Quiet...

One of the things that I have come to accept in these last few years is that I will always be interrupted while trying to take a shower in the morning...  It's okay, just a fact of life.  But, this morning, the boys were all over the place while I was trying to take a quick shower.  They were constantly in the bathroom, and when they weren't, I could hear them running around, pushing each other and tossing toys all over the place.  I asked them countless times to stop what they were doing and just play in the living room quietly.  Just as I was stepping out of the shower, I realized that all I could hear was the television in the living room... well, I did want them to be quiet, but I was instantly curious as to the reason for the silence.  I rushed out to the living room...  and there they were.  Sitting quietly, as close to each other as they could, watching tv in their own way!

 

Pictures...

Wow, the boys were tired yesterday after school!  When they got home, we cleaned out their lunch bags (and finished what was left!)  As I suspected, the first day of me not being there to remind them to eat, they ate less than half of their lunches.  Conner just about fell asleep during dinner and Ben's eyes were getting pretty heavy, too!  They were asleep just after 7:30 last night.  Our boys have never been known for slowing down, but school is sucking the energy right out of them! 

This morning, as we were getting ready to go, Ben asked if I was going to take their picture again... I decided that maybe I could skip a day so, instead, I thought I would put these pictures on here that the boys brought home from school yesterday! So cute!

Easier?

Just in case you are wondering, it has NOT gotten easier sending these two out in the world...  Today is the first day that I didn't get to walk into school with them and the first day that I won't be there to help with their lunch!  Last night, I reminded them again about walking to their classrooms and eating lunch without me, and Ben asked me if I was going to cry!  I told him that I was going to try really hard not to.  He told me not to worry because while he was gone today I could cuddle with his stuffed animals and they would take care of me!  I am so thankful that they love school so much and that they have grown into such caring and loving boys!

TGIF!

 

TGIF!  It will take some time for our boys to get used to all this school business.  They were pretty tired this morning.  I told them that tomorrow is Saturday so we will have a couple days off from school and they seemed pretty happy about that!  I think they are still having lots of fun, but our little guys need the weekend to recuperate and get ready for a full week of school next week.  This morning, as I walked them into school, I told them that next week, I would have to start dropping them off outside and they would have to walk to their classrooms by themselves. (Not my choice... school rule!) They didn't like that, but hopefully, they will get used to it.  I know it's important for them to start doing some of these things more independently. (Wow, that was a hard sentence to type...!)

The hardest part in this whole thing is that after spending the last 5+ years doing everything for them and having them rely on me for everything, I now have to trust and rely on all of these other people to take care of them 7 hours of the day!  It is going to take some getting used to for all of us!!!  For now, I just miss them terribly, but I know it will get easier.  At least it's Friday, so I get them all to myself tomorrow!

Winding Down...

The boys were up and ready to go again Thursday morning! 

 

Ben and Conner definitely were moving a bit slower today when they got home from school!  They are starting to get a little tired!  Tonight, as we read a few books, Ben just laid in his bed looking at me, waiting to go to sleep!  Tomorrow should be interesting...

Little Grown Ups...

Nick and I enjoyed an oddly quiet morning and Nick even got Ben's bike fixed before I went to school to help with lunch.  Lunch went great at school today and no little boys dropped their trays so I consider that a success!  I did hear that Ben and Conner got a little rough with each other when they had morning recess together.  When we got the boys home today, they were amped up again, almost bouncing off the walls.  I just don't understand it...  Anyway, so Nick and I mentioned to them that we heard that they may have had a little trouble at recess today.  Conner responded with, "No, no, no, that can't be!"  I started to explain how we weren't mad, we just needed to make sure that they understand that at school, they can't wrestle each other! Partway through what I thought was a great little speech by me, Ben interrupted me and said, "Yeah, we both got it.  Thanks Mom."  Okay, then... 

A short while later, Ben showed us how loose his tooth was and Daddy decided that it was time for it to come out... so Ben has now lost his second tooth!  (sigh)  They are growing up...

Day 2...

Day 2 of school!  They are ready to go!  We are going to try "hot" lunch today and see if they can carry those big lunch trays across the lunchroom!

Off Day...

Today the boys already got a day off from school!  Half of the kindergarteners started yesterday and the other half started today.  Tomorrow will be the first day that all of them get to go together, so the boys and I enjoyed a leisurely morning.  This was good... and bad...

