First Day of Kindergarten

Today was the BIG DAY...Isaac's first day of kindergarten....and I couldn't have asked for it to go any more smoothly. He was up, dressed and had breakfast in plenty of time to get before school pictures!!

With his 1st day of school sign...



Looking like a big boy with his backpack on!


With little brother, who was just as excited as he was!

 

Giving the "I'm ready for school" thumbs up! 

With his Daddy.

And his favorite one...with his muscle backpack on his front and up so high just like the real Superman!!

Then it was in the truck and off to school. Mommy was nervous the whole way. Yes, he went to daycare when he was little so it's not like I've never left him somewhere before. But for 3 years at daycare, Daddy was in charge of dropping him off because Mommy couldn't handle it! In my defense, Isaac always turned on the tears when Mommy dropped him off because he knew there was a chance I'd cave in and not leave him. The only time he didn't cry when I dropped him off was when I was able to leave him at school in the morning with his best buddy! Well, his best buddy isn't at his school in Wake Forest, so yes, Mommy was worried about drop off. But much to my surprise, once we got there, this is the new version of Isaac that came with us!!

All smiles and excitement!!

He was with Ms. Marven today. She gave him a big hug and showed him to a cubby first thing.

Then he gave Daddy, Lucas, & Mommy a big hug and off he went to color with his classmates! So simple, so easy. As we walked out of the room, I looked at Brian and said "wow! what was that?"....it was way easier than I had anticipated. (Which by the way proves my theory correct....if you worry and dread something enough it hardly ever turns out that bad!)

So just like that, I have a kindergartner! A happy, excited one at that. I could not ask for anything more!

Lucas and I had a fun day together. He did manage to get himself a new toy truck at Walmart today and we had a lunch date that kept us busy too. It was different without big brother around, but definitely not quiet. Lucas found that he actually got time to talk...and talk he did...until he exhausted himself and fell asleep!

I had to wake him up to head to the bus stop to pick up Isaac. The bus ride home went great. Isaac sat right on the front seat and said he had a special seat with a buckle which I thought was really nice. The driver and her assistant took great care of him. 

 

I asked him how his day was when he got off the bus. He replied "It was fun. I was there for a long time!"

A couple other facts from the day:
1) He made some fun friends but he doesn't remember their names yet.

2) His favorite part of the day was recess. Especially when they climbed under the swing set in the shade. He said they shouldn't let them go outside to play when it's so hot!

3) He told his teachers letters, names, and colors. He also counted to 90. (which he refuses to do for me!)

4) He ate 3 chicken nuggets (the 4th dropped on the floor), pineapple (which he refuses for me), and milk for lunch.

5) He rested during nap time.

6) The crackers I bought for him to eat at snack were not the ones that GG had at the cabin Michigan, so we need to go back to the store tomorrow and try again.

7) When they walk in the hall the teacher said to catch a bubble in your mouth. (sneaky idea to keep them quiet!)

He said he had a great day and is looking forward to going back next week! I'm so happy for him....ecstatic for me...and finally able to exhale now that I know this whole kindergarten thing is going to be alright. I think we're all going to be just fine!

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, texts and prayers over the last couple of days. I would have been admitted to the funny farm without my great friends and family! You all are the best!

Last Day of Summer

Today was the last day before this big guy heads off to kindergarten!

Okay, so let me not be too dramatic here. Tomorrow is Isaac's first day of "staggered entry" kindergarten, which basically means he goes to school tomorrow and is then home until real kindergarten starts next Tuesday. I'm assuming "staggered entry" is a good way to 1) introduce kids to school and 2) to make sure one teacher doesn't get stuck with all the wild children! In any case, tomorrow is Isaac's first day and he could not be more excited!

This little guy...


well, I don't think he quite understands what's going on quite yet. Brian mentioned Isaac going to Kindergarten to Lucas a few weeks ago and told him that he would stay home with mommy by himself and that sent him into a crying fit! So who knows, but starting tomorrow he's in charge of keeping Mommy busy all by himself!

To be quite honest, I'm not sure how tomorrow is going to go for me either. So I treated today like the few times I got sent to summer camp...stay busy as long as possible so you don't have to think about it. Isaac got to pick our destination, and since the weather was nice we went hiking and picnicking at Blue Jay Park.



Hanging out with my goof balls down by the lake.


Isaac enjoyed climbing on the tree roots and jumping on the rocks. Lucas, as always, did his best to keep up!

They were all about the camera today, so there was no way i was going to let that opportunity slip by!

After lunch, we headed back up to the playground to run and slide for a while. Crazy shot of Isaac getting stuck in the middle of the slide!

Our pre-nap snack was Yogurt City! These two ate enough yogurt and toppings to last them the rest of the year.

 '
And while Lucas napped, Isaac asked me to teach him how to play chess. He looks like he's seriously contemplating his next move, but he's really just trying to remember the name for the "bishop"! 

Since it was his last day at home, I even gave in and let him play video games on my tablet for a while. (I just realized in this picture that he's wearing his hiking boots on my bed. Oh well!) 

 

 He ended his day at teeball practice and headed to bed on time for the first time in months ready for his first day of school tomorrow.

I have mixed emotions about his first day and what tomorrow will bring. I will admit that I have already shed a few tears and anticipate more where they came from, and I'll also admit that tonight my neighbor caught me sitting in a bag chair in the garage sipping the last of the wine out of the bottle. My baby is growing up, something no mom is ever ready to admit, but I know he's ready and I pray that Kindergarten is every bit as fun as he has dreamt it up to be. 

