Journals, writing, reading, math, social studies, spelling, tests, school lunches.....First Grade is tough!

WOW! First grade has been an adventure and our first school year of going all day has been SURVIVED. There were days I truly did wonder if we were actually going to make it, however, we did and I couldn't be more proud of all of the things that Caden accomplished over the course of the year.

I think that Caden's favorite subject this year was recess and the fact that he had 3 of them. The source of many morning tears in our house, was the fact that he had to write in a journal. Caden does not like things that take time and writing takes far to much time and concentration.

The EVIL source of many tears!

Tough Subjects for a kid who would rather be playing ball!

Penmanship Award ~ All of those tears paid off

Top Reader Medal

Mommy is very PROUD!!!

I love you and I hope that journal will be the toughest mountain you will ever have to climb.

~In a world where you can be anything...be yourself.

Bittersweet

My little boy has officially finished preschool.

Two years ago I took my Reece to school on the first day of school and when I walked out of his classroom, I'm not sure who was crying harder him or I. I remember walking into that sea of children who were all having a grand time and were very excited to be at school, I turned to look at my baby and told him I would be back when he got done. He burst into tears and was screaming "don't leave me momma! don't leave me!" It was horrible! No matter how hard I tried I couldn't hold it together and by the time I got to the front door I just wanted to scream, "why Lord must my babies grow up, why?" I called Phil and all I wanted him to tell me was "just go get him and we will try again next year". That didn't happen. Instead he told me that he would be fine and he would get use to it. As much as I hate to say it, he was right. It did get better and the crying stopped shortly after CHRISTMAS VACATION.

So here we are two years later... he has officially finished Preschool and is ready to conquer refusing to go to kindergarten. Oh boy! What are we going to do about that? I don't know, however, I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of time to worry about that in August and with any luck at all I won't have too and he'll just decide it's cool to go to Kindergarten.

So on the LAST day of Pre-K we spent the day at one of our favorite places...THE ZOO! It was a day filled with

Pretty Peacocks who were showing off

Imaginations

Lots of cool animals

Fun places for pictures

Fabulous Friends

Sack Lunches

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ellee wishing someone would feed her so she didn't have to eat her toes

And what's a trip to the zoo without fire alarms sounding?

Does this look like a face that would do exactly what it says to do? Well...it is and he did!

So school is over and summer has begun. I guess all great school years must come to an end and I couldn't be happier to have them home again, however, it's just one more reminder that they are one step closer to walking out my door and walking into another one.

BITTERSWEET!

9:25 p.m......

and I want this day to end. Today I'm tired of being a mommy with no other identity. Today I'm tired or wiping noses and butts. Today I am tired of cooking and cleaning. Today I'm tired of running all over creation. Today I'm tired of being FAT! Today I'm just flat tired of being me.

9:27 p.m.

Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow I will be happy to have no other identity than Caden, Reece, and Ellee's mommy. Tomorrow I will continue to wipe noses and butts with a smile on my face. Tomorrow I will cook and clean because my family depends on me. Tomorrow I will be the taxi driver for my children. Tomorrow I will still be...well....FAT.....but I will try to do a better job of addressing that. Tomorrow I will try really hard to just be happy being me.

9:29 p.m.

This day is almost over and tomorrow is a new one. Tonight I will tuck my kids in and apologize once again for being the meanest Mommy on the planet. They will hug my neck and tell me it's OK......They forgive me. That happens more often than I really want it too, however, I am so thankful that I have these 3 little lives to tell me it's OK and that I'm the best Mommy in the whole world. I just wish I felt that way today!

9:32 p.m.

Today I am just having trouble seeing the bright side of life.....guess I will polish the dull side and hope for the best!

9:36 p.m.

Finally.....

Heaters baseball begins.

Finally.....

The rain clears and we get to play in our third season of machine pitch baseball.

Finally.....

After a long time of waiting for baseball to come around again, we win our first game 12-4.

If I could change just one childs world, I would change yours!

Ethan,

I love you as big as the ocean!

~Aunt Trasie

A messy milestone

Ellee Bean ate spit out her sweet potatoes that she had for lunch on MOTHER'S DAY.

Ready for something new

Mommy tried and failed so Iya took a turn

Thanks but no thanks!

Pretty sure that bib will never be white again!

Vegetables.....YUCK!!

Update:

We tried the spoon and Mommy hates messes.......So today for lunch we did it MOM'S WAY

INFA-FEEDERS

DON'T BECOME A MOM WITHOUT ONE!!!

Ellee gobbled them right up...............

Dumpster Diving at Baseball Games = Fabulous Treasures

...for a little boy and his imagination.

I would trade my "ROCK DUSTER " for the chance to ride on that Gator!

Reece,

You never complain about going to all of your brothers things and you always seem to have a good time. I love watching you make friends and then setting out on your adventures looking for fabulous treasure. You always manage to let your imagination run and I sometimes wish I could see into the future to see what you will actually be when you are all grown up. Some say they think you will be a mechanical engineer, some say an astronaut, some say you will fly airplanes, but I say you can be anything you want to be because I believe that the possibilities are endless!

I love you more than you will ever know!

Love ~ Mommy