The Big Day

Today was the big day.  I sent my baby to kindergarten.  It was a very emotional experience for me.  He, on the other hand, did fine.  As much as I was dreading it, I really talked it up, making it sound like I was really excited, and I think it worked, as far as getting him excited and less nervous.  

We got to school and there were lots of kids waiting in the lobby area.  Once the clock hit 8:05, they kids were supposed to put their backpacks by their lockers and head out to the playground.  Sounds like fun, right?  Well....not so much when you are a kindergartener and it's your very first day of school and you are on a playground you've never seen before and there are about 100 kids running around, many of them three times your size.  He kinda freaked.  Honestly, I did too.  He held on tight to my hand, and I held on tight to my tears.  We walked around for a little bit.  I waited for one of the adult supervisors on the playground to come and take him off my hands, but that didn't happen.  So,  we wandered a little longer.  Finally, a fellow kindergarten friend from Kaydens daycare walked out the door with her big brother.  Alleluia!  They were excited to see each other and big brother offered to show Kayden where to go and what to do.  Thank God!  I didn't know how I was ever going to get out of there before my tears started rolling!  So, off they went, and around the corner to my car I went.  I worried a little bit, but luckily, his teacher happens to be a friend of mine, so, against everything I said I wouldn't do, I texted her just to see how he was doing.  She responded with a very encouraging "Great!'.  

By the time I picked him up from daycare he had lots to tell me about his day, and seems very excited to go back tomorrow! 

A little this and a little that

Ya, ya.  I don't know where I've been really.  No excuses, as usual.  I guess my only semi-excuse is that I've been working and relaxing.  Spending time with my boys and enjoying a wonderful Minnesota summer.  Here are a few things that have been going on around here:

1.  I potty trained #2.  Ok, that's a bit of a lie.  He actually potty trained himself.  It was like one day, he decided he was done wearing diapers, and that was it.  Craziness.  

2.  We went to the zoo.  We took our annual Little Falls Zoo trip with Leah and the girls and Susan and her boys.  Pretty sure we picked the hottest day of the year, but we had fun.  Seven kids five and under with their three mama's sweating their butts off.  It was glorious.  

3.  We have been camping pretty much every weekend.  The boys are loving it!

4.  We have been showing our house about once a month.  Still nothing.  Frustrating!  

5.  We have had a few too many friends and family members diagnosed with that crap called cancer.  It's getting really old!  

6.  My big kid is getting ready for kindergarten.  The freakin' school supplies were out at Target before the Fourth of July!  Sickening I tell ya!  As much as I know he'll love going to school, I am dreading it!  I just hate that my kids have to grow up!  This is one of the main reasons we are enjoying every last minute of this summer.  

7.  We bought a membership to a local private beach and we're loving it!  It's nice and close to our house, not a ton of people, has a playground, we just love it!  

I do have pictures to go with a lot of the happenings around here, but they'll have to wait.  So, there you have it folks.  A quick re-cap of our summer so far.  I'll keep trying to do a better job of keeping up with this blogging stuff.  Until then....

A two, A three and A five

Well, my number two turned three this week.  Tyler's birthday was Monday.  We celebrated with a combo Tyler-Tyson birthday party on Sunday.  We did a camping theme and everything went really well.  The weather forecast was pretty grim, but by the time the party really got underway, it turned out to be pretty nice.  We were able to do our pinata outside, the kids ran around, the guys fried a turkey and there was lots of eating and relaxing going on.  

The only part of the day that to be a little bit much for me was when we got to the gift opening.  I wasn't sure what the best way to do things was.  Tyler open one, then Tyson open one.  Tyler do all of his, then Tyson do all of his....there were options.  I decided to go with every other one.  Then, things just got crazy.  There was paper flying everywhere.  I feel like I didn't get to see half of the gifts they got and I'm not even sure whos are whos when it comes to some of them.  But they were happy and that's really all that matters.  

*Tyson got a baby and a stroller from Pat and Leah.  He was beyond excited!  As soon as he saw what it was, he was yelling and clapping and smiling from ear to ear!  Once it was open and the baby was strapped in, he headed out the garage door and could have cared less about any of the rest of his presents.  He even insisted on sleeping with the baby AND the stroller!  

