Final Weeks of Summer Fun

We packed the last 2 weeks of summer with lots of fun! We got out and did something special almost every day because I knew it would be a long time before we'd be able to do something like this again. So here's a recap of some of our adventures...

 

We went to Gymnastic Joes for open gym one day. I wasn't overly impressed with the place, but the kids seemed to really like it. They played the entire time and between the foam pit, trampolines and mats they were very tired when we left.  



 We went to Boingo Bounce. We met up with the other W crew and they'd invited some of their friends as well and we all had a wonderful time!

 At one point I could not find the girls. I looked everywhere before discovering them taking a break inside one of the play houses. :) Madeleine had them set up with drinks, snacks, and she even had her book with her in there.

 AJ's friend, Beth, had been wanting to try Hammontrees in F'ville and since we were just a bit down the road we all invaded them for lunch. I'm so glad she had the idea -- I love Hammontrees, but it was everyone elses first time to go there. It was fun seeing them discover the yumminess of it! Seriously the best grilled cheese ever. Here's all of our crazy kids afterwards.

 Madeleine and Harrison shared some snuggles on my bed in the afternoons while watching a movie.

 We hit up the splash park. We didn't even go to the splash park at the beginning of summer, but I think we went 3 times in the last 3 weeks. Madeleine & Harrison have finally gotten into having water sprayed at them/dumped on their heads which makes it such fun! This day we stayed almost 3 hours & poor Charlotte was exhausted by the time we left!

 These boys are 2 peas in a pod. I think their imaginations were cut from the same mold. This day they were collecting shoes and make "fires" to for their campground.

 We spent a long morning at Fun City where we ran into some friends from school.

I don't think there was anything on our summer fun list that we didn't do at least once & many things we did several times -- movies, fun city, splash park, tanyard creek trail, aquarium, pool, boingo bounce, parks, krispy kreme, and the list goes on. It was an awesome summer and we made millions of memories.

Bouncing, Sno Cones and Colored Tongues

Matt has been teaching a class at JBU 1-2 nights each week lately. And, while I'm thankful he's almost finished, the kids and I tried to have some fun on the nights he's been gone. One night a couple of weeks ago, we started our fun at Boingo Bounce. It was busy when we first got there, but quickly cleared out and we stayed quite a while! Charlotte loves the toddler area!



 And, the big kids wore themselves out on the big jumpers/slides. Charlotte loves the slide as well. :)

 We were all hot and sweaty afterwards so we stopped for some sno cones. Crazy enough, it was our first visit to the sno cone place this summer!

 And, you can't have sno cones without having a best tongue contest -- Madeleine's was a light purple...

 Charlotte had a dark purple...

 And, Harrison's was almost black!

 It was a great way to spend an evening and I'm glad we made the most of it before the hum-drum of school started.

The Big Day

Monday morning, the first day of school, came bright and early at our house. Very bright and early. I got up at 5 to exercise and had only been going a few minutes before Madeleine came into the living room. I told her to go get in bed with Daddy and go back to sleep, but instead she asked me, "can we play? Do we have to sleep?" Umm, we? Apparently she had woken Harrison up already and they wanted to spend the next hour playing instead of resting. So that's what they did. I think they were both just so excited! I finished working out, got ready and then Matt and I helped get everyone dressed and fed. We'd planned to leave really early that day since it was not only the first day back for Fayetteville schools, but also Farmington (which we have to drive through) and the UofA as well. The traffic was madness, but we made it to the school in plenty of time.

 

Thanks to pinterest, we had a little gift for each of their teachers. :) I filled mason jars with a mini version of our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe & attached tags that read: With you as my teacher, I'll be one smart cookie. I thought they turned out super cute. Harrison's teacher said she & her aide ate them all that day. yay! I'm so thankful that they liked them!

 It was a chilly morning with temps in the 50s and we actually needed light sweaters! Crazy! Harrison's excitement calmed as we got closer to dropoff, but he did great! I went with Harrison to his class and Matt took Madeleine.

By the time I left Harrison, it was too late to go by and take a picture of Madeleine. I peeked my head in the door and she looked pretty happy. Then Charlotte and I went to the the kindergarten breakfast for parents. It's crazy to me to think that just 3 short years ago I was there with Harrison. How fast the time goes!

