Dear Sam...

I'm not sure who gave you permission to do so, but you've done it again. And I can't quite believe myself. I told you you couldn't, but you did it anyways. You've gone and turned 4 like it was no big deal. And you did it even though I asked you not to! But to see how happy it makes you to be 4, it kind of softens my heart just a little and I might let this one slip by. Maybe. But turning 5? That's outta the question, you hear me? No way, nuh uh, nope, not happening. You can just stay 4 for a long, long time, okay? Because, to be honest, I kind of like you at 4. You are full of questions, you keep me on my toes, you keep me company throughout the day, you love pretending and have a wild imagination sometimes, and boy, do you love your cars--every last one of them. Yeah, come to think of it, I think it is sort of a tiny bit okay that you've turned 4 because I am pretty smitten by you at the age of 4. So, let's just keep it that way, all righty? And just so you know, I feel like I am the luckiest mama in the whole wide world to have called you mine for four whole years. I love you to the moon and back a thousand times. Happy birthday, Sam.

The 1st Day of 1st Grade

Well, I had been telling myself I was definitely going to write about the first day of school during August, so it would be posted at least some time around the time it actually happened.  It was my goal, you see.  But then August kind of laughed in my face and now it's September and I'm posting this almost a month after the fact.  Oh well!  It's a lot better than the updating from March through August that I still have to do.  :)

So, August 8 was the big, anticipated day.  I tell you I was a bundle of nerves.  It had been a really crazy summer, as I know I've already mentioned.  But this was the day that it all came to be, ready or not.  So, of course the morning was much more rushed than I was hoping it to be.  We rushed through breakfast and rushed to get in the car, not knowing for sure how long it would take us to get there since there would be a million other parents driving their kids to school that day.  So, my pictures were rushed, my lens was fogged up from the humidity (I didn't take my own advice I had given someone the day before...rushed, I tell you!), but we made do.  So, we headed out the door...we were on our way!  (And so glad Garrett could come with us this day!)

So, we arrive, and did find out that yes, one million other parents had driven their kids to school this day as well.  So we hiked across the parking lot to find his class.  We had been to the school for a tour and seen the 1st grade hallway, but hadn't been in his classroom or met his teacher yet.  So, this was a big first for all of us.

And this was where my picture taking was really starting to annoy a bit, I think.  :)

So, we made it!  We met the teacher, found his desk, ensured him that he would be able to eat school lunch that day (he was wanting to eat at the cafeteria SO bad, so we made sure that he could, which really put him at ease, I think!), and just like that...we told him good bye and left. Left him there in that big classroom in that big school, where he didn't know a single soul.  And I lost it in the car.  I really did.  This was so hard for me this year.  I knew I would miss him during the day and stuff, but more than anything, I was just worried about the adjustment of all of this.  All those worries got the best of me.  And as we pulled up to our house, Sam said "now I can't even ride bikes because Tyler's not here".  Yeah, that didn't help.  Those two sure are good little buddies.

So, I spent a quiet day with this little cutie.  And reminded myself several times how lucky I am.  He went outside for a bit and came in with a surprise behind his back.  He had picked a flower for me from the yard and said "this is for you since you're sad and missing Tyler and Dad (because Dad was at work)".  Seriously, what a blessing this boy is!

I just love him!

So, then the real nerve wracking part came...Tyler really, really, really wanted to ride the bus home.  The bus will pick him up and drop him off at the end of our driveway, and I am super excited about that, but of course the first day was all about worrying whether he made it on the right bus and all that jazz.  I talked to the bus driver and he said he'd be home around 4:15.  So a few minutes after 4:00, I went out to wait just in case.  And I waited, and waited, and waited.  Sam rode his bike while we waited.

You see, we had a lonely bike without a rider (which Sam brought to the end of the driveway so it would be waiting there for Tyler to get home!).

And finally!!!  The moment we had been waiting for!  At nearly 5:00, we finally saw that bus.  I thought it would never come!  Of course, they just had some first day things to work through, but oh my goodness, it was just a long wait (and a HOT one, too, I might add!).

And there he was!  He had survived!

He was on his bike in no time, and also giving his dad a recap of the day's events.  He seemed to be in good spirits, but also seemed to be really worn out.  I imagine it was pretty tiring!

And the success of the first day was celebrated with chocolate chip cookies, of course.  No matter how the day is, it is always a little better with a cookie, I'm pretty sure.  :)

And that is a recap of the big first day of school.  Tyler was worn out and cried the next morning when I woke him up for school because he was so tired.  I thought it was really odd, but still sent him that day and the next.  He just seemed so tired...but it wasn't until the school nurse called in the middle of the day on Wednesday saying he had a 103.2 fever that it all made sense.  So the first day of school was a success, but I now realize he really didn't feel well at all those first few days and then ended up missing the last half of the week.  It was rough!  But a month into it now, it seems to be much better and he's really gotten in his groove.  He loves school and loves riding the bus and I love spending some time with Sam.  Although, I am pretty sure he is pretty bored with me. But I'm lucky he's still around!