 

Hard things about today:

1.  It just reminded me of how much I miss them when they are not here.

2.  It also reminded me of how big of a change this all is for us.  I feel that sadness creeping back up:(

3.  I have a little nervousness about tomorrow since they will have a full class of kids.

4.  We are down one bicycle... Ben's bike is in need of a part that broke so the boys had to share one bike.  Hard to do...

 

Great things about today:

1.  Duh. I got to spend the whole day with my two favorite six year olds.

2.  I got to hear and see how much they actually did miss me yesterday.  They spent a nice part of the morning just sitting with me and needing to be wherever I was!  Yep, they missed me...

3.  I got to watch them play and "create" outside. 

4.  Conner just wanted to sit with me outside for a while.

5.  I got to watch Ben figure out how to attach two trikes together and then I got to watch as he convinced Conner to get on one so Ben could pull him around with the other.  This did not work exactly as Ben had planned.  The rope he was using actually ended up breaking in half.  It was pretty funny...

6.  Today made me think about how I will appreciate our Saturday mornings when we can just lounge around and cuddle together!

7.  I didn't cry until the kids went to bed!!! Ugh, maybe this should go in the "hard things about today" list...

 

 

Fantastic Day 1...

I got to see the boys eat their lunch in the lunch room today so that was fun!  It was great to see them and everyone that I ran into told me how well they were both doing today so that was awesome to hear!  When I got them home, I had expected them to be exhausted, however, that is not what happened!  They were still pretty wired!!!

 

We did a little first day of school interview...

Ben wrote me a "love note!"  He told me that he really missed me so he drew a picture and put hearts on it "for love!"  So sweet...

Conner was waiting for a little first day of school surprise...

They each got a new truck and spent some time turning our house into a monster truck race track before dinner!

After dinner we went out for ice cream to celebrate a successful first day of kindergarten for ALL of us!  It was really nice...  What a day!  I'm still going to have some sad moments , but I feel pretty good about the start we had today!  Man, I love these guys...

The boys brought home copies of their handprints with this poem:

It's my first day of kindergarten
And I'm thinking of you.
I made this precious handprint
So you'd think of me, too.

It's my first day of school
And "The Kissing Hand" is what we read.
It's about a raccoon
Who did just as his parents said.

Like the raccoon's first day of school
I was scared and a little shy.
But because of what you said
I was brave and I got by.

All through the year
I'll make more things for you.
So as I change and as I learn
You can witness my growth, too!

Kindergarten...

I have obviously known this day was coming for a while... the first day of kindergarten!  Excitement and dread (mostly excitement for them, dread for me...) has filled my heart this summer.  This is definitely something that I am not ready for, but as it is with life sometimes, I have no other choice but to swallow my sadness and try to embrace this change in our lives.  I will focus on the fact that Benjamin and Conner are two amazing kids who are extremely excited about this next step.  They will not see my tears today, they will only see my smile.  And when I go see them at lunchtime, (you didn't actually think I would go the whole first day without seeing them, did you?!) I will listen to their excitement and comfort them if they need it!  They will do great because that is what they do... 

 

Here's the first round of pictures for the day!!!  We obviously took lots at home and I even got a couple of them walking into their classrooms! 

 

 

I found this little poem (on Pinterest, of course) a while ago... I told myself that I wasn't going to look at it again until today.  I figured if I'm already crying, then why not?!  I miss them...

"I wonder what you're doing right now,
And if everyone is treating you kind.
I hope there is a special person
A nice friend that you can find.

I wonder if the teacher knows
Just how special you are to me.
And if the brightness of your heart
Is something she can see.

I wonder if you are thinking about me,
And if you need a hug.
I already miss the sound of your voice
And how you give my leg a tug.

I wonder if you could possibly understand
How hard it is for me to let you grow.
On this day know that my heart breaks,
For this is the first step in letting my baby go."

Bike Wash...

Nick wanted to wash the van today, but before the boys would help, Conner insisted that they needed to wash their bikes first!  Conner really took his time and made sure every inch of his bike had some soap on it before we convinced him that he could finally rinse it off!  Ben's bike wash went a bit faster, but his bike was equally as shiny as Conner's in the end!  Then it was time to help Dad get that van washed!

 

Herky!

We went over to Dad's store today to check out all the tailgating stuff and to meet Herky!  We did this last year and the boys loved seeing Herky!  This year, Conner was the only one who posed for a picture... Ben refused and I wasn't going to fight him! So, Conner is very happy that he has his very own Herky picture!  The boys were quite a hit with the Hawkeye cheerleaders, too.  Conner and Ben can be quite the charmers...  On the way home, we were talking about how much fun it was to have cookies and milk outside, make their very own bracelets, and, of course, see Herky and the cheerleaders.  I told them that they both did a great job of staying with me and were very good boys!  I told Conner that I was so excited that he got his picture taken with Herky.  Ben had told me earlier that he was scared of Herky and that's why he didn't want to get too close to him.  I said something about how it was too bad he didn't get his picture taken today.  He looked thoughtful for a moment and said to me, "Well, it is what it is, Mommy..."   I guess so...  (I laughed half the way home!)  So here is brave Conner with Herky!



