Out of the Mouths of Babes

I know every mom thinks this, but man-oh-man, my kids are funny {and sweet}!

Anderson moved to a new big-boy bed complete with adorable mismatched bedding from Target's Pillowfort line.  His sheets have black clouds on them, and one night as he was trying to go to sleep, he started screaming hysterically.  When I ran in and asked him what was wrong, he was able to compose himself and tell me that the "eye cloud" was scary because it was looking at him.  I had no idea what he was talking about, but noticed that one of the black clouds had a white notch in it that apparently looked like spooky eye at night.

Anderson's imagination is running wild lately; he will play independently for hours making up stories and mixing characters.  He has a fondness for the "good guys" and an extreme fear of the "bad guys".  A tiny little Lego man rocked his world after about 45 minutes of playing on the floor of Buddy's closet with normally-off-limit Legos.  Ear shattering screams and hysterical crying were brought on by the "bad guy with the long hair".  I don't know what the bad guy said or did, but Anderson brought him up several more teary times.

After talking about haircuts for a few days, Anderson kept requesting his hair to be styled like "Nonny from Bubble Guppies".  We had to look up pictures to show Mr. Jay Anderson's inspiration.  Only an almost three year old would request to look like an orange haired cartoon character!  Alekzander followed up with a related request when it was my turn to get my hair cut, "Will you please get your hair cut like Molly in Bubble Guppies?"

Sweet, smart Alekzander still mixes up words sometimes. Animals still comes out as "aminals" and my headaches are "head-ics".  I hate to correct him because he makes me smile!

I love listening to both of them talk, play, sing, and learn.  The resulting laughter is an added bonus.

Last Day of Kindergarten

Oh how this little guy has grown.

In height.

In confidence.

In ability.

In independence.

We couldn't be more proud.

Alekzander loves Ms. Leahy!!

Knowing the finality of the school year, 

I think I had a harder time 

saying goodbye than Alekzander did.  

We lingered long after the final awards ceremony 

with his 7 remaining classmates and teacher;

he had to have one more snack with some of his friends, 

watch one more video, and get one more hug!

We couldn't have asked for a better year or a better teacher!

Mama's Day 2016

I am so lucky that these two precious faces 

call me Mom/Mama/Mommy.

To celebrate Mother's Day this year, 

we packed some boxes for our move, folded some laundry,

and then did some of my favorite things :: 

had a picnic with the Taylors, 

took pictures and went on explorations in the woods, 

ate TCBY for dinner, and I even got to take an amazing nap in the hammock.

So thankful for hand holding, hugging, 

fresh picked flowers, and sloppy kisses from sweaty little faces...

and a husband who spoils me year round.

Winter Garden :: Spring Harvest

Green thumbs up

for winter gardening.

This winter, Andrew and Alekzander planned and planted our garden beds.

We grew broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, 

onions, brussel sprouts, lettuce, and spinach.

We are hoping to be able to harvest some veggies 

before our move in just a few weeks.

So far we have enjoyed lettuce and spinach

and are trying wait patiently for these broccolis to get a little bigger.

{Macro photo by Alekzander; 4/30/16}    

Most Improved Shark

Our {Alekzander's} first season of soccer is complete!

From March to May,

he and his team played in temperatures from 40 degrees to 80 degrees.

Goals were scored against them,

scores were miscalculated by 9 out of 11 Sharks most games,

but no one ever gave up.

This group of U8 players had first class sportsmanship

and an amazing coach who taught them well,

and played them equally and fairly.

Alekzander played all positions and claimed to love being goalie,

although he is fast, fast, fast.

While "shark like" aggression on the field is not natural for him,

Alekzander played hard and played proud.

He helped lead cheers on the sidelines :: "Go Blue Sharks!"

and mastered throw-ins and drop-kicks.

Moms {me} may have lost their voices,

brothers {Anderson} may have wandered on the fields,

and dads {Andrew} may have picked up a new skill set/new sports knowledge.

We also acquired two Size 3 soccer balls, smelly shin guards,

and a blue and black striped jersey.

What's more, we learned lessons about soccer

and got to see Alekzander interact with new friends

and respond to the directions of another adult.

Last night, Alekzander was named "Most Improved Player" 

at the post-practice pizza party,

and was commended for absorbing all of Coach's teaching,

trying all of the positions, and perfecting his spacing on the field.

We are so proud of him for trying, 

and succeeding at, his first team sport.

