take a barrel ride around the farm,

and plant 2 sunflower seeds to bring home.

We can't wait to visit again with the whole family!

Happy Mother's Day!

Daddy Has The Magic Touch

On Saturday Colin started a swim classes. I wasn't sure how it was going to go. The last swim class I signed him up for was accidentally child-only, but since he clung to me outside of the water on the first class, they let me switch him into a child-parent class. Even then, he would cling to me whenever the instructor came near us and was pretty much horrified to put his head under the water or to lie flat in the water. Even though I know he loves water and going "swimming", I thought maybe taking a class without me (which is all that's offered at his age) combined with water was what was making him so uncomfortable. He told me he really wanted to play basketball, so I signed him up. From the first day, he would hide behind my legs, wouldn't participate if I wasn't on the court with him (thankfully the coach was really laid back and didn't care), and even if I was there, still wouldn't participate if the coach came near us. I told him I wasn't going to sign him up for anything else until he felt comfortable taking classes on his own because it was just a waste of money and stressful for everyone...

Then I decided maybe the problem was me. Maybe he was using me as his crutch and if I wasn't in the picture he could do great. I mean, he does so well at school and all I do is drop him off. I changed my no-classes-for-Colin policy and signed him up for a Saturday class so Chris could take him. He told me he was excited because he wants to be able to swim with his cousins in Florida next year. He may have been excited, but I still wasn't holding my breath. Don't get me wrong, I was hoping for the best, but I just didn't want to set my expectations too high.

Well, Chris and Colin went off to the first class Saturday morning and a half hour later, I received a text message showing my little man in the water not only looking relaxed but like he was having fun! Class with Daddy was a success! He had a great time, listened well, did more in this one class than he did in the entire session he took with me, and is looking forward to going back next week. Chris thinks the change in behavior is attributed more to his age and increased self-confidence. I think Daddy has the magic touch.