As we are approaching quiet time and finishing lunch, both boys look tired from their morning at Daddy's store.  Conner just told me how tired he is and Ben added, "Those cheerleaders really tired me out!"  Not sure how they did that, but okay...

Pretend...

This morning, I just watched as Conner and Ben took "Pretend" to a whole new level... after dropping some things off at school and visiting with some of the teachers, the boys decided to ride bikes and scooters for a while.  When that got boring, they got very creative...  with absolutely no help or prompting from me!  Here, they decided they were on a camping trip. So they are roasting marshmallows over their fire...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here, they decided to make a train so Ben thought he should be the conductor and Conner opted to wear his helmet since it could be dangerous...

Lastly, their train magically morphed into a boat, so they spent some time fishing.  I took this picture when Conner fell out of the boat and Ben is helping him get back in!  They kept me happily entertained for a lot of the morning!

Meet 'N Greet!

It was time to Meet 'N Greet our Kindergarten teachers tonight!!!  The boys did fairly well!  They seemed to like their new rooms and teachers, but we had to stop and say Hi to our preschool teachers too!  I can't believe school already starts on Monday! 

 

Just Playing Around...

Just out playing around today... Conner had a grand old time! 

 

At one point, Ben decided he needed to pout for a while in his chair... not even sure why, but he recovered and wanted to take a silly picture!

 

Recess...

We spent our morning at the school park where my babies will be having recess in 6 short days...

Planes...

We wanted to fit in one more overnight trip before school starts so the boys got to spend most of their weekend with Mama and Papa!  They spent time fishing, playing outside, and riding Papa's mini trail! They had a great time!  Thank you to Mama and Papa for giving them such a fun weekend! 

On Monday night, we surprised Conner and Ben with a trip to the movies to see Planes!  They loved it!  They did really good during the movie.  We may have reminded them more than once to lower their voices, but it was a cute movie and I'm glad we went! 

Ready...

Conner announced he was ready to go to school this morning!  We had just finished running some errands (where he received a blue sucker, hence the blue tongue!)  He was all decked out in his Spiderman gear and my sparkly sandals... he was quite happy with himself!  I told him school doesn't start for another week and a half so he would have to wait! And he would have to pick out some other shoes...

Catch up...

It would seem I need to play a little catch up here...

 

Conner is feeling great after his surgeries!  I think his ears and his (removed) adenoids have healed nicely.  At least he hasn't been complaining about them!  His tongue doesn't seem to hurt anymore either, although he still won't let us get a good look at it! 

 

We got to go visit Great Grandma on Saturday afternoon so that was nice to get over there.  After that, the boys got to go spend several days with Nana and Gramps.  Nana reported that they were good boys, so hopefully that's true!  We missed them like crazy, but definitely enjoyed some peace and quiet!  There were lots of moments where Nick and I found ourselves saying, "sooo, what do we do now?!"  We enjoyed all the date nights and sleeping past 5:30 am!  Nana and the boys had some excitement coming back home on Wednesday when they found themselves on the interstate with a flat tire!  Luckily, Nick was home so we jumped in the car and Nick saved the day by changing the tire and then we brought the kids home!  We drove in the driveway and Ben announced, "Home Sweet Home!"  Ben and Conner enjoyed telling us all about their visit to Nana and Gramps' house.  They had an amazing time!  Thank you Nana and Gramps for showing the boys such a great time and giving Nick and I a little break!  It was greatly appreciated!!!  We are very lucky to have you!

 

Tonight, after dinner, we decided to try taking the training wheels off the boys' bikes to see how they would do... we told them that we would put them right back on if they wanted us to... no pressure...

 

Here's Conner after trying the bike for about a minute... yes... he's pouting!

 

Ben tried for a while, with Daddy's help!  He eventually announced that, "well, maybe you should put my training wheels back on!" But I think he enjoyed trying, at least...

Here's Nick giving our two a little pep talk... (trying to get Conner to try again!)

Conner rode for a little while, and then ended up almost right back where he started!

I'm glad we tried!  Training wheels are back on for now, just a little higher off the ground!