Common Mom

We went to Target to get some clothes for Princess, and we had to go “across the aisle.” Yup, she finally grew out of the toddler section, and I’m really bummed about it. A 5 year old should still get to choose little girly stuff, like jumper dresses with cute striped shirts and matching tights, or shirts with a simple smiley face on them, or pants that actually cover her behind when she bends over. She shouldn’t have to choose short cropped shirts, low cut jeans, shirts without characters on them, or skirts that barely cover her behind.

We did find some good stuff for her that she really liked and that passed the Mommy test. But it’s getting more and more difficult as she’s moved out of the toddler clothes, and it makes me sad Not only because it’s more difficult to shop and the clothes are more expensive, but also because it means she’s growing up.

At least she’s still OK with me telling her she can’t have something because it’s not appropriate or is too expensive. I guess I need to appreciate that as long as I can.

Dude got on the bus for his first day of 3rd grade. He couldn’t WAIT! Yesterday, we had some friends over for a BBQ. The minute they left Dude was running to bed - the reason? He wanted to make sure he got to bed early enough so he wouldn’t oversleep and miss the bus I assured him that I’d wake him up in time. He made me promise to wake him up at 6:30 . . . holy crap!

He got up, got himself dressed in his favorite camos, got himself breakfast, and proudly announced that he was off to brush his teeth and comb his hair. He did both wonderfully. It’s so weird not to have to do any of these things for him anymore . . . and to be able to get myself ready at the same time. I took his picture - he of course made me promise not to get Princess’s doll stroller in there . . . we wouldn’t want to ruin his image or anything!

Then we headed to the bus stop. Everyone was amazed at how big Duma was (she was 3 months old last spring when we started taking her down there) and wanted to pet her and love on her. Nobody even noticed the bus pull up - on the other side of the road. Apparently, the bus is on the opposite corner this year. So I scurried to get the picture of Dude and his best buddy at the bus stop, then they all cruised across the street to the bus . . . no hug, no kiss, no nothin’ - nothin’ except me waving and yelling at Dude to have a wonderful day. I didn’t even give him the speel this morning about how Princess and I will most likely beat him home, but if we’re not there when he gets home, he should close the garage door, let Duma out, and stay in the house until I get there. I know he knows these things, but it’s weird not to have to say it.

It’s just wrong that he seems so grown up already.

Princess had a wonderful first two days of kindergarten! She’s doing great in class and is loving Ms. Dale as her teacher. Ms. Dale was also Dude’s kindergarten teacher - she’s a wonderful teacher and we’re so excited she’s still there for Keira. As for the first day . . . nope, not a tear was shed. No, I’m not heartless - actually quite the opposite. So why didn’t I cry? Princess has been going to full day preschool since she was 3 . . . and this whole summer she was in the kindergarten room for summer camp, just not with Ms. Dale. So on Monday, nothing was different really - except for the new outfit We took her to the same room, said good morning to Ms. Dale, and she was off! Ya . . . I thought about her being an actual kindergartner, but it’s different for some reason with her than it was with Dude. Dude always seemed so small and timid and he’s so sensitive, but all boy at the same time. Princess . . . she can SOOOOOOOOOO take care of herself, and everyone around her - just ask her She was so excited and not nervous, so it helped me out a lot. So there you have it . . . she’s in KINDERGARTEN and loving every minute of it. What’s she most excited about? Reading . . . she can’t wait to learn to read better so she can read her own books instead of us having to help her out!

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We had Dude’s open house last night (he starts 3rd grade tomorrow). We got to meet his teachers, which was wonderful! He’s in a room with 2 teachers that share the class . . . one teaches in the morning and the other in the afternoon. I think it’s AWESOME! That way, it doesn’t get boring . . . the teachers don’t get burned out and the kids get a fresh look at things. Dude is very excited for school to start . . . Hubby and I are taking him golfing today on his last day of summer since I have the day off as well . . . Dude woke up this morning and said he wished school started TODAY! What?! Dude is growing up . . . I knew the time would come when he’d rather spend time with his friends than us, but already? Boohoo. He’s very excited that his buddy Josh is in his class this year, too . . . good times ahead for Dude! Oh, and I won’t be posting any pictures of his first day of school outfit. He, of course, doesn’t need any new clothes . . . I mean what more does an 8 year old boy need than 8 pair of camo shorts and shirts that don’t match?

