First day of camp

Today was John's first day at Briar Hill camp. Since his camp is close to my office, I get to drop and pick him up. We arrived at camp and I walked in with John. He dropped his bag and immediately went over to a boy that way playing. I checked him in, gave him a quick kiss and walked out the door. And that's when it hit me. He's not a baby anymore. He was ready for this next step. I wasn't. 

I picked him up from camp. When I arrived, he was in the middle of a group of kids watching a movie. I signed him out and we headed to the car. Before I could ask him about his day he said "I didn't get to do the zip line." I had to laugh. There's no way that they would get to do everything on the first day! Anyway, as we walked to the car, John pointed it a tree that his group decorated with yarn. He told me "We got to see a show. That guy could juggle! But we didn't go on that playground over there (as he pointed out the window). And can you make sure I get a snack for the afternoon?" He was a little all over the place. I asked him a few questions, "tell me about the bunny barn." He said "The bunny barn is were we meet. And you know what? There are two games. One is a racing game. And the other, you aren't going to believe this it's a golf game!" We talked about the video games for a little bit and then he was quiet for awhile. He broke the silence and said "I wish I got a deep water bracelet." I said "Yes. It would be great. But you are just learning to swim. And you will have plenty of time to get a deep water bracelet." He seemed to be okay with that and started telling me about how he got to go in the pool twice and the splash park once. He also got an orange ice pop for a snack! Sounds like a pretty awesome first day of camp to me!

The party

Today we had John's 7th birthday party. John had been talking about his party for months (and months). But today was the day. We decided to have an old school party. I came up with a few Lego games and prizes and we invited all of his classmates. 

As the kids arrived today, we sent them outside to play on the playground. They played nicely until it was time to start the games. Our first game was pin the head on the Lego man. Aunt Betty tied the blindfold on the kids while I handed them their own Lego head. The kids were pretty excited about this simple game and I think they did a great job. 

 

Our next game was a relay race. I had a bucket of Legos at one end and the object was for the kids to move all the Legos to the empty bucket. The kids decided to go boys against girls. Now this made the teams very uneven, but the boys didn't mind. They thought that since there was only four of them they would win. Well the girls were very organized and they won! The boys said "They cheated!" 

Our next game was knocking down a stack of yellow cups, that looked like Lego faces!

This was a lot of fun. Some kids had no problems hitting down all the cups. But others had a hard time even getting the ball near the table. 

Our fourth game was like skeeball, but with Legos. I guess I didn't get any pictures of this game. But I made rings and the kids had to throw a dupleo (big Legos) into the rings. Each ring had a different value. The easiest ring was 5 points, the next 10 and the center smallest ring was 20. John went first and scored 75 points! Everyone else followed behind. 

Daddy ran out to get pizza. So while we were waiting, Aunt Betty had all the kids guess the number of Lego Mini Figures we put in a jar. 

While the kids were guessing the number of minifigs, I was giving out prizes for all the other games. The kids guesses were all over the place, 102, 71, 37. But miss Isabel guessed 55 and she was the closest. There were 52 in the jar!

We are lunch and had cake. And then it was time to do the piñata. John wanted a piñata with pull stings instead of using a stick. That makes me feel a little safer. Anyway, John went first and nothing. A couple kids went after him and nothing. Then Izzy went. She had a hard time grasping one string and ended up pulling them all. The trap door opened and all the candy fell out. The kids went nuts. Grabbing everything they could get. They filled up their goodie bags with candy and then went to play again. 

After everyone was gone, I asked John "Thumbs up or thumbs down?" He smiled and said "Thumbs up!" I'll take that!

Build-a-Bear

Daddy and I took Gillian Build-a-Bear tonight.  It was a surprise and a special treat.  She walked in the store and we told her to pick a new friend. We started looking at all the available options and Gillian stopped.  She said "I want the puppy!"  Daddy and I said "Let's look at all the other options."  She said "But I picked already! I want the puppy."  So she picked out a puppy and we brought it to the lady to get it stuffed.  Gillian was a good listener and talked to the lady and stepped on the pedal to add the stuffing in her puppy.  