Monday was Tyler's actual birthday.  He had his 3 year check up in the morning and he did AWESOME! He was so cooperative I couldn't believe it!  I did ask the doctor about two of the fingers on his left hand that are swollen and have been for a few months.  She seemed pretty perplexed by it and decided to do an x-ray to be safe.  She didn't really find much other than the tissue around the bones is kind of swollen.  She decided we would just keep an eye on it for now.  

After his appointment--because I have an unbelievably flexible job--we were able to stop at Toys R Us for a game and a case for the Leapster he got from Rhonda and Troy, then a quick lunch at McDonald's before heading back to daycare where he celebrated some more!

This is what works

I'm a teacher.  I'm a licensed kindergarten through eighth grade teacher.  I have taught.  I have worked as a substitute teacher, I have worked in an after school care program, I have taught toddlers, infants and preschoolers.  

I am currently teacher toddlers.  I LOVE what I do.  I go to work every morning and help mold the lives of 20 children under three years old.  I see them learn and grow and they teach me things every day.  The only reason I ever second-guess what I'm doing is in the fact that I attended four and a half years of college to get a degree that I am not technically using.  Sure, my very first childcare center experience came during those four and a half years, and I learned a lot during that time.  But I paid--actually, am still paying for--a degree that allows me to teach bigger kids.  I worry that the longer I stay out of the elementary classroom, the less chance there is that I will ever go back.  Things change very quickly in the education field.  I have only been out of the classroom since last June, and I'm sure I am already completely out of the loop of the latest strategies and testing and terminology.  

On the other hand, I'm happy.  Like I said, I really do love what I'm doing.  I'm not going to get rich doing it, but I enjoy it.  I enjoy being with the kids, I enjoy the people that I work with, and I enjoy the fact that my job is flexible.  I was able to take last Friday off to help my mom work at the flower shop before Mother's Day.  I'm off this Friday to have a garage sale.  I went with Kayden to eat lunch at "the kindergarten school" today.  I will take days off to be with my kids, I will take time off for appointments, I may even take a mental health day here and there, and it's ok.  

For now, this is what works for us.  Only time will tell what the future holds for us, but for now this is what works. 

What's with this Kid????

In the past week, Tyler has done some CRAZY things!  Let's go back to last week, shall we?

When I got to daycare to pick up the boys, Tyler was in different clothes than I had packed for him.  I asked Sharon if he made a mess.  Her response...."Well...."

She went on to explain that he tried to change his own *poopy* diaper.  In the process, he ended up with poop all over her bathroom.  The sink, the floor, the toilet, the walls, everywhere.  I still have no idea what would have possessed him to do something so ridiculous, but whenever we ask him about it, he gets VERY embarrassed and quickly changes the subject. 

A few days later, I got a call from my mom.  It seems she couldn't find most of her forks.  You know, the forks that belong in her kitchen drawer.  The forks she would need to eat.  Turns out Tyler was helping her set the table last weekend when they had some of my moms family over.  He took a large handfull of forks and headed in the direction of the table to "help" set the table for supper.  Apparently the forks never made it to the table and are now M-I-A.  Nowhere to be found.  It has been almost a week, and there is still no sign of the missing forks.  We were at my parents' house for supper earlier this week for my dad's birthday and they had to get the stash of forks from their camper so that we could all eat.  

I don't know what has gotten into this kid, but I hope these strange happenings don't continue much longer.  Gotta love him I guess!

Tryin' out my skillz

Last fall I talked Mike into letting me buy a fairly expensive new camera.  One of the things I used to convince him it was a good idea was that I would be able to do the kids pictures myself.  So, I decided I better at least give it a try.  

A couple weekends ago we had some BEAUTIFUL spring Minnesota weather.  So, during naptime I took Kayden outside and snapped a few photos of him, and actually, they didn't turn out too shabby!