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With school actually starting tomorrow, that means we have to get up earlier so Dude can catch the bus - ick. It’s only 30 minutes earlier, but still - ick.

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We’re off to the course! I hope you all have a wonderful day - it’s a beauty here . . . 85 and sunny, slight breeze, very little humidity - woo hoo!

Those were the words I heard out of Dude’s mouth when I asked him if he wanted to start gymnastics again. We took a break from gymnastics for the summer. Princess has been ready to start gymnastics for about a month now - so I signed her up. It starts today, thank goodness . . . no more when when when from her I asked Dude if he wanted to start up again and he said “I think I’m done with that.”

I’m so bummed It’s so good for him, and he’s so good at gymnastics and built perfectly for it - he’s always had fun doing it. But, I guess when you turn 8 and all your friends are playing baseball and football and soccer, you just want to play those games, too. I’m hoping that maybe he’ll change his mind in a couple weeks . . . he has to go sit there with me and watch Princess anyway . . . so maybe he’ll decide he might as well be in class. And maybe he’ll realize that being able to walk on your hands and do back handsprings is difficult and that your friends might actually think that’s cool!

It sure is tough watching them grow up and start making their own decisions. Ya ya ya - I know it’s necessary and it’s a GOOD thing that he’s making his own decisions, but it doesn’t make it any easier on mommy.

Happy Birthday Buddy! 8 years ago today, you made your grand entrance into this world. After 12 hours of labor, you decided you’d had enough and pulled the ripcord so they had to go in and get you. You joined this world screaming and wiggling and you haven’t stopped moving since! Your tiny 5 pound 13 ounce self was about the size of a Chipotle Burrito when you were swaddled - some of my friends still refer to you as the burrito So here you are, 8 years in the making . . .

I can’t even begin to imagine my life without you! You are such a wonderful person, and you bring joy to everyone you meet

When you learned to stand, I knew it was all over. I especially knew it was all over when you crawled out of your crib at 8 months and we had to put you in a toddler bed! I couldn’t believe how small you looked in that big bed.

You decided 9 months was a good age to start walking! Such an overachiever You loved to go on walks with me and Maggie. One of your favorite things was to check out the fire hydrant - you looked so tiny next to it!

You are such a special person. I love how you want to enjoy everything to the fullest yet always take time to stop and smell the “flodders” along the way

You are always ready to play and pretend and have always enjoyed dressing up like Daddy.

You have an amazing ability to make the best of things. Like this time we went to the zoo. You talked about the gorillas the entire time we were there and couldn’t wait to see them! But when we got to the entrance to Primate World, it was closed. Some big honcho from another country was getting a tour of the zoo and the area had to be secure. Instead of whining and crying and throwing your 3 year old self onto the ground in a fit, you did this . . . and I love you for it! 

You are so handsome, and such a ham! You’ve always thought it was wonderful to look at yourself in the mirror and make faces and the little boy looking back at you.

You have a huge heart and a special spot for your little sister, who can be a real pain in the a$$ sometimes. You are so sweet to her; you couldn’t wait for her to come home from the hospital; you couldn’t wait to feed her and change her diapers; you couldn’t wait for her to actually start playing with you; you have always let her play with your toys and your friends; even now, at 8 years old, you are so loving and caring toward her and don’t mind when she wants to play spies or army with you and your buddies in the woods. We are all so lucky to have you in our lives!

When you were younger, you loved fast rides and rides that made your heart jump. This day at Valleyfair was one of the best! You had so much fun and couldn’t wait to get on every ride there was. And of course, the front seat was a must.