She also picked out a heart for her puppy.

After the puppy got her heart and got stitched up, it was time for a bath.  The puppy got a quick bath and brushed.  Then we looked for an outfit.  Since Gillian picked a puppy, it was hard to find her a cute outfit.  We decided on a pretty tutu.  Then we had to name the puppy.  Gillian decided early on that the puppy was a girl, but she still needed a name.  Gillian decided to name her Jillian.  She is very specific, Jillian with a J not a G!

After getting her puppy, we had dinner.  And then we got to ride on the carousel.  We went to the top of the carousel, but after sitting there awhile Gillian started to get uncomfortable with the height.  So we moved to the lower level.  I was able to sit on a bench with Jillian while Gillian rode her horse.  

After the ride, all the kids got their hands stamped.  Gillian loved her stamp.  We went back in line to ride again.  While waiting in line, Gillian said "I'm going to get two stamps!  Next time, I get this one (as she held up her unstamped hand)."  This time, Daddy got to relax while I stood next to Gillian. 

After our ride, Gillian made sure she held out her unstamped hand. She was super excited to have stamps on both hands! 

What a great night with my little lady!

No boys

Gillian and I had a girls night. No boys allowed! Daddy was working late tonight and John is spending the week in Myrtle Beach with Mimi and Poppy. This morning I told Gillian that we could go out to dinner, just the two of us. She said "Yea. No stinky boys!"

We went to Panera. Nothing fancy, just two girls hanging out. I asked her about school today. She said "I was good. But someone was not. It was Ellis. He throwed a ball at us. And it hit Ryan in the head and he cried. Ellis was bad. And they told his mommy!" I asked her about the rest of her day. She couldn't tell me anything else. Last night I gave her a manicure and a pedicure. I asked "Did everyone love your nails?" She said "Nobody say anything. And they dirty now. I got paint on them when I paint my cactus." 

We ate dinner and did a little shopping and then went home. We got to watch Sofia the First before it was time for bath. Gillian was in the bathtub when Daddy got home. Daddy said "That's it. No more girl party!" Gilly said "Stinky Daddy!"

Love my time with my little lady. 

The beach

Yesterday, John got off the bus and we got in the car and headed to Grandma's house. Then Grandma, John, Justin and I went to the beach. The boys talked about John's camp on our way to the beach. It constantly amazes me how well they get along. Justin is 11 and John is almost 7. The boys found the perfect spot on the beach and they headed right to the water. Justin was on his boogie board while John simply played in the waves. 

After playing in the water, John asked Grandma to help him build a castle. Well that turned into Grandma building the castle while John filled buckets with water. Grandma finished the castle and John dug a moat around it. He then tried to fill the moat with water from his buckets. 

They destroyed the castle, actually Justin did. But then he dug a really big hole. He may have gotten stuck. 

Justin got out of the hole and John got a chance to test it out too!

Then Justin asked "Can we go up to Gee-Gee's and get ice cream? I'll buy!" It's hard to say no to that. So they went up and got some ice cream. John got mint chocolate chip with rainbow sprinkles and Justin got chocolate brownie with chocolate sprinkles. Poor John, his ice cream was melting faster than he could eat it. And he kept spilling it on himself. 

After making a mess with the ice cream the boys went back in the ocean to clean off. They spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the ocean. 

John had a great day with his cousin and his Grandma. I also had a great time hanging out with my mom, my nephew and celebrating John's last day of school!

