Preschool + Mother's Day Out: The Boys' First Days

The boys have now been in school for a few days and are loving it!  Ryan is going two days a week and Jack is now going 4 days a week!  It is taking some getting used to with the new schedules and all of that, but I am glad they are back into a normal routine - and it helps me have some time to get stuff done!

Here is Ryan on the first day - sweet boy.  He is getting so big!

 And I actually got a picture of him with the first day sign!  I am fairly certain he was moving in this - but there aren't many times when he isn't moving!  I had to have Brad's assistance for a quick photo session that morning.  Ryan has to be distracted to sit even close to still :)

 And Jack.  My big boy.  Here he is with the first day sign!  He was so excited for school to start and couldn't wait to get there and see his buddies!

 And a sweet picture!  Love that smile!

 We also attempted a few pictures in the neighbors' yard - once again, an action shot!  I can't believe they both fit on there!

 This picture cracks me up.  That is Ryan's "cheese face" - he always looks so serious when he says cheese!  And obviously Jack was laughing and trying to get Ryan to smile.

 And this was the only one where both boys were looking at the camera and sort of smiling.  I'll take it!

 And I did manage to get a picture of Ryan on our front porch before we headed inside to finish making lunches and head to school.  Love that boy!

We finally headed off to school!  I took some quick pictures on my phone before we went inside.  First drop off was Ryan - after getting his lunch and naptime stuff out of his bag, I gave it to him and walked into that classroom like he owned the place.  And then I made a quick beeline outta there so he didn't see me and try to escape :) Now if we can just get him to nap at school, all will be right with the world.  I looked today and he has had three of his canine teeth cut through, so I am certain that has played a role in his eating and sleeping.

When it was Jack's turn, we walked in and found his cubby and he wanted to sign his name!  So proud!  After a few days, all the kids "sign in" when they get there so they can practice writing their names.  Such a neat idea!  He has had an issue with listening to the teacher, but after a little pep talk at home about listening and doing so the first time, she told me yesterday that he did so much better!  I think he is still getting used to new routines and a new teacher and is exhausted from going to school that extra day.  Proud of him for paying attention and doing his best!

While the boys were at school, my first stop was the trail!  I got 4 miles in before it got too terribly hot!

And I had promised Katie that I would eat lunch with her on the boys' first day of school, so that was my next stop (her lunch time is more like brunch)!  Goodness I was tired.  Ha!

After that I went home and showered and put up tons of laundry and got Ryan's clothes organized and enjoyed a quiet house!

Later that night, COLLEGE FOOTBALL STARTED!  Love it.  Everyone in the house was excited and screaming and jumping as the players ran through the T!  Brad was relieved that they pulled out a win.  Whew.  Hopefully they are working hard this week and will come out stronger this weekend.

Stay tuned for some more catching up!  Happy Friday!

Last Day of BYCS

In an effort to catch up, here we go with the end of last year's school year for the boys!  Goodness gracious they sure changed a lot!  It is so fun doing comparison pictures from their first and last days!  Here is Ryan...he has more hair!  And he is obviously bigger.  And no more baby -- definitely toddler!

 And here is Jack!  He is definitely looking more "little boy-like" at the end of school.  I guess that does make sense, but ugh!  He grew a bunch too!

 And a comparison of the two of them!  The last day of school was in a small window of time when Ryan would actually cooperate for some pictures! I even have a few where he would pose with Katie and Jack and smile!  Since then, he has exited said stage.  But I'm glad I got this decent one!  The two of them on the first day and last day -- you can definitely see the difference!  And I laughed after looking at this too...the first day was a yellow theme and the last day was an orange theme!  That was not planned.  I tend to do that a lot!

 Ryan sure loves his brother!  They have started irritating the fire out of each other this summer.  And a lot of it is Ryan!  He always wants to be where Jack is, and Jack is not always fond of that idea!  I try to let them settle it out as much as possible, but I do need to intervene at times :) 

And I am usually in a hurry when dropping the boys off, but I wanted to get pictures of them with their teachers.  Ryan has been going through a separation anxiety phase off and on, and he definitely was toward the end of school!  So when I picked him up and then tried to get a picture of him with Ms. Cindi and Ms. Heather, he would have none of it!  I think this picture is hilarious!

So guess who got to be in the picture to get a smile! 

Ryan had a great year and was definitely loved on by his sweet teachers.  I was 3 for 3 with my kids having Ms. Cindi! And then we of course love Ms. Heather - it was great having one of my friends be one of his teachers!

 

And here is Jack with Ms. Kim!  He loved her and all his buddies in his class!  He has talked about them just about every day since school let out.  He got to do some neat things with Ms. Kim!  And the boys of that class were great buddies!

I hope they have teachers that are just as wonderful next year -- Jack will be going 4 days a week and Ryan will be going 2 days a week.  And thank goodness they have a summer program!  Yesterday was their first day - I think I may have heard angels singing after I dropped them off!  Katie has been counting down until they started so she and I could have some time together :) We had a blast!  More to come on our summer so far!

 

 

 

 

Back to School: The Dudes

While we are on the topic of back to school, I thought I'd go ahead and post about the boys' first day of preschool/Mother's Day Out yesterday!  They had a super day and I am reminded how lucky we are to be involved in such a great program with amazing teachers that teach these kids how much God loves them.  I am so glad they had a great day!

 

Here is Jack before we left...I am so glad we had this bus shirt for him to wear -- he was a little sad that he wouldn't be riding a bus to school, so had the next best thing!

And then another cute one on the swing that our neighbors have out front!  He loved sitting on it and it made for a cute spot for sure!

And he actually cooperated for a picture with the first day sign! I'll take it for sure!

And then this little ham.  I can't believe I actually caught this grin (and laugh)!  He cackles when somebody pretends to sneeze, so I recruited Jack to help me.  And I am so glad I did!