While it doesn't matter what sport he chooses to play in the future,

for this season, I was proud to be a soccer mom.

Easter on the Land

 Cutie + Cousins

Ellison (2), Mac (9 months), Anderson (2.75), Alekzander (6)

CW Egg Hunt 2016

 Praying with Daddy before the egg hunt

 Checking out his loot

{Ignore the candy ... Look at those blue eyes!} 

Brotherly love at its finest

Six Years

Accepting that we were the parents of a Kindergartner

was a little hard to swallow at the beginning of the school year,

but now we are the parents of a six year old! 

Wrapping our heads around that is crazy, 

but we are so blessed to watch Alekzander grow and develop.

Alekzander remains sensitive and sweet.

He does not like being wrong and 

is sometimes hesitant to try new things.

When his actions lead him the wrong way, 

and consequences ensues, he immediately seeks out 

an "I love you; I forgive you" hug.

He loves to tease his little brother.

One minute he will be arguing, poking, 

or head-locking Anderson, and the next,

he is hugging him or letting Anderson crawl all over him.

He often pulls Anderson in for a hug when he sees

him at school in the afternoon,

and he is one of the first that will comfort Anderson 

even if/especially when he may have been the instigator

or cause of his brother's tears.

Alekzander loves to be outside.

He would love to dig for worms 

and get dirt under his nails every day if he could.

He likes to play soccer or 'volleyball' until dark.

He can ride a two-wheel bike when pressured,

but he prefers his scooter or running.

He has a keen palate for a kid and 

can name the three ingredients in my biscuits.

Fruits remain a choice dessert,

and he could eat pizza or noodles seven nights a week.

School is going well.

He is a friend to all, he likes to lead,

and he is learning to read.

He prefers math over reading,

loves PE and recess,

and is dying to buy school lunch!

Within 30 minutes of waking up,

he has to let a loud, crazy primal noise out

{which inevitably wakes up Anderson too early}.

When asked why, he says it is to 

get the crazies out before going to school 

{while this method is not always successful, it is consistent}!

Upon coming home from school,

he immediately needs his down time which 

typically includes a TV show and a snack.

We love watching his personality grow and develop 

as he becomes more sure of himself.

We welcome his 6:40 wake up call

as it is a bright start to our day,

and it is when his mind/mouth wake up.

Ready or not, the questions start rolling

as if he has used his night to come up 

with ones that will stump us for sure.

The endless questions, the sweet insecurities,

the silly antics, sometimes emotional bedtimes,

and energetic outbursts are just a few of the things

we love {and would never change} about Alekzander.

Happy 6th Birthday, buddy.

We love you to the moon and back,

and will continue to wrap our love around you

forever and always.

{Fresh} Air Time

{Surprisingly, no children were harmed in the making of these memories!}

Broncos Player

 {Pre-Trick-or-Treating}

 {Post Trick-or-Treating}

Halloween 2015

Alekzander picked the theme for our Halloween again this year:

we were to go as a Sporty Family.

We excitedly played our parts as the golfer, 

the runner, and the hockey player.

He gave himself the role of Broncos football player.

Andrew's golf bag doubled as the candy overflow bag

and was filled pretty quickly as we have some

extremely generous neighbors!

The wagon was transformed into a Penalty Box for 

our Bruins hockey player.

One little girl asked what it was for, and I explained 

that it was like a time out spot for hockey players

when they were 'bad' during the game.

She immediately asked if Anderson was bad!

Poor guy definitely was not bad - just a little overwhelmed.

Both boys were surprisingly calm and passive trick-or-treaters.

Anderson actually preferred to stay in the wagon most of the time,

and Alekzander said he would rather stay with us

 than run ahead with his friends.

Both situations were quite agreeable to me

as I know future years will look much different! 

I cannot wait until next August when 

Alekzander assigns our next family Halloween theme.

{Please let him include us in his costume plans next year too!!}

Let Them Eat Dirt

Google "Let them eat dirt" or "Reasons why your kid should be in the dirt"...

my children should be the spokespeople!

They cannot resist the pull of the dirt...

Our flower beds are generally not 'flowery' -

they are beds of dirt that the boys cannot stay around from.

A simple planting and watering mission one afternoon turned into 

creating 'mud shoes' and resulted in a much needed bath.

The joyful benefits of playing in the mud

far outweigh the cost of scrubbing the 'ring around the tub'!