Bus stop

Today is John's last day of first grade. This morning I took some pictures of him on the front porch and then we headed to the bus stop. Gillian took off running and John followed. I'm not sure what happened next but John ended up on the sidewalk screaming "Gill you can't do that!" I went over to inspect. He scrapped his knees and his palm. I ran in the house got some wipes and band aids. I cleaned him up. He kept saying "Gill this is why we don't run." Then Gillian burst into tears. "It was an accident!" We waited at the bus stop for the bus. I asked John "Did the bus come when you were waiting outside?" He first said "No." Then after waiting 30 seconds he says "Maybe it did. Maybe you should drive me." The bus was running a little late but it did arrive. John got on the bus for the last time as a first grader!

Never eat soggy waffles

Daddy told me that I should ask John "What's on a compass?" I listened to home and asked John. John said "There's an N. And a E and a S. And also a W!" And he stopped talking. That couldn't be the end. So I asked "Is that it?" And John said "Well there's an arrow. And you know what all the letters mean?" I said "No. I don't. Can you tell me?" He smiled and said "Never Eat Soggy Waffles!" I laughed and said "That's what the letters mean?" He covered my mouth (so I wouldn't wake up Gillian) and said "No. That's how we remember all the directions. Never Eat Soggy Waffles. Mrs. Belena taught us!"

Sleeping kids

I always check on my kids before I go to sleep. I am constantly amazed by how they fall asleep, their positions and how different they are. 

Here's Gillian from Saturday night. 

This is Gillian from Tuesday night. 

 

I was able to pick her up and flip her over to put her head on her pillow. She didn't make a peep. 

On Wednesday night, I found John like this:

I picked him up and moved him over. But that didn't work. He sat straight up an said "But I don't have a sweater!"

He put his head back down and rolled to the side of the bed very close to the edge. Again I rolled him back to the middle. He didn't talk to me but he sighed in his sleep. But he didn't move again. 

This morning I found Gillian like this. 

I just checked on this kids. John was still awake. But Gillian was fast alseep and looking very comfortable. 

Sweet dreams babies. 

The box

Daddy and Gillian got home before John and I. Daddy texted me and let me know that a package we were waiting for had arrived. When I picked up John, I told him that there was a big box waiting for us at home. John asked "How big?" I said "Big." He said "I wonder what's in it." I said "I know. But I'm not saying." We got home and he immediately started to look for it. "There's an empty box in here. Wonder what was inside?" He walked into the kitchen and that's where he found it. A Lego piñata for his birthday party!

I think he likes it!

After dinner Daddy told me that Gillian was able to hide in the box. I didn't believe him. But she carried the box into the kitchen and showed me. 

Apparently the piñata and box are fun for everyone!

Sad

Last night, we watched Toy Story 3 before putting the kids to bed. They were in bed for a few minutes when John was at our doorway. "Guys? I'm a little sad." I asked "What's the matter?" He ran over to me rubbing his eyes and laid on top of me. I asked again, "What's the matter!" He didn't answer me, so we sent him to bed. I checked on him and he was still upset. I laid next to him and asked "What's the matter?" He said "It's just hard to explain. I don't think you would understand." Finally it dawned on me. Maybe he was thinking about having to give up Travis the turtle, because that's what happens at the end of Toy Story 3. I said "You will never have to give away Travis." And then he burst into tears. "No. I just don't want to leave you guys." And that's the other part of Toy Story 3. Andy is grown up and leaving for college. He's too young to be worried about leaving us. I explained to him that it would be 11 years before he had to leave us to go to college. This seemed to calm him down. My little worrywart! 

Swimming

Yesterday, we spent the day at Aunt Missy's parent's house. The Akers (or DaBakers as Gilly says) have a pool and we were lucky to be invited over to BBQ and swim. The kids didn't waste any time and were in the pool within minutes of our arrival (which means mommy was too). Gillian insisted that we put every raft and noodle possible in the pool. We had more rafts than people!

John splashed Gillian in the face. Gillian was not happy and she got out of the pool and sat on a lounge chair. She pouted for a little bit and then said to me "My face is not wet. Can I go back in?" It's hard to argue with that. She came back in the pool and swam a little more. She took another break later to have a snack. I laid out a towel for her and she had a little picnic. 

