Saints Mini Mites

B played his first season of Football this year. He was on the Saints mini mites team. For it being his first year, he did great! He was scared at first and still sometimes during. Can you blame him? We had the smallest team out there! He really enjoyed it and said he wants to play again next year. Buck was stateside and was able to coach the team. Good thing since the Head Coach was late pretty much every time and didn't even make it to the last game (great example Coach!), but Buck and the other two coaches took over and did a wonderful job!

Picture Day

Practicing with Pads

First Game

Down, Set, Hike!!

Defending his territory

Fumble Recovery!

Chasing the Ball

Waiting for the game

Cheering for Bubby!

Captain for the Game

Oh Those Cousins

Every time my family gets together we try to get a picture of the grandchildren. For the past three years we always add another. This year...it will still only be four :). Here's the best we could do this past September...

Such a ham :)

Cute and Cuddly

And what the majority of the pictures looked like :)

A Year Already

Hard to believe that a year has passed since this little girl came into our lives...but it has. This beautiful little being has been such a blessing for us. She loves to growl, crawl to escape us after making sure we are watching her, get into trouble, put things in her mouth (like, everything), laugh (even if it's fake), make others laugh, build with blocks, race cars, chase things that her big bubby throws, roll around on the carpet, take a few steps if she feels like it, yell "Mama" if I am not paying attention to her, call for "Baba" even when he's at school, chase the vacuum, laugh at loud noises, yank glasses right off your face, give kisses (new), and sometimes help pick things up. She is a wonderful delight for us all and everyone we meet even if only for a moment. She can brighten a room with the amount of smiles she gives out expecting nothing in return. We were truly blessed with another wonderful child. I can't wait to see what the next year brings for us.

Agendas

These were the bane of our lives last year. Who knew one little calendar could cause such ridiculous uproar? For those non-parents or parents without kids currently in school, this is how the teacher tells you what's going on in your kiddo's class. Last year, it was like the Holy Grail that led us to believe our child was just not cutting it (behavior-wise). Behaviors, such as playing in line, talking during instruction, playing on the carpet, became regular topics of conversation last year. I tried to remind myself (constantly) that he was only 5 and in a new environment...because he was. I was at a loss about what to do once he got home because, after all, this behavior had occurred several hours prior. I was in tears some days feeling like a failure, especially because I could tell how bad our little boy was feeling. Sadly, I did not realize until the month before school let out that it was a bunch of BS. Yes, my kid acts out sometimes. Yes, he talks a little too much (don't know where he got that). And Yes, he likes to play. But he was in Kindergarten. Teach him, oh Teacher, how he is supposed to be acting. You can't just punish him for the bad and not reward him for the good. How will he know when he is doing what is expected? How will any of them know? I went to his class a little early towards the end of school because it was his birthday and I took some cupcakes for a little celebration. These "centers" that he was getting in trouble for talking during...there were four kids at each table, facing each other and doing their activities. How in the world were they supposed to "not talk"? Don't get me wrong...I did like his teacher. Otherwise I would've tried to get him out of that classroom. He loves school and I didn't want that to change. This year, he has had good days every day. His teacher gives them many warnings, sometimes for the same behavior, before we even find out. And even if he did have a bad moment at school, we just talk about it and move on. I messed up last year, but I was learning too. I asked my mom how she handled my brother and I when we were that age. Her response - "I didn't have those issues with you. Of course, I didn't know what you were doing unless it was really bad." Point taken. If it's not that bad, don't tell the parent. If it keeps happening, please let me know and we can work together to handle it. But don't expect me to work miracles hours after this behavior has occurred. Who's idea was it anyway to let parents know every little thing that's happening while they are in the teacher's care? You mean...GASP...my child talks and plays?? He NEVER does that at home. Yeah right...

Picture Day

While everyone seemed to be sending their kiddos to school for the first day, we were getting ready for Fall pictures. We always practice a little before school because, well, I want pictures I don't have to spend a bazillion bucks to have. I do buy a package anyway because he's cute but the photographers don't take the time they did when he was in Preschool. 

