First Day of PreK for the Littlest Two!

The littlest two finally started school! Our preschool seems to start later than all the others, and they (well, mostly Maryn) have been asking and asking about their teachers and friends. And when they (she) could break out all her new school supplies. :)

Maryn is in PreK 3 with Ms Stacey (JB's former teacher, who we adore) and Ms Mary. She'll attend 4 half days a week.

Maryn has come home each day with lots of reports on people's attendance, behavior, health status, etc.  She's quite the little record-keeper - already a well organized PMO Analyst for the classroom :)

And now Wesley is old enough for school, too!  He's in the PreK 1 class with Ms Alyssa and Ms Barbara, attending 2 half days a week.  He did great his first day and didn't want to leave when Ms T went to pick him up.  If you ask him where he went, he'll proudly exclaim " ' cool!!"

Wesley is in this same classroom on Wednesday and Sundays when we attend church, so I suspect that is why he's so comfortable.  Funny story: he loves to take home toys, and is quite enamored with this baby doll (in the picture).  We were actually returning it on his first day of school after he took it home the previous Sunday!

We have a wonderful group of teachers this year, and we're thrilled the children are in such a loving, supportive environment where they can love and grow.  Here's to a great year, little ones!!

Wesley Robert - 23 Months Old!

Well, it finally happened.  3 kids, nearly 70 monthly updates (since I kept it up for the first two years of each child's life), and I finally missed a month.  There was no Wesley Robert - 22 Months Old!

:( :( :( Mama messed that one up.

It's just because Wesley's 22nd and 23rd months have been so busy!  This summer has flown by, and I'm almost looking forward to school simply because it forces deliberate routine.  However, school also means September and that means BIRTHDAY BONANZA.

Leading me to this important point:  Wesley is nearly two years old. Let that sink in for a minute.  TWO YEARS OLD! His next update will be 24 months, and a "Happy Birthday to Wesley" post.  I can't believe it.

But, before we get to that, a few funnies to remember about our little blondie right now:

• Wesley is still a sweet, happy, good-natured little boy who gives us little trouble.  He does, however, throw the most terrible tantrums and will scream, cry, kick, throw himself on the ground, throw things and lose. his. mind. when he feels strongly about something that is not going his way. Normally this is about food (and wanting something we don't want him to have). But the other day he threw the most ridiculous tantrum because I wouldn't let him take an old push toy out of our neighbor's yard.  

• Speaking of food, we can barely get enough in this boy to satisfy him. He's the best eater and can clear a plate or two (while his siblings push around things with their fork). He also loves food, and will talk to it. "Hi 'nana!", he says.

showing off his impressive belly!

• Not surprisingly, he has terrible diapers. He's very good about proactively bringing us one for a change.  If it's stinky, he'll fan his face and say "woo wee!"

• Wesley has attended The Music Class since he was en utero, and - even without really using words - is quite the little singer. He can "sing" several full songs, hitting the keys fairly well: Happy Birthday, ABCs, My Lighthouse, Hey Lolly and many other Music Class songs.

• He also is obsessed with Just Dance and has learned the moves to the Will. I. Am and Justin Bieber "#thatPower" song.  He can also free style with the best of them, and frequently participates in dance parties with his siblings.

• His siblings have also taught him that toots and burps are funny. He'll do one of those, loudly say "I toot!" or "I burp!" and laugh hysterically.

• Wesley's words are more and more frequent these days. I would not say he's speaking in sentences yet (even simple ones), but his vocabulary is definitely increasing.  (So much so that I won't even try to capture all the things he says here!)

• He loooooooooooves JB's fish in the fish tank. We have to great them and tell them goodnight, and Wesley always asks to feed them. He's probably to blame for the algae overgrowth. 

• He loves to pretend like he's sleeping to "trick" me.  When I go to get him out of the carseat he'll have his little eyes clinched shut, with a grin on his face, and thinks it's hysterical when I say "oh, Wesley must have fallen asleep!"  That makes him laugh (which still keeping his eyes shut).  He does that to us in the mornings, too, when we go to get him out of his crib. He wakes up so happy!

• He still goes to bed SO easily.  A few books (usually about tractors, firetrucks, trucks, or animals), rocking with a song or two, then he'll say "bed!" He still sleeps with a paci but ONLY the baby blue one with the clouds on it. None of the others are acceptable anymore (and I plan to ditch the paci as soon as that blue one goes missing, mark my words....)