Two Two Year Olds

Today starts my month of having two two year olds.  You know, the one month out of the year where Tyler and Tyson are the same age?  Yes, they are just eleven months apart.  It always makes me feel good to hear of other families with children REALLY close in age.  A couple weeks ago, I met a mom at Tyler's ECFE class who has children who are just nine and a half months apart.  Craziness, right?  Oh, how those stories make me feel better ;)

So, today is Tyson's second birthday.  We started the day with his doctor's appointment.  After being given a clean bill of health, I took him to daycare and headed to work.  Tonight we had Grammy over for grilled hotdogs and brats and birthday cake and ice cream.  

It's interesting how, with my current job, where I spend all day, every day with two year olds, I find myself comparing my own children to the children I work with every day.  When I compare Tyson to other kids his age (the ones I know anyway), I'm realizing that he talks more than most of them.  He talks a lot.  I am able to understand most of what he says.  Mike on the other hand, sometimes needs some translation from myself or Kayden to help him figure out what Tyson needs.  

He really is nowhere near ready to start potty training.  We are obviously in no rush, seeing as how Tyler is still wearing diapers.  We WILL get going on that potty-business.  I just often feel like I am wasting my time and energy trying to force Tyler if he just isn't ready.  Ugh, that's a whole other post.  

Tyson's interests right now include baseball, four-wheeling, going outside, swinging, eating, drinking "duce and wata", wrestling with his brothers and chewing on his blanket.  Grandma Doris has already had to sew all of the seams on the corners of his blanket because he chewed them apart.  

He is just a very goofy, happy little guy.  He is a great mix of Kayden and Tyler's personalities.  He has Kayden's calm, laid back-ness, and Tyler's energy at the same time.  We love the little guy :)

Aaaahhhh....

We had an uneventful weekend.  A rarity for our little clan.  Mike is on call this week, so we made zero real plans for the weekend since we never know whether he'll have to go to work or not.  

Friday night he did just that--he worked.  The kids and I had supper and then played for a while before watching The Land Before Time.  Mike came home just in time to help me get the kidlets to bed.  

Saturday was BEAUTIFUL outside, so the kids and Mike were outside pretty much all day.  I was in and out doing the weekend stuff--hanging laundry, chasing kids, etc.  During naptime I got Kayden dressed up and we headed outside for my first attempt at taking any of the kids' regular, yearly pictures by myself.  I must say, they turned out really cute!  

Saturday night after supper, I headed to meet some co-workers for a wedding reception for another of our co-workers.  

Today we cleaned, ran a few errands and took the boys out to lunch.  Something we haven't done in a LONG time.  Anyone who has more than one child knows how much of a challenge it can be taking them in public, let alone trying to get them to eat a meal.  They actually did really well.  They must be growing up :)  **Another bonus was that we went to LaCasita where kids eat free on Sundays, so we got by pretty cheap :)

Tonight we finished some cleaning, got the kids in bed early, I got a run in on my treadmill and got to watch my shows, and even got in some time to catch up on blogs and facebook. 
The week ahead looks fairly uneventful as well.  Tyler has school Wednesday night, and I will probably have to work Thursday night.  It sounds like next weekend will involve some serious turkey scouting before the next hunting season---turkeys! 

Easter 2012

We had one of our usual, crazy-busy holidays.  We had two Easter celebrations Saturday.  We headed to Farming to celebrate with Mike's mom's family for lunch.  Had an egg hunt there, then headed to Albany to celebrate with Mike's dad's family, which included another egg hunt.  

We decided to be REALLY brave and take all three boys to Easter Vigil Mass at 8:00 Saturday NIGHT.  Mind you, they had NO NAP.   I figured they would all sleep, and I was ALMOST right.  Tyler fell alseep on Mike after about half an hour.  It didn't take long and Kayden was laying on the pew snoozing too.  We had Tyson sit with my parents to separate the boys and hopefully make things a little easier on everybody.  I think this was the first time in his almost two years of life that Tyson didn't take a nap.  This will also be the last time he goes without a nap for a  LONG TIME.  He did ok for the first half hour or so.  Was a little chatty while he read his books, but eventually got loud and wiggly, and was not staying in the pew.  So, my dad took him out into the "gathering area".  He was out there with him for about another half hour before I decided to go relieve him.  I stayed out there for a little while and my mom came to relieve me.  Just before communion, my mom brought him back in.  I busted out a few of the snacks that I had left to get us through the little bit of Mass that was left and we all survived.  We woke the two big boys up and put their coats on and we were on the road, headed home by 10:10.  Tyson was asleep in the car by 10:12.  He was TIRED.   