Just One

In an attempt to push back my update of the blog even further, I am blogging this. Just this...one picture--and lots of words. I had great intentions for all the many things I was going to accomplish this month, of course! But it seems someone had other plans.

First it was Tyler who had other plans by getting sick (and I mean SICK) on the 3rd day of school. I got a call from the school nurse telling me to come pick him up since he had a fever of 103.2. Lovely. He missed the rest of that day plus the rest of the week. So the big first week of school that we built up and prepared for was a complete bust as he missed half of it. He was SOOOOO sick. His tonsils were the size of golf balls, he had spots on them, a fever for 5 days, and of course it was just a "VIRUS" so antibiotics were not used. Until we took him back in after 5 days with no improvement and they finally agreed to put him on an antibiotic to see if he would respond to it. Wouldn't ya know it, he went to school the very next day. But then he went back to school only to struggle with being the new kid, being scared to meet new kids, and all the emotions that came with it.

We got through that hurdle just in time for our AC to go out. In August. In Louisiana. Yes, that is pretty much a definition of hell that I have just described. So last Sunday was the dreaded day our AC died, and Monday was the day Sam woke up with his own fever of 104 (yep, he'd caught Tyler's exact same illness...off to the doctor we go), Tuesday was the day our drains backed up and toilets overflowed (all the while we didn't have AC, mind you), Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday--temperatures were hovering between 88 & 90 degrees in our house, and Wednesday was the day we finally had a guy come out who could really help us and fixed our AC (we had other guys come out who were no help at all!), and Friday was the day that Magic Rooter came and jetted out our sewer lines. So by Friday, we were finally thinking this bad spell was behind us. And I am crossing all of my fingers and toes and eyes and, and, and...in hopes that August was just a fluke and all things will be able to go more smoothly from this point on. It hasn't been fun, as you have probably gathered at this point. But on the plus side, we finally attended our first Zephyrs game on Friday evening and brought Garrett's dad home with us that night, as he flew in for the weekend (since he has been doing some work in Texas last week and this coming week. Yay for us!!!).

So, it seems we may end August on a happy note after all. But all in all, I am wanting to put August behind me, hoping it doesn't let the door hit it on its way out. Come on, September. Be good to me! :) But I just have to look at this one picture to be reminded that I really am very blessed (even if I have to be reminded sometimes!).

Welcome to the Jungle

Well, hi there. So, my last post was...let's see...um, June 16. That was nearly two months ago. And before that, it was April the last time I posted. But in June, I mentioned we were busy and as I was writing that post, I also knew that a summer that was already exhaustingly busy by mid-June was only about to get busier. See, about two weeks after that post, we packed up everything we owned and moved to the Northshore. This may not seem like a big deal, but for us it was. We had lived in our previous place for 5 years and we knew our way around pretty well and were, well, comfortable in a lot of ways. Was it our ideal living situation? No. But did we know that life pretty well? Yes. But when we got to looking into schools for Tyler to attend this year, to make a long story short, we just needed to move. If there is one thing I could change about living here, it would be the schools. What a headache! We really wanted to send him to public school and for many reasons, we just didn't feel good about the schools in the New Orleans area. So July 2, we drove across the lake and unloaded all of our belongings into this 'new to us' house. Garrett's commute is longer in miles, but actually doesn't take him much longer than it used to. We are in a new ward, which has probably been the most emotional thing about the move for me. I really, really liked the ward we were in and felt very comfortable there. It's kind of hard to be new again, but it will come I'm sure.

Settling in has been a bit of a struggle because we added even one more thing to the madness and left two weeks later to see our families in Idaho. We drove again and spent 2 weeks in Idaho and a total of 5 days driving. We got home with just a few days to spare before school started. So today I sent my boy off to 1st grade! I couldn't believe they started so early, it really cut off a lot of our summer. But I sit here thinking it's kind of amazing that we did it all. And we were blessed that everything went so well along the way. When I dropped my boy off in his new classroom at his new big school this morning, I felt a well of emotions as I realized this was the grand finale of a very emotional and busy summer. I know he'll be fine, but wow, it's just been a lot for me in a few short months. I look forward to settling into this new place and a new routine. I need it badly, I'm afraid.