At some point she asked Mrs. Aker, "Where's Aunt Missy's room?" Mrs. Aker showed Gillian and all that did was spark more questions. "Why are the walls blue and green?" "Why she no live here anymore?" "Why does she have so much junk?" And then somehow Gillian ended up with a new pink teddy bear! She told me "I like him!"

Meanwhile, John was happily swimming all over the pool. He didn't get out until he was hungry. He ate a hot dog and some tater tots and went back into the pool. They were content to have the whole pool to themselves. 

We had a great time! Here are a few pictures of the kids enjoying the pool!

Piggy Banks

John decided today that he wanted to count the money in his piggy bank. He had an enrichment class at school where they learned about money. So he is pretty good with counting. He emptied his entire piggy bank and pulled out all the quarters. We piled them in piles of four and counted. He had $12 in quarters. He also counted all his pennies and nickels. I don't remember his total, but he said to me "I'm rich!" 

Later he convinced Gillian to empty her piggy bank too. She got frustrated. And threatened to kick over all his little piles of coins. I had to separate them. And she ended up putting all her money back in her piggy bank. Maybe she just didn't want to know how much she has!

Mean girl

At dinner tonight, Gillian told us about school. "It was Dashiel's party. We had pizza and cup-a-cakes." Daddy said "And next week it is Grace's birthday." Gilly said "Grace is new. And she doesn't like Dorlisa. Dorlisa didn't look pretty today. You know why? She was wearing orange. And Grace doesn't like orange. Dorlisa is ugly." And I cringed. Did my little girl just say that her best friend is ugly because some other girl didn't like the color she was wearing?

We explained to her that calling people names hurts their feelings and we don't want to hurt our friends. 

The girl party

On Sunday we had Aunt Missy's baby shower. Gilly and I have been talking about the baby shower for a long time. She knew that it was a party for girls and that Aunt Missy was going to get presents for the baby. 

On Saturday, Gillian and I went to Target to get a few things for the house and also some wrapping paper and a card for our baby shower gift. Since we were there, I decided to check out the baby section. I saw some cute hooded towels and I let Gillian pick. She said "I like the owl. The shark scares me!" So I put the owl towel and some washcloths in the cart. And then I heard, "Hi guys!" Aunt Missy was in Target! I saw some baby things in her cart and I said "You shouldn't be buying baby clothes." She explained that they were for a shower. Then Gillian stood up in the cart and said "We have stuff for the baby!" And she showed Aunt Missy the towel and washcloths. Yup, that's my life. We had gotten so close to the shower without any slip ups and then Gillian opens her mouth. Aunt Missy just laughed. As we were leaving, I said "See you tomorrow at Gigi's party." And Gillian added "It's a girl party!" Ugh. Again. We quickly got out of the store. I didn't want Gillian to have another opportunity to spill the beans. 

Sunday we went to Mimi's house for the party. Gillian was super excited and decided that she wanted to be the first person to see Aunt Missy. She waited patiently for a few minutes. 

The funny thing is that when Aunt Missy did arrive Gillian was off playing with her cousin. 

The party was a success. Gillian and McKenna helped Aunt Missy unwrap presents. And the baby got lots of great stuff. 

Last day of t-ball

We signed John up for T-ball this year. Since John has never played before, we signed him up for instructional T-ball. They met every Saturday and learned the basics of the game. This Saturday was their last week. And this week they had a scrimmage against team 4. 

John's team met before the scrimmage and talked strategy. 

 

Then team 4 came over and they had to decide which team was up at bat first. So the coaches decided that the team that was the loudest would be up at bat. John's team was the loudest and they got up at bat first. They set the lineup and John was second at bat. Ashlen hit first and got a single. John got up next and got a double. 

He got really excited and went to go home, but someone was running toward him with the ball. So he headed back to third but didn't put his feet on the plate and he got tagged out. He was disappointed but he got over it quickly. They went thru the lineup and it was John's team's turn in the field. John was ready. 