This morning, Tyson woke up early.  I got him his "rink"(water), put him in our bed and he went back to sleep.  At about 8:00, Kayden was yelling for me, so I got him out of bed and took him to our bed.  At about 8:15 he remembered that the Easter bunny was supposed to come while he was sleeping.  He lasted until about 8:30, when I told him he could go downstairs and get Tyler up.  I'm pretty sure 8:30 is the latest Tyler has EVER slept.  Boy was tired!  So, now, everybody was up, and we were headed out to find those baskets.  Tyson and Tyler found theirs right away, but Kayden had to really search before he found his in the bathtub :)  

After everybody was dressed, had a few minutes to play with their new stuff, and had some cereal, we headed to my aunt and uncle's for brunch and another egg hunt.  Shortly after, we headed to Mike's parents to hang out for a while, and--yep--another egg hunt.  This evening we had supper at my parents' house and then finally headed home.  I'm guessing we're going to have a week with some VERY tired kids!  Well worth it though, to be able to spend time with family on a special holiday. 

Mother of just ONE

It was just like the old days.  Just me and ONE toddler.  We shopped, we shopped some more, we watched Auntie Mazih play basketball, we went for walks, we napped.  It was glorious.  BUT, it was not our normal.  We missed the big boys and we missed Daddy.  It was weird.  

This weekend Mike took Kayden and Tyler with him to "the pink house"(my brother's cabin).  They went up to do boy things.  Four wheeling, put siding on a bunk house, work on plumbing, walk in the woods, you know, the usual.  My mom had surgery last week and is pretty much out of commission for a while.  So, since Amazih started North Tartan practice this weekend, I volunteered to stay back from the cabin to help out and take Amazih to her practice.  

The weekend started Friday after work.  We packed up the boys and Daddy and sent them on their way.  Once they were gone Tyson and I headed to Wal-mart to do some Easter shopping.  When we got home Amazih came over and spent the night.  Saturday morning we headed out for basketball.  We left early so that we would have time to stop in Albertville at the outlet mall and have lunch before we needed to have her at practice. Her practice was from 12:45 to 3:15.  I figured this would work perfect.  This is Tyson's normal nap time, so I figured I'd bring his stroller and push him around for a while and he'd sleep through most of the practice.  Wrong-O!  He did not sleep for a second.  He sat in his stroller, climbed on the bleachers, ate snacks, drank lots of juice/water, ate some more, went for a stroller ride, did everything BUT sleep.  It was ok though.  At least he was well-behaved. 

And on the way home?  Yep, you guessed it.  He was sleeping within five minutes of getting in the car. 
I worked my mom's usual shift at the bowling alley Saturday night, so Tyson stayed home with Grammy and Papa.  Today we hung out, went for a couple walks, took a nap, helped my mom deliver some funeral flowers and then when Daddy and the big boys got home we played outside, had supper at Grammy and Papa's and then finally headed home to get ready for another busy week. 

Thankful Thursday

It's been a while since I did one of these babies!

This week I'm thankful for......

• a successful surgery and quick recovery for my momma
• my hubby taking my two big boys to "the pink house" for the weekend and letting Tyson and I stay behind to help Grammy, and take Amazih to basketball practice
• healthy kids
• my 20+ "other kids".  You know--the ones I spend 8-9 hours a day with while I'm at work.  They wear me out, but they're cute.  
• a Thursday night off of work
• rain

F-I-V-E

Our little Kayden is five freakin' years old!  Last week, he had a dentist appointment and his five year well-child check all in one morning.  His dentist appointment went well.  They are just watching one spot where a cavity may be forming, but the dentist thought with some consistant flossing, we should be able to avoid a full-on cavity.  