So, there will hopefully be a little more time to blog now and I really do have intentions of going back (clear back to March events, I might add) and catching up. But in the mean time, I got a lot of questions about our most current events, so these pictures are fairly recent. Within the first few days of moving, the boys discovered just how wonderful it was to be able to ride their bikes all day every day, no matter how hot it was outside. They love it. So up and down the drive way they go (and sometimes, a ride to the country club if I'm willing to oblige!). This first group of pictures is from July 7, a few days after we moved in.

It's amazing how I saw their friendship blossom just from this. They really have to have each other to ride with. I hear them pass by each other and say "hey, bud" or "hey, good fella". I love these boys.

These two hooligans have also spent plenty of time finding all sorts of critters in the yard. We've seen bunnies, squirrels, lizards, bugs of ever shape and size, frogs by the dozen, and dare I say...a snake. OK, so the snake was not so cool. Just ask Tyler about that one. It scared him to death. But on the other hand, watching him catch a frog the other night was nearly one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life. I was dying laughing so hard!

So, here is a picture of part of the house. I am not able to get a picture with the entire house in it. My lenses make me too close to get it all in. It is an old house with an old floor plan and a big yard with big trees and bushes, etc--all which were seriously neglected in the last few years. The yard clean up is going to be an enormous project. And to make matters worse, we weren't able to do much with it before we left for Idaho and then it rained about every day that we were gone, so when we got home last Tuesday, it literally looked like a jungle. So on Saturday, we spent the day in the yard. We filled up 16 yard bags full of clippings, leaves, pine needles, etc. And sadly, the only thing you can really tell is that the grass got mowed. :( It's going to be a lot of work! But good thing the boys can help, right?!

We insist that Sam wear his helmet while working in the yard. I mean you never know when there might be a large object fall on your head. (or it may be that he takes a lap on his bike and then comes to help, then takes another lap and repeats)

Another view/angle of the house...

And one thing we have been very good at since the move is sweating, if you can tell. The boys don't seem to mind that it's like a heat index of 1,000 degrees every day, but they sure do sweat! As in, they need to change their clothes when they come inside because they are soaked through type of sweat. Ahhhh, I just keep thinking how nice the Fall will be here!

Now to all of my family members who hassled me for not blogging anymore, I hope this helps...it's all for you, ya know! :) Hopefully there will be more coming soon!

Tap, tap...is this thing on?

Um, okay...where do I begin? It has been over TWO months since I last blogged. What on earth is happening here? Why can't I keep up with this? The desire is definitely there, but the time it takes hasn't been. But don't give up on me...some day I'll get there. I think. I hope...

In the mean time, here is a picture from just one of our outings since the last time I blogged. And in the mean time, you can look forward to posts about Mardi Gras, a beach trip, Father/Son campout, strawberry picking, Easter, my 30th birthday/Crescent City Classic 10k, NOLA air show, Mother's Day, end of school festivities, grandparents visit, kindergarten graduation, blueberry picking, Girls Camp, and I'm sure to be missing a lot.

On top of all of that, Garrett has been working more this year than ever before. He has been pulling 80+ hour weeks and working weekends. The assignment he is on should be wrapping up within the next week and we may actually see him again. He's still been serving on the High Council and I have still been the YW president, and I got thrown a curve ball and was asked to be an Assistant Stake Camp Director in April...for camp which was only 6 weeks away from then. In those 6 weeks, I had numerous photo sessions scheduled as well and it was just a lot to do. We just wrapped up our Girls Camp last week and I am finally feeling a little bit of relief (for the moment).

We seem to have no problems staying busy, but to be quite honest, I really don't think we have ever been quite this busy. And now, summer is shaping up to be just that as well...busy. Are you tired of hearing that word yet? Well, more details to come, and hopefully some updates. But I just wanted to give a shout out to say that we're still alive. And plus, my mom told me I really needed to blog. I'm guessing this isn't what she was hoping for, but I'm hoping it counts. This is really for you, Mom!

Be back soon (I hope!)

Do Not Disturb

It's safe to say that Tyler loves to read. He 'cracked the code' early in the school year and has taken off like wild fire since. He continues to amaze me each day with each new thing he figures out and reads. He plows through the books he brings home every day. But in February, he hopped in the car after school especially excited. He pulled out his new library book to show me what it was and excitedly announced that he had brought home his first chapter book! Oh boy, I thought this would be way over his head. But I was wrong!

We came home and he quickly made some signs and put them on the TVs. That is a picture of a TV with a line drawn through it. My child insisting that we not watch TV?? What is this world coming to? I thought I'd never see the day! But, you see, he wanted no distractions as he dug into this book. Can't say I blame him! (the sign above also has written "no troning with crayns or pencils" which means no drawing with crayons or pencils because he caught Sam drawing on his precious sign. So he had to add a stern warning, of course) And yes, I know that I have lots of fingerprints & dust on my TV. :)

So, he holed himself up for the afternoon and read away, diving into the Cam Jansen mystery.

