Olivia's BIG Day!

Olivia started preschool this week!  Can you believe it?  I surely cannot.  My peanut is off to school and loving every minute of it.  

I love watching her grow.  I feel like I am a "slower" mommy with Olivia.  I enjoy more, am not worried about as much, and am able to anticipate more.  She was slightly nervous in the morning asking if I was going to stay with her.  I explained that we were going to come home for Norah to nap but would pick her up soon after.

We walked in, found her name tag, and helped her engage in some play.  I was given a warm hug and quick kiss and off we went.  

Norah and I were both quite productive!  Norah napped and I cleaned like a mad woman. It was great and before I knew it, we were back in the car to pick her up.  

I love the moment you get to walk in to a classroom to pick a child up.  The greeting makes everything hard in life worth it.  It's so gratifying.  I love her smile, squeal and the little pitter-patter of her feet as they run to me for a squeeze.  Oh Olivia...you are growing up so fast.

It's scary for me to think that Norah will be off before I know it.  I'd best try to slow down and enjoy the moments more.  That's why I am home now after all.

Welcome Baby Cole

Yesterday Norah and I visited my friend Kate and her new baby Cole.  He is such a peanut as you can see.  He weighs less at a week old than any of my children did at birth. I just ate up my snuggle time.  I LOVE snuggling babies.  Oh man alive I have a baby bug.  Not that I could handle another one at the moment but it made me excited for when that time is right.  There is just something so special about their nuzzle, their breath, the way they meld to your chest.  Nothing is quite as peaceful as a sleeping newborn resting on your body.

Kate and I have been friends since our first year of teaching.  We met and hit it off right away.  I love thinking back to that year and the smiles, laughter, tears and everything else in between that we shared.  I adore her. She adds so much to my life and I'm thankful for her friendship. 

It was so heartwarming to watch her go through pregnancy and now to watch her as a new mommy. She is very natural and loving.  It seems just as it was meant to be.  Cole was meant for Kate and Kate was meant for Cole. I love that I get to share motherhood with her now. 

Congrats Kate and Jim...he is perfect and I adore him as well as both of you!

Catching Up

Goodness...where does the time go?  I have thought about blogging a number of times but usually a nap, laundry, an errand, reading or something else wins out.  So what have we been up to?

Steve and the kids rescued a hurt baby chipmunk and took it to the humane society.  His initial desire was to raise it at our house.  Hmmmm that didn't take much thought from me - Nope!  But I'm happy to help you take it to a rescue shelter! :)  It was a good lesson in citizenship and humanity.

Braden is working his way out of naps on days he is home.  This was how I found him after an hour rest period.  LOVE it!

Steve took Braden and Olivia to a Brewer Game on Labor Day.  They had a great time eating cotton candy, playing in the play areas and watching a little bit of the game.  It was some good daddy time.

We have started watching Evan and Andrew on Monday and Fridays each week.  This picture includes a purple Teddy Bear that was sent home from Braden's classroom.  We had to chronicle our weekend with him and send it back in a journal for the class to enjoy.  The weeks are flying by faster than I had anticipated.

We celebrated Steve's birthday!  Happy Birthday Love.  We had take out Thai and cupcakes on Friday and then Steve and I had a special date on Saturday.  

Darrell and Judy came down to watch the kids.  We had a couples massage, then we went out for burgers, beer and the end of the Badger game.  We spent some time shopping for clothes for Steve and then had dinner downtown at Umami Moto where we enjoyed some delicious sushi rolls.  It was super nice to have uninterrupted time together. I think we both fell in love all over again.

Braden started soccer.  It was raining for his first game but he was a trooper and ran up and down the field chasing the ball.  He's not very aggressive so doesn't dive in for the ball but hopefully as his confidence grows he'll take a few more risks.

Wow ... it's been a busy but wonderful start to the school year!

Neighborhood Play Dates

This summer has been wonderful for our neighborhood.  We now have quite a few people to play with right around us.  To our left is Charlotte who is 2 1/2 years old, to our right is Rory who is 2 years old and behind us is Jaycee who is 4 years old and Ridge who is 1.  There will be more babies joining us on our block next spring!

Poor Braden is one of the only boys but he loves playing with Jaycee and he's had lots of time playing with Evan and Andrew, Patrick and all of his other buddies while Olivia tagged along.  It is fun for her to have a turn.

You'll often find us congregating in the front yard!  Braden and/or Olivia might see someone outside playing and run to the door to go join them.  It brings back great memories of all the fun had in our neighborhood growing up.  I am glad that at least for now, we have friends with children right around us.

Jaycee and Ridge joined us the other night in the front and we created a mini-roller coaster with their wagon.  They had a blast riding down the little hill.  It made us excited to sled down it this winter and also made us discuss the possibility of heading back to Great America yet this fall.

I am very thankful for where we live. Not only the city of Wauwatosa, which I LOVE, but the neighborhood as well.  I love my neighbors and am excited to watch our children grow up together.

First Day Wrap Up

This was the scene when I walked up to school at the end of the day.  By the time the kids came out there were many more families waiting to pick up their children from the first day of the 2010-2011 school year.  

Braden's class came out first.  He was about half way back in line and gave me the biggest wave, smile and HUG when he ran down to see me!  It warmed my heart.  He was very excited about his day but even more excited about playing with his buddy Patrick on the playground after school.

It was nice to catch up with some of the moms that I got to know last year and watch the kids play.  We walked to school with our backyard neighbors and Olivia had a wonderful time playing with Jaycee who started JK this year.  

After walking home and trying my darndest to pry information out of Braden we sat down to Banana Bread Smoothies and little by little he did tell me a few tidbits...