Matt didn't get to stick around because he had to get to work -- at another new job! Crazy, he's had 5 roles within the district in the past 14 months! He was all set to be the Middle School Math Coach this year and was excited about that role. Well, the Tuesday before school starts, Matt comes home from teaching his JBU night class at about 11pm and tells me "um, I think I have a new job." And, I laughed. I completely thought he was joking! He'd gotten a call that night on the way home asking him if he'd be interested in coming back to Ramay as the Dean of Students. It would allow him to work on his administrative license (eek --more time and money!) and give him some admin experience. He was encouraged by the principal and superintendent to take it and so he did. :) It's definitely going to be a BIG change. But, if this year has taught us anything, it's how to be adaptable and handle job changes. Ha! And, it will be a good fit. Matt is so calm and takes everything in stride, this will be good for him and he will be good for the job. It's going to make for a busy fall with more classes and longer work hours, but it will also open some doors in the future.

The Night Before Kindergarten

Tomorrow is a big day at our house. Tomorrow you, my sweet Harrison, head off to kindergarten. This is a day that I’ve been dreading for months, I’ve watched time ticking off on the calendar, watched that big day “August 20” grow closer and closer wanting desperately to stop time and, yet, knowing there is nothing that I can do to stop it from arriving.  

Tonight, I tucked you into bed, read you a book and sang you your usual lullaby. Tonight was like any other night. But tomorrow is not like any other day. Tomorrow starts a new chapter in both of our lives. Tomorrow is the end of the time that I’ve had you at home with me, each and every day. Tomorrow you begin a new phase in your live and while I know that you are ready, it is tearing my heart apart. You have no idea how much I will miss you. The past 5 years, 8 months and 29 days have been such fun. So much fun that I’ve felt like I was cheating life just a bit – you have been my easygoing, relaxed child and we have had such fun! Because of you I have learned about things I’ve never known – cars, trains, bugs, snakes and the like.  

There are so many emotions running through my heart tonight – excitement, sadness, anxiety, pride, joy, love, worry. So many emotions that fill my heart. But, for all that is in my heart, there is only one thought in my mind. The same thought that has filled my mind all day long. 

Where did the time go?

It was spent up at nights rocking you to sleep.



 

Hours listening to you breathe, holding a cool hand to your hot brow when you were sick.

 

Holding your little hand as you learned to walk, then chasing after you as you took off running.

 

Snuggling on the couch with you, listening to your contagious giggles while we watched cartoons.

 

Sleeping with your little body curled into mine during a thunderstorm.

 

Hours wondering, worrying if you would ever talk, and days where you never stopped talking.

 

Listening to you learn to pray and feeling such pride as I watched your love for God grow.

 

Seeing you in your role as the little brother and watching you grow into your role as the big one.

 

Building the biggest, most elaborate traintracks, roads, and lego houses our minds could imagine.

 

Afternoons spent curled up on the couch reading as many books as we could find.

 

And, somewhere along the way you became the most wonderful little boy that I’ve ever known, the most wonderful boy that I can imagine.

And, tomorrow we begin a new chapter. Tomorrow you become a “school kid.” And, I have no doubt in my mind that you are ready, so I guess I’d better get ready too. Someone once said that being a mother is like wearing you heart on the outside of your body for the rest of your life. That’s so true. Each of you have a piece of my heart. 

So, while tomorrow is a big day for you, it’s a big day for me too. Because when I walk out of that kindergarten classroom, down the hall, out the front door and down the steps to my car, I will be leaving a piece of my heart in that room. Right there with you. Because that piece has always been yours. And it always will be. 

Terrific Tuesday: Trails and Tacos

Since this is the last week of summer (waaaa. sigh.) we've been trying to pack it full of fun! Monday we did all the "chores" -- laundry, grocery shopping, etc. -- so that the rest of the week could be filled with fun. And, with Charlotte still napping, most of our fun happens in the morning, with the evenings becoming our pool time.

Tuesday our original plan had been to walk the trails at Crystal Bridges, but we made a last minute change. Madeleine wanted to go to a playground and Harrison wanted to walk a trail so we compromised with the trail at Lake Fayetteville that leads to Veterens Park where there is a playground. It was the perfect day to be outside -- the weather was actually in the upper 70s/low 80s and we enjoyed our time outside! It's a good little walk to and from the park, but the kids really enjoyed it! And, the playground was so much fun! It's been awhile since we've been there and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. 

 After awhile they moved from the playground to the dirt/picnic area nearby and had a blast in the dirt!

 After all that walking, we were one hungry crew! We met up with Daddy for $1 taco day at Qdoba. So yummy!