You’re not so much into the fast rides these days. You’ve become a little more cautious, but that doesn’t stop you from shimmying 30 feet up a really huge pine tree without branches at the bottom! I love that you love outside. You’ve ALWAYS loved being outside. When you were a baby, you’d be fussy and crying and the minute we went outside, you were the happiest kid on the planet. You always ask to go outside and play, whether it’s hiking, biking, camping, fishing, playing baseball, going to the park, or just running around with your friends, outside is your thing. Your daycare provider once told me that even after 15 years of doing daycare, she’d never seen a kid who loved being outdoors as much as you. Not once since the day you were born did Dad and I have to say we couldn’t do something because we had kids. You’re always up for trying anything new. Thank you for wanting to enjoy this beautiful state we live in and for being so willing and able to do all these wonderful activities with us.

 There are so many wonderful things about you, Buddy. You are so sensitive and caring, just like your father. You have your dad’s beautiful blue eyes! You are so sweet to me and even at a young age understood that it was stressful when Dad was gone flying and would help out around the house. You are smart. You are a wonderful friend and an even better brother to your little sister. You are talkative. You are goofy and silly and like to play jokes on people. You have the most infectious giggle I have ever heard. But I think what I love about you most is that you enjoy every day to the fullest. We could all learn a lesson from you - life is a gift and should not be wasted. Make the most of every day and leave nothing on the table, even if it means you’re so tired at the end of the day that you can’t even make it upstairs to bed

 HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY BUDDY!

I love you more than you can ever imagine!

Have you figured it out yet?

It’s ME! I’M missing from this photo! It finally happened . . . Princess can touch the bottom of the pool (barely) and can swim back to the edge if necessary. So, for the first time EVER, I found myself sitting outside of the pool while the two of them were in the pool - by themselves. Hubby wasn’t in the water either. All those swimming lessons they get at summer camp have paid off.

I really love swimming and am usually in the pool with them having fun and staying cool. But at this particular moment I found myself sitting in a lawn chair, without anyone under 4 feet tall near me. It was weird.

And sad There’s been lots of growing up this week . . . too much if you ask me!

His birthday is this coming Friday, but we had his party last weekend Dude invited 4 friends to join us for the baseball game and then sleep over. It. Was. A. BLAST! I made him a baseball birthday cake, which he thought was way cool . . . even though the frosting totally sucked (really, Duncan Hines Whipped White Frosting is TERRIBLE!). But, the boys ate it anyway

We also thought it would be fun (and safer!) to make them all matching t-shirts to wear to the game . . . in bright red, so they’re easier for a tired mom’s eyes to keep track of We got these baseball t-shirts on clearance at Target.

 Then we thought it would be cool to make them look like more like baseball jerseys, so we put their names and the number 8 on the back (Princess wanted a 6 since she’ll be 6 - girls!).

With each game ticket, the kids got a hot dog, chips, small soda, Nestle Drumstick birthday treat, and an all game pass to the Fun Zone (bouncy houses, speed pitch, giant slide). We ate dinner and headed to the Fun Zone right away. They had lots of fun, then headed back to their seats to watch the game. The boys got on the giant scoreboard screen multiple times, which was cool - gotta love minor league baseball! At one point, they put the Kiss Cam up . . . the 8 year olds were of course embarrassed for all the fools who were silly enough to kiss in front of everyone

Dude got his name announced over the PA and his name scrolled across the giant scoreboard to say Happy Birthday to him . . . very cool Then, Sox the Fox, the team mascot, came over to give Dude a birthday present - a baseball signed by the team and a miniature wooden bat. All the boys enjoyed their treats . . . not like they hadn’t already had enough sugar

Since it was Friday, there was a fireworks show after the game - the fireworks were spectacular! We headed home and got everyone in bed by 11:00 p.m. They were of course up at 6:30, ready to go . . . so Hubby made M&M Pancakes and sent them out to play. All the boys got along so well and were so well-behaved - it was a pleasure to have all of them. And I must say that I was very impressed with Dude’s choice of party guests. The boy has a wide array of friends . . . one from daycare (he’s known T since he was 8 weeks old), one from preschool, one from down the street (Dude and H share the exact same birthday!), and one that he met in school this year. It was a great group of boys to have over.