-he played with legos (NOT the light-up ones)

-Patrick played with him

-He ate his ENTIRE lunch but is WAS enough food so I should do the same thing tomorrow

-They had a short rest time but he did NOT sleep

-He didn't have a snack or milk

-He had two recesses

-He had Gym but all they did was walk and hop around...it was boring

-He had music and he got a sucker after singing some songs

-He likes Mrs. Theil

-He went to the bathroom two times

-He didn't raise his hand at all

-Mrs. Theil read the story, "First Day Jitters," and it was the TEACHER who was nervous - not the children! 

That was his whole day...8:18 to 2:15... or what he chose to share with me at least.  It is up to me to fill in the blanks!  I am hoping that Olivia will give me more details when she starts! I want to know it all. I want to picture them in their environment and be able to see what they are doing.  

For dinner Braden chose to have Mexican so Steve stopped at the store and picked up a few items to make some mexican roll-ups.  The celebration was topped off with Kiddie Wine!

Cheers to Braden for a GREAT first day of Kindergarten! Now ... off to make his lunch for tomorrow. :)

First Day Jitters

This is a paper chain count down we made!

Wow - so today was the big day at our house!  Braden started Kindergarten.  

This means full days at school every day of the week.  About a week ago you could have asked me how I felt about it and although I said I was sad, I was mostly excited for him.  For the growth that will take place, for this step in his life and for the new adventure for us all.  Today however - I am just plain sad.  I didn't anticipate feeling this way which is why I think it has hit me like a ton of bricks.

Olivia and I snuck down last night and decorated our large kitchen window.  It was a fun surprise this morning for him.  We talked while we ate pancakes about what to do with his supplies, a reminder of what his teachers name was and what lunch time might be like.  He was nervous... which made his mommy nervous.

Before long it was time to go.  Unfortunately it was raining so my picture perfect - first day - family walk to school - wasn't going to happen.  We drove and Steve stayed in the car with the girls while I walked  him in.  I sat with him outside the classroom door and when his teacher rounded the corner with the rest of the class who had been waiting in the gym (due to the rain) he found his friend Patrick which eased his worries.  

He quickly asked me his teachers name again and said out loud when she was in ear shot, "Hi Mrs. Thiel."  He waved and she waved back.  This was when it hit me.  Wow - he's not mine anymore.  Ugh... that ton of bricks came down suddenly and I felt overwhelmed with emotion.  I held it together the best I could, gave him a quick kiss and sent him in.  I wasn't the only parent in tears and I was actually one of the first to leave.  Many stepped into the classroom but I chose not to. I know how hard that can be on everyone...parent, child, and teacher... so I walked away, climbed into the car and felt very empty.

Don't get me wrong - I am still super excited for him but I did a lot of wandering around this morning wondering what to do with myself.  He is the most wonderful little boy and is growing up into such a great person.  This is a big step for him and I cannot wait to go get him after school today.  This mommy is longing for a HUGE hug (hopefully it won't embarrass him!!)

Olivia and I got into a groove while Norah slept and we played Bendaroos for a while then we cleaned both bathrooms and finished up the baby food I started yesterday.  I know this time with her will be special and I need to cherish it because before I know it she will be off to school as well.

Happy First Day Braden!

  

Duluth

We traveled up to Duluth not long ago.  Steve's family gathers each August for a reunion of sorts.  We all pack into his uncles lake house and have a ball.  This was the group shot from this year.  We are all there except for Chris and Jillian who couldn't make it and were very missed!

The newest addition, Lola, joined us and was quite the trooper as were her mommy and daddy. I know how hard it is to travel with such a young baby and they did so with such grace and ease. It was so fun to see them as parents.  Lola is a very lucky little girl. She is not short on love - that's for certain!

This year, Steve and Jeannie finished the "suite" above their garage. They gave that to us which was incredible.  The picture above shows our staircase and porch.  When you head inside, there is a living room with a futon, microwave, refrigerator, and sink.  Then behind that is a large bedroom.  There isn't a bathroom yet but may be by next year.  The great part of this is that when our children cry out in the night (which Norah took up as a hobby while we were there) or get up at the crack of dawn (which we all do when we travel) we didn't disturb anyone.  We got up, made coffee in our little coffee pot, listened to music and just hung out.  It was like we were on our own mini vacation!

A lot of the trip this year was cold and cloudy but that didn't stop Braden from fishing with his Bapa.  This is Braden's new found interest.  He LOVES it and is getting pretty good.  I am not a "fisher" so it's great that his daddy and Bapa know what they are doing.

All the kids got a lot of family time which is the purpose of the trip.  They love playing with their Grandma!  Steve and Jeannie were such wonderful hosts and let us drag our toys all over their beautiful home.

At about midday on Saturday the sun peeked out and both kids took their turn on the Jetski.  Braden is on his third set of ear tubes (poor kid) so had to wear this headband to avoid an infection from the lake bacteria.  They were so much more adventurous than they have been in the past!  It was fun to watch them enjoy the water and the time with their daddy and Uncle Marc.

Daddy took Olivia on the tube.  I am not sure this was her favorite part of the weekend!  After the kids came in, Steve and Marc had a blast playing like they were 20!  They were tearing up the lake, whipping each other around and both knee boarding and wake boarding.  I wasn't the "fun" mommy this year but hey - someone had to hold down the fort on land!

As usual - this trip (despite the long drive) was a highlight of our summer!  We LOVE the time with our family and it's in the most beautiful location.  Thank you Steve and Jeannie for being such great hosts!!  We can't wait for next year. :)