• Oh, and trucks and tractors are his jam right now.  He's obsessed.  He just pushes them around, all day long.  BUT, he also loves baby dolls and Minnie Mouse, and has been known to carry those around all day long, too.  

• Wesley still loves the outdoors, even though it's super hot and his face gets super red (making his white blonde hair almost glow). He loves to ride the little (child) Gator with this sister, and has started to try and drive it by himself.  James' car received its first scratch this weekend when Wesley side-swiped it. OOPS!

Tomorrow Wesley will attend his first day of preschool.  PRESCHOOL.  Even though I know he's nearly two, he still seems so babyish to me. Maybe because he's my baby? Will always be my baby?  I don't know, but we're going to soak up every minute!!

(And, baby boy does NOT sit for pictures. Thus there are minimal for this update!)

Closing out the Summer

(And, by "end of summer", I mean the end of the brief, glorious period of freedom between school years - not the end of summer weather. It's currently 100 degrees with 100% humidity, and we plan to be living in full blast AC until mid-October.)

Since JB is back in school and the little ones are gearing up for the start of their preschool, we made the most of the last few weeks with all sorts of in-town and out-of-town adventures.  I'm also in what I fondly refer to as a "gap month".  I wrapped up one job, but I'm not yet at my new job. We made this deliberate decision to allow for lots of playtime with the kiddos in July/August. I've enjoyed every second!

First, the Atlanta Children's Museum, where I braved the exhibits all by myself with the three kiddos.

Fortunately everyone behaved well and I only lost one or two of them a handful of times.

Goodness, I could hardly get this boy off the tractor!  Dream come true for our blondie.

Maryn loved Doc McStuffins, but worried that a character in costume would jump out of the exhibit.  (They did have a Daniel Tiger costume last year and it scared our poor gal to death.  We confirmed - in front of Maryn - that they didn't have a similar Doc!)

They did have a little interactive play, but fortunately no costumes!  I still had to hold on to two fearful little ones (while JB got up front for full audience participation.)

It took a few tries, but JB finally climbed to the top!  See him in between Saturn and Jupiter?

JB and I also spent some 1:1 time in Atlanta the day before Kindergarten, with a surprise visit to LEGOLAND!!!  He would not let me tell him the secret, asking me to keep it a surprise until he saw it himself. We walked through Phipps and he could barely contain himself, waiting to know where we were going.

AND THEN HIS FACE WHEN HE SAW THE NINJAGO POSTER!!!

We rode all the rides, played the games, went to the 4D movie, built race cards, and had. a. blast. He announced to us that he would like to be a Lego engineer and kit designer when he grows up.  Sounds like a fantastic job.

I let him pick out a new Lego set when we left, and he said that, once built, it would always remind him of our day together.  He said it was the "best day ever". (And now I'm a puddle in front of my computer...)

We also had a fun weekend with our friends at the lake, staying cool in the water and eating our weight in snacks. AND, JB had his first skiing lesson!  He did very well and got up quite a few times.

You know it's always going to be a good time with these five silly friends!

JB and I also went to see the new Lion King.  Truthfully I think I wanted to see it more than he did, but he will never turn down popcorn and a movie. :) We both though it was great!

I took the boys to get back to school haircuts, and they look adorate and SO GROWN UP.

Before: SHAGGY

Maryn had been feeling a little left out of all the activities with big brother, as he prepared for Kindergarten, so the day after he started school I took her for a little Mother/Daughter time. She requested three specific things when I pitched the idea to her:  painting her nails, buying new shoes, and lunch as "cheerios" (Sucheros) for "olive quesadillas".  We made all those things happens, including the brightest, girliest, light up sneakers I've ever seen.  :)

Funny enough, James and I are both banned from the pool right now due to stitches.  James tried to manhandle an outdoor fan (in the rain and barefoot), resulting in a major gash on his big toe.  I had a mole come back with enough atypia and unclear margin that the doctor wanted to remove a good chunk of the surrounding skin.  Sadly this means we've not been to the pool in a week!  However, who needs a pool when you have a water hose and good neighbors??

Summer is one of those things we anxiously await, and it's sad to see it come to an end. But, like I said, "ending" is all relative - and I won't lie and say I can't wait for pumpkins, football and fall!