And this was the best I could do with the first day sign and this little guy.  Goodness.  He tossed that sign off the rocking chair every possible direction!  So this was the best I could do.

I thought that was challenging.  I was wrong.  Whew! Attempting a picture of both boys on my own made me sweat like I had just finished an intense cardio class!  And this was the best I could do.  They had had about enough of the picture taking!

This one.  This really sums things up for these boys!  Jack likes to play rough.  The best part is that Ryan is starting to stand up for himself!  He has started pouncing on Jack and patting his head (and sometimes pulling his hair).  Oh my.  Should be interesting over the next few years!  And for now, this is a pretty realistic picture of the two of them!

And then it was time to go to school!  And we managed to get there a few minutes early!  The boys did great at dropoff, which was super.  Here is Jack with his teacher - he loves her!  He actually doesn't like to leave when I get there to pick him up!

But this.  I think this sums it up pretty perfectly :) I was pretty excited to have time for just me!  Woohoo!!! The day flew by and it was time go get them!

I love getting these notes home for the wee ones.  Ryan got loved on for sure and had such a great day! 

What a great first day - and I think they are going to have a fantastic year with amazing teachers!  I can't wait to see what all they learn and how much they grow this year!

 

Spirit Week For Jack

Jack got to dress up for school last week!  Each day of mother's day out was a theme (he obviously only did the Tuesday and Thursday themes since those are the days he goes).

 

Tuesday was Patriotic Day!  I sure love that shirt he has on.  Glad we remembered and got another chance to wear it!  One day Ryan will be big enough to wear it - that is certainly hard to believe!

 And then Thursday was Twisted Day!  I feel like options are more limited with a boy, but we made the best of it.  Shirt and shorts that don't match.  Two different socks.  A ponytail on top of his head.  And sunglasses (though they didn't last long).  He was so proud of his hair...it was hilarious!  His note home from his teachers said that he kept telling them about his hair all day!

Wednesday was Team Day.  That would have been a fun one too!  Oh well - we had fun with the days that he did do!  We love any chance to dress up and act silly!

 

 

Jack's First Day of Mother's Day Out

Tuesday was Jack's first day back at the mother's day out program at our church!  His teachers this year seem to be great and he is having a good time when he goes.  I'm glad that he has two of the same kiddos with him in his class this year - and some new friends too!

 

When I told him I wanted to take his picture, he said, "Tree!" ... he knows I take Katie's picture in front of the tree, so he wanted to do the same thing.  Except he sits in the mulch by the tree :)

 I did manage to get this one of him standing up before he ran away from the tree.  Sweet, handsome guy.  He is seeming way too grown up these days!

 And they sure miss eachother during the day - I love this sweet moment!

 Look at those little curls on the side!  He probably needs a haircut but I just can't do it yet.  He has some hair in the back that gets super curly when he gets hot and sweaty (so basically every day) but the rest of it is pretty average! 

 And of course he had to have the choo choo in the picture.  He sure loves him some trains!

 And I managed to get a cute picture of him in the bushes (was aiming for in front of some flowers but he had to go exploring) before we went into school.

 And he walked right in like he owned the place!  And you can see that curl in the back too :)

When I picked him up, they said he was the only one that was excited and cooperative having his picture made :) That's my boy! ha!  And they commented on how cute his personality is.  I have to agree with them there!  Jack was excited that he got a cookie for doing good at naptime - it is amazing what a vanilla wafer can do for a child!  We are excited about this year and I can't wait to see how Jack grows and blossoms and learns.  He has recently starting talking in paragraphs - and is quite emphatic!  I only understand like a third of it, but I know that will change soon enough.  He is starting to be a better listener and hold my hand and cooperate.  He loves to do puzzles and play with trains and watch the movie Planes.  He could eat chips, grapes, bananas, and mac and cheese for almost every meal :)  Love that boy!

Summer School + Choo Choos

Today began a new chapter for this summer!  Both kids started at the awesome preschool in our neighborhood - it is such a great place!  Jack had an awesome day - his teachers said he was a good listener and sat at the table in his little chair for lunch and napped (briefly) on a cot!  And Katie got upset at drop-off (so odd), but she ended up having a great day and couldn't stop talking about everything once I picked them up!

 

Of course I had to get some pictures this morning - this is on our new deck!  We did composite decking for the horizontal pieces - and we have to wait about 3 months before sealing the vertical pieces.  So for now?  They don't match!  But I love the size of the deck!  Doesn't Katie look old??  She picked out her outfit and requested a braid in her hair!

 And this was the best I could do of them together.  Not too horrible - except the angle of the sun on Katie's head...and the fact that Sadie is photobombing on the side!

 And where on earth did my sweet little Baby Jack go!?  Looking at this picture of him - good grief.  And I know that feeling is about to get worse once Ryan is born...but look at him!  He is looking more and more little boy and less and less toddler!

 And the kids were at school from about 8:45 until a few minutes after 4...long day for sure, but they had a good time!  When we got home, the kids got to play with the train table for the first time!  We got this for Jack for an early birthday present and he was SO excited!  We moved it into the sunroom last night and this afternoon was his first chance to play with it.  This was his first time checking it out...

 And Katie was excited to play with it too!  I see lots of time spent at this table this summer :)  That works out nicely because there is a comfy chair right next to it where I can sit with Ryan!

 And I LOVE this picture - he is so intense about the choo choos and figuring out how everything works on the table!

 Love this girl so much.  And can't believe she is so close to starting kindergarten too!  We will just call this the summer of transition :)

 Think he approves?  I certainly do!

We are having his 2nd birthday party a little early - so I have been working on getting the details taken care of for that since it is this weekend :)  Hopefully it all comes together like I hope!