1st Day of Preschool

Ford and Jake started Preschool!  Jake went for a few months last year for speech, but this is our first full school year.  They go every day in the mornings, but are in separate classrooms.  It is a wonderful program that really prepares them for Kindergarten.  It is full of academics and fun!

We went to "Meet the Teacher" the week before school started.  Jake has the same teacher and a few classmates from last year, so he was thrilled to visit.  He actually greeted his teacher with a huge hug.  Ford was equally excited about his classroom, he said hi to all his teachers, checked out all the toys and centers, and even tested out the child size potty.  They are each assigned a locker outside of their classrooms - Jake Jelly Bean and Ford Fish.

The first day of school finally came and it was a day full of excitement!  We both walked them in, we went to Ford's class first.  He greeted his teacher with a hug, put his backpack away, gave Jake a hug and walked right in without looking back.  We walked down to Jake's class and pretty much the same thing, he put his backpack away and went right in.  We knew it couldn't be that easy . . .

I stayed at school for the Parent Welcome Tea, but Daddy left.  On Daddy's way out he walked by Ford's classroom and peeked in to see a sad sight.  About 9 kids were standing in the middle of the room crying (including Ford).  I'm sure it was a domino effect, one started and they all joined in.  He didn't let Ford see him, he left and gave me a call.

At pick up they both were all smiles, Ford said "I had a good time" as he was getting in.  Jake said it was fun.  Later on Ford started telling us that he doesn't like school and he cried because he wanted Mommy/Daddy (which we already knew, but funny how he confessed).  He also asked for Jake to be in his class.   The next day he started crying in the car on the way and said his stomach hurt, he seemed okay (not happy or sad) when he got out of the car.  When I picked him up, he said he cried again.  The third day was the worst.  He was screaming and reaching for me as they got him out of the car, but it ended up being a turning point day.  Ford's class finally visited the playground, and he was so excited to tell me all about it.  On Thursday, he was getting a little worried in the car, but one of his Teacher Assistants came to our car to get them out.  He perked right up and said "Hi, it's me, Ford" right when she opened the door.  He jumped right out and went in with a huge smile.

Jake has been great every day and really loves school (although last year we would have a random sad day).  He is excited every morning and was even a little sad over the weekend when he didn't get to go to school.  His teacher said she sees a lot of growth from last year.  Jake said his favorite parts have been legos, using markers and the playground.  Ford said his favorite parts have been legos, computers (and gets to wear "ears" aka headphones) and the playground (of course).  It's hard to believe they are in school now and it is just the beginning. 

August Celebrations

The boys have started to play XBOX Kinect and they just love it.  We have a sports game that is perfect for them.  They actually did pretty good (once we put some tape down to show them where to stand).  They love the running game, it's perfect for burning some of their energy.

Ford and Jake love celebrating birthdays, they get so excited for decorations, cake, candles, presents, etc.  They spent the night on August 12th at Grandma and Grandpa's house so we could celebrate our 7th anniversary, so they got to have a birthday breakfast for Grandpa on his actual birthday.  Blake and Benjamin went over for breakfast as well, so Grandpa got to celebrate first thing with all his boys.  The boys also decorated the night before with streamers, balloons, signs, etc.



Our 7th Anniversary!

 We had another birthday celebration that same weekend.  It was Great Papa's 90th birthday party!  Ford and Jake had a great time helping Great Papa open cards and gifts. 

DART Train

Gigi and Granddaddy took the boys for a day and had a surprise trip.  They took the DART train all the way to Mockingbird Station!  They said both boys were a little unsure when it first started moving, but then they had a great time on their ride!  What a fun adventure!

One hot summer!

This year we have a record breaking heat wave with 100+ temperatures all month of July.  The only way to be outside is with water, but even that gets tiring.  We have been going to indoor playgrounds, storytimes, and various activity places but we also do fun activities at home.  The boys decided we needed some cookies and suggested we make M&M cookies.  They frequently help with baking and cooking.  I'm determined to have 2 boys that love helping in the kitchen!

Playdoh is another indoor activity we love.  Ford really wanted a picture of his creation called "snowman", I guess he has wishful thinking of cooler temperatures.  We also have been building very elaborate train tracks lately.  These two boys are full of energy, but when they get into building with legos, blocks or trains, they can sit for a very long time.  It is fun to watch their imaginations take over and create train villages, spaceships, buildings, etc. 

We also had fun making homemade playdoh, then baking it and later painting it. 

We still are having our backyard fun, just with extra shade! 

The boys have really gotten into birthday celebrations.  They love planning parties and singing "Happy Birthday".  The morning of my birthday, they went in the playroom on their own and colored numerous sheets of paper and taped them all over the kitchen and lined the walls with toys for "decorations".  They also picked out cupcakes and sang to me about 20 times throughout the day.  It was the best birthday celebration I have ever had!