First Day of Kindergarten!

The day has finally come and Benjamin has started Kindergarten at Regents!  We have talked about it for so long, the anticipation has been so drawn out, that it is great to finally be here to experience it.  Poor Benjamin has had trouble sleeping in the past week because of the excitement.  Hopefully he will feel more adjusted soon and will fall right asleep.  

Lance and I were able to walk Benjamin to his classroom and be with him while he put his backpack in his cubby.  It was so exciting to step on that campus with him for his first day as a student.  This moment launches his education, but also launches our family's relationship with this great school; a relationship that should last about 18 more years!  So far it has been great, as the other mothers are so sweet and the families who have been at Regents already are eager to help and support.

So it was sad when I picked up Benjamin from bright beginnings for the last time.  I picked up his bag full the bedding that he has used for his naps since he was 15 months old!  A new tradition of ironing white shirts and laying out navy shorts and a belt has begun.  Gee, I wonder how many white shirts I will iron in the next 18 years!!!!

Evan Sings!

Evan recently learned a song at church and he has been singing it for us ever since.  He sings, "God said to 'go, go, go!'; gotta tell a story to all the little boys and girls; gotta hear of a great big world, gotta hear of a great big love".  He does sweet hand movements and hugs himself at the end when singing about a great big love.  This is the first time he has really shared with us something that he has learned at church.  I just wanted to capture this so we can remember it forever!  

The Walker

Sawyer is now walking full time.  It is so adorable!  He looks so proud of himself and sometimes shakes his arms up and down with joy.  The older boys are still surprised sometimes and tell me how far they have seen him walk.  I wonder how long it will be before he is off and running!

He has held back on the talking since focusing on the walking. However, he is starting back up again and has said several words in the past few days including up, yes, and closed.  Sawyer also has 6 teeth now and has been fussy off and on for the past two months.  Despite being so fussy, he manages to work in plenty of cute smiles and laughs.  I love it when he cracks up, which often happens when the older boys try to entertain him.  He is basically oozing cuteness that I wish I could bottle up.

Quotables

Benjamin has been so loving toward me lately.  It just makes my heart explode.  Yesterday he said the sweetest thing and I just wanted to make sure to write it down so I could tell him about it when he is a teenager!  This was after his nap when he sits on the bed with me to watch his nature programs.  I was talking about being a stay-at-home mom and how it is the best job.  This is what he said:

B:  Wanna know what my best job is?
Me: What?
B:    Loving my mommy!

Our Big New Mexico Trip!

We recently got back from a week in New Mexico visiting my parents.  Amma and I flew out with the boys while Papa drove out with some essential supplies.  Lance met us a few days later after he wrapped up his conference in Austin.  I wasn't sure we would survive the air travel with the 3 kiddos but we are still here!  

It was nice to get away from the heat and experience some dry, much cooler New Mexico mountain air.  The views from their house are just amazing and so peaceful.  Despite being sick for the first few days, I was determined to go running in their neighborhood every morning.  Running at a higher altitude took a bit of adjusting to, as did the hills, most of which I had to walk up.  There was one street in particular that had a very slow grade.  It was a joy to run down but a struggle to come back up.  Every morning I saw approximately two scrub jays, a jackrabbit, a cottontail, and several crows.  However, one morning I was excited to see a coyote by the side of the road.  It was so nice being out there in the quiet cool air.  All I could hear was my breath and the occasional cawing of crows or yapping of coyotes.

The boys enjoyed the change of pace as well.  They spent plenty of  time running around the huge house, swimming in the hot tub, and going on nature walks with Amma.  Benjamin was interested in learning about the different types of birds and other wildlife in New Mexico.  We also enjoyed a trip to the aquarium and the zoo, both of which are missing in Austin (unless you count the very small zoo in Austin).

One of the highlights of the trip was that Sawyer started walking.  He had just taken a step and a half in Austin going between me and Lance.  At my parents' house he really started taking several steps at a time and took as many as twelve.  It was fun for everyone to watch his excitement.

Another highlight was the short trip within a trip that Lance and I took to Santa Fe.  We were blessed to have my parents watch the three boys overnight despite their both being somewhat ill from the cold that I gave them.  It was a lovely hour drive from their house to Santa Fe, which included a stop for coffee in the hipster town of Madrid.  Heck, it was just nice being in the car without a fussy baby for once ;)  We spent the night at the Inn at Loretto and had a fabulous meal at their restaurant, Luminaria.  It was over before it began but was truly a nice break.

The trip home was not a highlight but it was better than I anticipated.  The two I-pads and one I-phone came in handy with the three boys.  We did have some fussing and complaining but it was all quite manageable.  When we got home I was surprised to find myself to happy to be here.  Traveling is enjoyable but it sure is exhausting! 

Girls Come for a Visit

We were blessed with a visit from Juily, her mom, and her two nieces.  They hung out in the pool for a bit and then we chowed down on a BBQ buffet.  Everyone was pretty shy at first but Lance started clowning around and that loosened them up.  Benjamin and Evan ran all over the house and were entertaining those two little girls.  Juily brought some strawberry cupcakes and that made the time even more sweet.  Its always more fun with friends!

I wish I had taken more pictures but I was so focused on hosting with a group of 10.  I also wanted to make sure that the house was spotless before we left.  After the kids got down from their stools, they ran around the house chasing each other.  The boys got to hear Juily speaking Mandarin with her mother.  Of course they had never heard this before and Evan said to Juily's mom, "They have Spanish on Dora"!  I thought it was too hilarious and I'm glad that he now knows there are more languages besides English and Spanish!

Sawyer Gets a Haircut

Sawyer's hair has always been a story.  When he was born it was thick and dark.  He was our only baby with a full head of hair and we were pleasantly surprised.  As Sawyer got older his hair started sticking up on end and everyone commented on how hilarious it was.  Lately it has been laying down but has been very long and messy.  I think it was cute but Lance was determined to get him in for his first cut.  I just knew that he would hate it!  He did not let me down!

He was very angry right from the start.  Poor Colleen tried her best and did a great job cutting the hair of a moving target without injuring anyone.  She is a pro and has one this hundreds of times. It was not as easy for me!  Poor little guy!  I hope he remembers the sucker because I'm pretty sure he hates Colleen now.....

The big boys got their hair cut too.  Benjamin always loves it because of the tiny sucker, but now he's also into the games.  Megan was able to come along for the experience and helped Sawyer to decompress after his trauma.  Evan did a great job as usual and requested a "flat" style instead of the "spiky" look that Colleen offered.