John did great in the field. Daddy says John made a little girl cry because he tagged her out. 

He got up to bat a couple more times after that and did great. 

After the game, the kids got medals and certificates. John was the last one called on his team to get his medal. He was so patient and waited for his turn. 

I'm so proud of my little man. I'm looking forward to next year!

The belly

Gillian said to me tonight, as I was pulling a tray of cookies out of the oven, "My belly is still hungry." I giggled. She continued, "You know what makes my belly feel better? Cookies! He likes cookies." I said "Oh really?" She smiled big and said "Yes! Him's likes cookies. Can I have a cookie to make my belly feel better?" I've never heard that line before. So yes, you can have a cookie!

Early morning

My alarm is set for 5:45. It gives me enough time to get ready for work before I have to wake the kids up around 6:45. This morning I woke up before the alarm and I went right into the bathroom so I didn't disturb Daddy. I guess that didn't work because it wasn't long before he joined me in the bathroom. We were talking when there was a little knock on the door. It was John. We told him "It's too early to be awake. You need to go back to bed." He said "But I just want to be with you guys." It was only 5:50, he did not need to be awake yet. We argued back and forth until I finally got him to go back to bed. He walked out the door and said "Now Gill's awake!" Great. Just great. Why were the two of them awake before 6 am? We sent them back to bed and they both sounded like we were punishing them. I wish someone would send me back to bed!

Reminiscing

Tonight while the kids were in the bathtub, John asked me "Do you remember when I was born?" What a question. How could a mom ever forget when her child arrived? Anyway, I said "Of course." He smiled and said "Do you remember when I walked for the first time?" I told him "Yes. And I can show you a video after your bath." He also asked me "What was my first word?" I told him "You said 'Mama' and then 'Dada' and then 'Dunc.'" He laughed. "Why didn't I say Duncan?" I explains that when you are little it is hard to pronounce words. He laughed again, like as if that could never happen.

After bathtime we warched some of his old videos. He laughed as little John attempted to walk across the basement. There was one video of John driving his little quad and he kept pulling his feet up. I told John that when he was little he didn't like the grass. He didn't believe me, but he still laughed at little John avoiding the grass. He asked me some more questions and we watched the videos a couple more times. I really enjoyed reminiscing with my little man. 

The story

Daddy picked up Gillian from school today. In the car she asked "Where's Mommy?" Daddy said "Who? My Mommy?" Gillian said "No, my Mommy. My Mommy makes us tasty things to eat." Daddy said "Yes, you have a wonderful Mommy." Gillian continued "I like the things she makes. But Johnny doesn't. He doesn't like broccoli with cheese. But I do." 

Daddy told me this story at the dinner table tonight. John pouted. I asked him "What's the matter?" "Well that's not very nice. I like broccoli with cheese. She is not nice." We said "She is just being silly. You shouldn't be mad at her." He seemed to be okay after that. 

Later Gillian and I were snuggling on the couch. John was bringing me my cell phone. He decided to throw it to me. But instead of getting to me the phone hit Gillian in the head. She cried and John got even. 

Goodnight

The kids bedtime is 8. Yes, we are mean parents that send our kids to bed when the sun is still up. Anyway, john normally falls asleep quickly, but Gillian takes her time. Tonight I checked on her around 8:45 and she was still awake. "I'm scared of the dark." That's her newest ploy. It used to be getting up to go to the bathroom. But now it's that she is afraid of the dark. She has a very bright night light in her room. So this is simply an excuse to stay up longer or keep me in her room longer. I didn't cave and I kissed her goodnight and walked away. I went back to check on her around 9:30. She was still awake. I tucked her in again and said "It's way past your bed time. You need to go to sleep." She held up her arms and said "I just want to give you one more hug." And she rolled over and fell asleep. If I was two minutes late I would have missed that extra hug.