And just like that, the first chapter book is in the books! I am so happy he loves to read, although I have also learned that nothing is "safe" anymore as I can't spell a word to Garrett that I don't want the kids to pick up on and he reads my e-mails and everything else in sight. He has already figured out how to search things on google because he's watched me do it. There's no stopping him now! I have to watch myself, that's for sure! :) I imagine this boy will have a great relationship with books as he continues to grow up. I'm so grateful!

Valentine's Day Recap

So, it's time to recap Valentine's Day happenings from this year. And that wasn't even that long ago, right?! For me, it feels like this is practically a current event compared to the way my blogging has been in recent months! So, this post is going to have a whole lot of randomness attached as it's just that...random Valentine events at our house!

So, for starters, here are the valentines for this year. I have seen this idea floating around the world wide web for the last few years and I've always wanted to do it. And have always forgot about it when the time came. So, this year, I happened to remember it a couple weeks before Valentine's Day and jumped on it. It was easy and super fun. The boys loved it and I loved that it involved them in the process so much. They gave them to friends in class, at church, and at playgroup, and even mailed some off to family in Idaho. They were so excited for everyone to get them and they would wake up and say "do you think Grandma got my valentine today?" or "maybe I could call Cash and see if he got my valentine". They loved hearing from those that got them. It was just FUN, all the way around!

And Tyler's only assignment for his class valentines was that he had to write his own name on all of them, so I left that space blank on the print and he did the rest. And what a fine job he did, if I must say!

February got the crafty bug in me and I just wanted to make everything in sight and I felt like I had so many ideas I wanted to do, if only I had the time to do them all! After seeing a few different things on blogs, I came up with this little wall hanging. Super easy with a printed out font and some heart punches and spray paint. I was loving the red/pink/teal combo this year (which is saying a lot for this girl who has always been a lover of black/red/white!).

Valentine's Day cannot come without lots of yummy treats, right?! So we had heart shaped layered brownies with raspberry frosting.

And never in my household will there be a Valentines Day without heart shaped sugar cookies. They taste better on Valentines Day, I swear it!

After Tyler's school party and Sam's playgroup party, the boys came home and sorted through their loot. And they both found green Fun Dips and went to town on them. Isn't the green mouth irresistible?!

I gave Tyler this Scooby Doo book for Valentine's Day this year...he loves Scooby Doo and he loves to read, so I figured it was a perfect combo and he'd be super excited. And boy, was I right!! It was so funny how something so simple could bring him so much happiness. :) He kept saying thank you over and over again and saying it was the best day ever and that he just loved it so much, etc, etc, etc. I'm all for $3 gifts that are better than anything else on the planet!!

But of course, the best Valentines were the ones made with little hands! The Smarties butterfly was darling and after Tyler received his new book, he holed himself up in his room and made each of us our very own valentine. I tell you, that boy is so sweet! He drew all the hearts and wrote our names on all of them and wrote a number on the front. I asked him what the numbers meant and he said that he wrote our age on all of them. :) So I will forever hold on to my "Mom29" valentine since I'm never turning 30, you know! And when Garrett walked in the door with a bag from Zales, Tyler said "Oh, Mom!!! I think Dad must've done good getting you diamonds!!" That boy pays way too close attention to commercials. But he was right, Dad did good!

More craftiness...I made an 'I Love You' banner to match my wall hanging and made some faux chenille heart pillows. I found the tutorial for the pillows HERE. And of course, I had to include Tyler's cute mailbox he made at school out of an empty kleenex box.

And since nothing says love like x's and o's, I made a burlap tic tac toe board. I was inspired by the one here, but changed it up quite a bit. I wanted mine to be portable so I could take it in our church bag. The one on the tutorial didn't seem very easy to take and go. So, I painted my board onto the burlap and then sewed it onto a piece of fabric (which happened to be some cloth napkins we got for our wedding almost 11 years ago and never used. I figured why not use them? I could have picked cuter fabric, but also loved using something that was just sitting around anyways). When I sewed it on to the fabric, I also sewed 2 snack sized ziploc bags into the edge to keep the x's and o's in as I figured they'd be lost in 5 minutes flat if I didn't have some way to store them. And to finish it off, I wanted some sort of enclosure, so I added that to the outside. I thought they turned out really fun and I made a few as gifts too. I hope they are being enjoyed by others as well!

It sure has been a big hit at our house and I love having it in my church bag for the boys (until they start fighting over who gets to be x's and who is o's, of course!!).

And there we have a close to Valentine's Day of 2011, in all its random glory. I sure hope every one of you had a {LOVELY} day!