So, Dude’s birthday is over until next year . . . and I must say that 8 just seems so old . . . I mean, really, so much older than 7. How can that be? I don’t know . . . but I know I don’t like it!

Oh - I must give a great big thank you to Grandma and Grandpa, who were here on vacation and went to the game with us. I’m sure spending the evening with five 8 year old boys at the baseball game and then having them sleep over in the room right above theirs wasn’t their idea of vacation! But they were very helpful and very wonderful with the boys. Thank you thank you thank you!

Today’s the day - summer camp starts. And even though Princess and Dude are going to summer camp at the same school they’ve been at for the past 4 1/2 years, it’s all pretty new and exciting!

For me, it’s new and exciting because it means I have until 4:30 to pick them up every day, instead of having to bolt from work at 3:00 so I can get Princess and meet Dude at home after the bus drops him off. It means I have just one drop off in the morning . . . both kids to the same place . . . no getting ready to go to the bus with Dude then coming home, finishing getting Princess ready, then taking her to school before I head to work. It means that Hubby and I can spend more time together on my Wednesdays off if he’s home. No rushing to fit in a movie in a tiny amount of time - no rushing around the golf course - no using all of our time getting groceries or running errands. That extra 1 1/2 hours is amazing! And finally, it means that I can sleep in an extra 45 minutes! Not that that will actually happen - that whole internal clock and stuff - but the kids can sleep in and they NEED it. Especially in the summer, they have so much fun and are so busy playing that they just crash at night. So ya - I’m WAY excited!

For Dude, it’s new and exciting because he gets to see some of his old friends from Montessori. We live in a different district than the Montessori school is in, so many of his friends that he had up through 1st grade went to different schools than he did. He loves his new school and friends that he made this year, and we kept in touch with the others, but he’s so excited to see them every day again! He’s also happy that he doesn’t have to get up so early.

For Princess, it’s new and exciting because she is moving on up - yup, today she heads in to the Kindergarten room! She’s so excited! I’m excited, and sad . . . I mean, my baby is in Kindergarten! She is so ready to move up . . . she was the oldest in her preschool class by 6 months, she no longer takes the required nap, and she was doing so well in her schoolwork. She also was ready to go on field trips with the bigger kids and be able to participate in the sports clinics they offer this summer. So yay - she’s so excited that she can hardly contain herslef

For both of them, it’s new and exciting because of all the wonderful things they get to do. Throughout the summer they are participating in a number of different “clinics” at the school . . . golf, soccer, cheerleading. They also have a pool there, so they get to have swimming lessons 4 days a week every week! They learned a lot last year in those lessons, and this year the instructors are even better (we took private lessons with them previously) so we’re expecting great things And finally, there is at least 1 and sometimes 2 field trips per week for them to go on. We signed them up for all but a couple of them. It’s so awesome that they get to have so much fun all summer with their friends. It costs money, of course . . . but when we figured what it would cost for them to go to a number of different Y camps and sports camps and day camps and stuff, it was totally worth it. It’s not that much more for them to be able to stay at the same school all summer with the same schedule. And, it’s TOTALLY worth it for me to not have to figure all that stuff out and figure out where they can be while I’m at work . . . what a stress! It’s so worth it for me to just have them at one place and pick and choose what I want to sign them up for while they’re there. Next year will be a different story - Dude won’t go there for summer camp, so I’ll have to do all the scheduling and driving and bluck bluck bluck . . . so I’m taking advantage of one last stress free summer camp schedule

How about you - what do you do with your kids in the summer?

One year ago, when my son was 6 3/4 years old, he finished his dinner and went to his room to “pack” for the sleepover at his buddy’s house. He came out with his Spiderman sleeping bag and a backpack slung over his shoulder. He gave me a hug and a kiss and said “Well, I’m off to Hayden’s house. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Me: “Hang on. Lemme get Princess and some shoes and we’ll walk you down there.”
Dude: “That’s OK. I don’t need you to.”

I wanted to cry out “You do too still need me!!!”

Instead, I gave him a kiss and a hug and cried as he walked down the street alone to his first sleepover.