His doctor appointment also went fairly well.  Before the actual appointment, they do a hearing and vision check.  I was curious what they would fine in his hearing because we notice that he says, "huh?" a lot, and have been wondering if he is having trouble hearing, or if it is just a habit.  Turns out that is just a habit, because his hearing is fine.  His vision on the other hand, was--just like last year--not perfect.  His left eye was 20-32.  The doctor suggested that we take him back to the optometrist, which we will do.  We took him for an eye exam last year and they thought his eyes were ok, but planned to re-check them yearly to make sure things didn't get any worse.  So, within the next few weeks, we will be headed back to the eye doctor.  

We also got the same lecture we got after his appointment last year.  It seems his BMI is fairly high (100).  Our doctor is fairly weight-conscience, so she made lots of suggestions as far as getting that number down.  And, just like last year, I let all of that go in one ear and out the other.  I do not think that Kayden is by any means over weight!  He is just like my brother was when he was young--solid.  He does not have a single roll of chub on him!  Ugh, it's frustrating.  

Over all, the appointments went well, and the BWW's was well-deserved afterward :)

My not-so-little-anymore boys

Tyler has officially started his first ECFE class and is loving it!  He spends all of his time playing with the exact same toys that Kayden played with when he attended 2's ECFE---the animals!  I have to pry him away from them to get him to try other activities like painting(he has yet to try this), play-doh(nope, not this yet either), the sensory table, etc.  Hopefully in the coming weeks, he will venture out and try some of the other activities in the room.  He also does fine with the separation when I leave the room to have the "parent talk time".  He is getting to be such a big boy!

Another big step in the education department in our house is Kayden getting ready for *tear* kindergarten.  We attended Kindergarten Round Up last night and got lots of information about who the teachers are, and how things in kindergarten will work.  It is absolutely crazy to me, to even think that he is going to be in kindergarten already.  I wish I could just keep him little forever!

Girl Fun

A couple weeks ago I had another "girls weekend".  I L-O-V-E these weekends.  This year the weekend started Thursday night when my cousin Holli and our friend Michelle made the three-plus hour drive to my house and spent the night so that we could get our weekend started bright and early Friday morning.  Friday we did a little shopping, had lunch, caught a movie, then made our way to our weekend retreat.  When we finally got there, we spent the entire weekend scrapping, relaxing, EATING, sleeping and chatting.  It was perfect.  

At dinner Saturday night, we realized that this coming Fall, Michelle will turn 40, and I will turn 30.  I guess the rest of the girls think this calls for a special celebration, so the talks of our plans for next October are already in the works :)

Big Boy Beds

For a long time I was totally against ever moving any of my children to the basement.  My thoughts were that it's just too far away from me, and if there were ever an emergency and I couldn't get to them I would never forgive myself. 
Then.....
Last week, I somehow talked myself into it being ok.  I decided that I could no longer handle having all three boys' stuff crammed into one little bedroom when we have a fairly large, four bedroom home.  We actually have two bedrooms in our basement.  So, I decided that the eventual goal would be to decorate one room and make it Kayden's, and then do the other as Tyler's room, but still have them both sleep in Kayden's room on the bunk beds.  I think it's gonna work.  Last night we worked on cleaning out the first bedroom (Kayden's), and putting the bunk beds together.  We got an extra dresser from my parents, and things are starting to come together.  It will  be kind of a long process.  We are going to need to get a few things, and do some de-cluttering and re-decorating, but I think it will work.  Hopefully having the boys' bedrooms downstairs will make it easier for me to move most of their toys and other stuff down there so that the upstairs can stay a little more under control. 
So.....
Last night was their first night sleeping downstairs and they did awesome!  I put a little lamp kind of thing in their bedroom, and left the stairway light on, and put our old baby monitor in the bedroom.  They both stayed down there all night.  They came up this morning for breakfast, then went right back down to build a fort in their new room!  I really am excited about this big step.  I think it will help keep things more organized and under control.  Mike on the other hand, is struggling with the fact that he is running out of places to store all of his "stuff" since the kids have now taken over most of the house.  Sacrifices I guess =)

Where has my baby gone?