Couldn't help but laugh :)

He wanted one with lil sis in it as well

(This one is going on my wall)

Getting Bigger

Our little girl is not so little anymore. In face, she is rapidly approaching the one year mark. Holy moly! She has learned a ton of new things the past few months and continues to learn much, much more. She loves to clap, chase you around (crawling), standing up, saying "Mama" especially when she wants something, books, and big Bubby. And tantrums....she LOVES throwing tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants when she wants it. Sometimes she gets mad because we were not able to read her mind and know what she was going to want. She is also teething off and on. We have had a few rough nights and very early mornings but this too shall pass :).

Big Boy

Today was the beginning of my year. Forget January 1st and all it encompasses. This stay at home mama's year begins the day her baby goes back to school. Today Bucky O-Fish-ally entered the number grades. He was beyond excited to be a First Grader. Mama, however, has mixed feelings about this next step. Thankfully we will be starting off on a better path than what I had dreaded all summer and he will hopefully have a wonderful, exciting year. We walked him into his classroom and he proceeded to put his things up just like he had learned last year. Then he sat down and started doing his busy work. That was it. No big deal this year. Good for him! I could tell he was a tad nervous but that he had also gained some maturity over the summer. He knows this is the real deal and last year was kind of like practice for this year. I did manage to get a few pictures but nothing like last year. Oh well...

Soooo Excited :)

With his teacher, Mrs. Homer

My Spring Babies

We have had off and on good days of weather around here. Not sure if that sentence makes sense but it is what it is.  Finally I got tired of waiting for a perfect day so I took the kiddos outside for some Spring pictures. The clouds were moving rather rapidly so I would get a great picture set up and then the sun was shining brightly and the kids couldn't look at me or near me for that matter :). Oh well...it happens. I had a good time, as always, taking photographs of my little squirts.

Fixing Baby Sister's shirt

We are very lucky to have 2 such wonderful and happy kiddos!

Ab Challenge

A couple of my very good friends and former A Co ladies have joined together to (hopefully) complete this Ab Challenge. We did not design it and it started as a picture posted on FB from one friend to another. It snowballed from there and so far I have stuck to it. In all honesty, today was only the first day :). But I did it! You have to start somewhere, right? And with all of us doing it together, we can motivate, remind, hound, and whatever else is needed to complete this challenge. After this one, I'm thinking the push up challenge may be next :)

This and That

The majority of this post is about Kira, mainly because she is learning so much lately.

She has started sitting up with her arms helping a little. She can sit for a while on her own if she wants to. Bucky helps by sitting behind her sometimes but then he'll leave and she'll topple trying to look for him. She always has to watch where he is going and what he is doing.

She tried cereal for the first time on the 10th. I was able to get hubby on Skype so he could watch. The quality was horrible but he could see the shape of her eating at least. She did great. She ate like she was starving even though she had nursed not too long before. It was funny to watch her experience this. She kept grabbing the spoon so I let her try to feed herself but she was more interested in chewing on the spoon. Notice she is wearing the monkey "babe" that big brother got her for Christmas :). He was thrilled that she was using it!

 I got Bucky a desk at the Peaches to Beaches yard sale last weekend. Bucky and I agreed that we would've rather been on the beaches end of it :). I bought the desk and a small golf club bag for $20. I will try to refinish the desk and paint it "rainbow" because that's what Bucky wants. When I asked him what rainbow was he told me it is red, green, yellow, and blue. Insert parental sigh here that he did not add purple or any other colors for that matter. He was very excited to have a place to put ALL of his papers, coloring books, and instruments to color with so that they are not all over his room any more. He very willingly (with a few gentle reminders) organized his materials.

That's about it for us for now. Hoping that I will be able to plant some veggies and herbs soon. News on that and pictures to follow if we are able to get it going.