Yankee

It's going to be a big week of firsts at our house. It all started today with the Isaac's first baseball practice. He is officially a "Yankee", but they haven't gotten their uniforms yet so he wore a bunch of his favorite stuff. He looks like an old pro already!

Batting Practice

He can run a 9 min 30 sec mile, but it took him forever to get to first today! As cute as it is, we're going to have to work on speeding up his homerun trot to first base!!

Getting instructions from Coach Mike.

We were very proud of Isaac today. He ran right out on the field, talked to the coach, and didn't hide behind me not one time. I'm hoping that this trend continues as it's a lot easier on Mommy!

Where was Lucas? Well, poor Lucas was so excited about practice today, but he fell asleep in the truck on the way over and slept all the way through practice. He never even saw the field. On the way home, he woke up and said "I want to go to baseball". I have a feeling we're going to have our hands full trying to explain to him that he's not old enough to play yet!

Oma Comes to Town

Oma spent the week with us last week and boy did we ever keep her busy.

We did a little free bowling at Sparians in Raleigh.

We introduced her to the birds and a bunch of obnoxious children at the museum. You have to love it when other people's kids make yours look exceptional!!

We took her swimming at the Wake Forest Pool.

 

 And she took us shopping for school supplies. She bought Isaac his very first backpack and a brand new pair of shoes to help him run fast. I know you're all going to be surprised at his backpack selection!!  

On Friday, Opa was able to join us and the fun continued. The boys made Papa Murphy's pizzas.

Lucas & Opa played trains!

And per Oma's request, we went on a bike ride. Little did she know that Brian is a bike ride nazi and he had us ride the entire Falls River Trail...all 13 miles of it!! 

Oma & Opa with the (gulp) Kindergartner!

We had a great week & weekend and we're looking forward to more fun at Madeline's birthday party at the beach this weekend!!

Bye Bye Baby

August seems to be the month for growing up. Isaac will start kindergarten in a few weeks, and Lucas wasn't going to be left out of the growing up trend. When we returned from vacation, Lucas decided that he was done with sleeping in his crib. The first night back he "escaped" the crib four different times before we finally got him to lay down and go to sleep. Nap time on Tuesday didn't go much better. So Mommy hit craigslist in search of a big boy bed. Some of you will recall that at this age, Isaac transitioned into an adult type loft bed. Lucas on the other hand is not as trustworthy as Isaac was at that age so we decided to get him something for the short term.

He was all to excited to see Mommy bring in the tools to take down the crib.



Who wouldn't be excited to have that crib replaced by a super cool race car bed!?! 

He's still adjusting to being home from vacation that lasted most of July (during which he got used to sleeping with Daddy, Mommy & brother in the same room). But he sure does love his new bed!! 

Lake Erie

The last day of vacation, we made one final stop to visit the final of the four Great Lakes that touch the state of Michigan...Lake Erie. 

Isaac hanging out on the rocks...the Cleveland skyline can barely be seen in the distance.

The boys now officially have only one more Great Lake to go! 

We had a great week of adventures in Michigan and have a new found respect for the state as a whole. Who knew they had so many hidden treasures once you get outside the big cities. I now understand why the locals spend their weekends "Up North"!

Many of you by now think we're crazy. I mean we did travel 2800 miles in 8 days in a rental car with no tv or dvds for the kids, but it worked. The kids were amazing and much to my surprise were ready to crawl right back into the car on Sunday when we were unpacking even though we spent 9 hours in it on Saturday. I love that my boys love to travel as much as I do! I think they learned a lot too. I look forward to MANY more fun road trips in the future!!

The Old Cabin

Days 6 and 7 were spent at the Slivensky cabin in Weidman, MI for the Slivensky family reunion. People were in and out of the cabin all week, and while we didn't get to see everyone we had a great time catching up with the ones who were there! 

Isaac and Brian got lessons from Jake to improve their corn hole skills.

My Uncle Jim did a fabulous job of whipping up breakfast every morning. He even made some potatoes that reminded me of how Grandpa Warren used to make them. Grandpa Warren taught me to make his potatoes in that cabin kitchen when I was 12 years old. 

GG captivating some of her great grandkids.

Isaac and Mama duck showing off his acrobat skills with Daddy.

Lucas does a great job gathering wood for the fire!

And Isaac does a great job poking around in it!

Lucas and his ducky friends. GG is pretty sure these ducks are at least 40 years old. I guarantee they saw more action in the past week than over the last 40 years combine!

Logan and Leah hanging out with the boys.

Isaac and Logan wishing they were big enough to ride off on their own!

GG with all the great grandkids.

GG, me and the boys. Its not a family reunion without some photos sessions!

Lucas enjoying his "coffee"(is - Chocolate milk in a coffee cup)

Not pictured are the night time festivities... Walking through the unbelievably dark woods at night to see who can make it farthest down the trail and my personal favorite, looking for satellites in the most star studded sky on earth. Last night, we all sat around the fire looking up at the sky watching the stars. Isaac came over and curled up in my lap and if I could stop time I'd wish to be in that moment forever. Absolute perfection. Pure Happiness. Contentment. I am so blessed. 

The boys played again today. We rode the quads and hiked the forest before leaving. Isaac even got a lesson in how to shoot a slingshot from Aunt Patti. So much fun squeezed into 2 days. 

GG and the boys getting some last minute hugs in before we started our long ride home. Aren't they cute?

Tonight we're all snuggled up in a hotel outside Cleveland. The boys are still talking about all the fun they had with their distant cousins, and I think we finally managed to scrub the two days worth of dirt off of them so they could get in bed.

We had a great time catching up with the family and can't wait until we all get together again!