My biggest baby turned 5 today!  This is just craziness to me.  I honestly don't know where the past five years have gone.  In less than a month, we will go to Kindergarten Round Up.  This means it's real.  I really have to send him to Kindergarten.  I can't keep him little forever.  I hate that.  I want him to go to school, I know he'll love school and he'll do awesome, but I just don't want him to grow up.  

We had his birthday party yesterday afternoon at our house.  We went with a Lego theme since Legos are one of his newest loves.  He got lots of great presents and we were able to spend lots of quality time with lots of the people who love him.  

We spent the day today at Mall of America with just Kayden and Mike and I.  He loved it.  My mom had free passes for Sea Life Adventures.  He loved it!  He got a camera for his birthday and was snapping pictures like crazy!  We also hit up LegoLand (which, by the way is NOT what it used to be.  It's now just a Lego store.  Dumb.), we had lunch at Rainforest Cafe, shopped at the Disney Store where he spent some of his birthday money, and went on a bunch of rides.  He was beyond exhausted.  Our big boy needed to be carried by the time we were ready to head to the car :)  I really think he had a great time, and I'm so glad we took the time to spend the day with just him.  Even though, there were a few moments when he did say, "We should have brought Tyler here too".  I'm learning to cherish these days and these moments as I am now seeing just how fast time really does go. 

Problems solved????

In the past month, Tyson has had double ear infections twice.  So, we decided to have new tubes put in his ears, and the doctor also thought it would be a good idea to take his adenoids out thinking that they may be at the root of his endless ear problems.  

So, this morning, we dropped Tyler and Kayden off at daycare and headed to the surgical center.  After a quick 15 minute procedure, he was done and in recovery.  When they called us back to see him, he was cuddling with a nurse.  As soon as she handed him to me, he woke up and cried, attempted to rip his IV out, kicked and screamed and yelled for his daddy, so I handed him over :)  He ended up sleeping on Mike's chest for a good hour before he finally really woke up and drank his juice.  By 11:00, we were sent home.  Mike headed to work, while Tyson and I had to make a quick Target stop for an anti-biotic and some ear drops.  We've now been home for a few hours and he has been running around like a little animal.  I think he really enjoys being able to play with all of the toys without his big brothers stealing things from him.  We had planned on keeping him home from daycare tomorrow, but if he continues to do this well, I think he'll be able to go back to daycare and Mike and I can go back to work.  Let's hope this is finally the end of all of these ear issues for my little guy!

Update

Because I made that resolution to make sure I blog at least once a week, I better write a little something.  We had one of usual weeks this past week.  A few nights at home, a few outings, etc.  We went to Amazih's basketball game Friday night.  This time some good friends brought their daughters too, so the kids were kept busy which meant I actually saw some of the game!  Saturday morning Mike went fishing and the boys and I made a quick trip to Sam's Club and Walmart.  They are getting better at these outings.  Maybe because they are getting a little older, maybe because I have been taking them by myself more often, so they are just getting used to it.  Saturday afternoon, we dropped the boys off at my parents' house and headed to a wedding without kids!  Some of our good friends from my high school class got married.  It was a good, relaxing time.  It was definitely nice to spend some time with old friends since we don't get together nearly as often as we should. 
Today, we're just having a lazy Sunday.  Mike fished this morning, and the kids and I hung out at my parents' house.  Now all are sleeping and we'll hang out until after supper and head home to start another week. 

Happy 2012

Our New Year's weekend was pretty relaxed.  We headed to Brainerd Friday night after work to spend the weekend at Pat and Leah's.  We got there at about 8:00.  The kids played for a little while before jammies and bedtime.  Saturday we hung out all day while Mike and his Dad and brother went fishing.  I struggled to stay awake until midnight, and went to bed at about 12:01.  Sunday, the kids played some more and we headed home at bedtime.  Mike and I both had today off so we have been hanging at home getting a few random things done including naps :)

Umm...yeah.

Ok, so the whole take lots of pictures, write lots of blog posts thing didn't work out so well.  As much as I love my new camera, I found out my computer's operating system is too old to use the software.  So, forget the pictures.  I will add them when I can.  

One of my MANY resolutions for 2012 is to blog at least once a week.  So, here we go...