The End of "Preschool Three's"....

With your oldest, everything seems odd because it's the "first time" you are going through any experience as a parent. With the youngest, it is all bitter sweet because you realize you will "never be back there" again. Some of the things I was HAPPY to say goodbye to were diapers, pacifiers, cribs, strollers and wet wipes.

One of the things I am sad to say "goodbye for good" to is the Preschool 3's class at Children's Workshop. Such a sweet program for such sweet, innocent kids. Now that I have an almost first grader in a competitive public school program, it is interesting how I now notice how little is expected from these little three and four year olds. How times will change for them in the next two years. How big and independent they will grow to be!

For now, Tommy is wrapping up his Preschool Three's year with Miss Deb and Miss Karen. I think he grew in his socialization with other kids his age. Definitely grew in the area of listening to the teacher, following a routine, learning a system, eating lunch with friends next to him, and dealing with a longer school day. Academically, he can now draw an entire person (including eyelashes, hands, feet and earrings!), write his name (and a few other words as well), write any letter you ask him to without any help, and can count, easily, up to twenty (he doesn't miss a "teen!"). He is a smarty pants for his age, that is for sure. I am excited to see his academic progress grow next year, as he gets ready for...gulp....Kindergarten.

I am happy we had the schedule we had this year (two longer days). It worked well for our family and the Kindergarten schedule. This year that I dreaded ("I am losing my babies! Too much change!") turned into a year where both kids thrived and grew in ways I didn't realize they would. I am so proud of them and the people they are becoming.

Tommy has his whole world ahead of him and I am so excited for the little boy...to see what he does with it all and that brain of his. So we'll say goodbye to Preschool three's class on Thursday.

But as with all my passages of life...it was a year to remember, it was right where we were supposed to be at the time, and now it's really just time to move on to the next adventure.

Nothing Cuter...

Is there anything cuter than a little boy, all excited about a baseball game? I think not! We stayed until the bottom of the 8th inning on Sunday afternoon and they loved every minute of it. It was a beautiful day for a game...sunny but not too hot. Here's to more sunny family-filled afternoons this summer. I have big plans for us: Whitecaps baseball games, lazy afternoons at Meijer Gardens (it's our first summer as members!!), pool time (no afternoon commitments all summer!), summer outdoor concerts and some actual summertime camping weather in the forecast! Bring it on, summer 2010!

Stopping to Smell the Lilacs....

I have fond memories of lazy spring Saturdays at 3422 Brentwood Drive. One of which is sitting on the back of my garage in my "secret place." I would go there to hide during hide and seek, write messages with chalk for other kids to find, or just to rest and take a break. The best part about it? Our garage basically ran into four huge lilac bushes. If I sat there, I could actually stick my face in them and smell the beautiful scent.

Now, as I walk Lucy to school, I stop and smell the lilac bushes we run into, and it takes me right back. I make the kids all stop and smell, as well.
"Stop and smell the flowers, chickadees!"

In that moment, I get that feeling inside you get when you have so many memories about something that you almost get choked up for remembering it all right then and you can't believe you are doing it with YOUR actual kids. And no one will ever really know how that smell takes you back to the perfect place that you were so lucky to have, and you are so grateful that you are having that perfect time again.

Walking kids to school brings these memories up in me, for some reason. To me, there is something "old fashioned" about walking a kid to school. I never experienced this growing up, as I was driven to St. Pius Elementary for all my years there. So to walk this little kid to Kindergarten, and see all the neighborhood kids walking, scooting and bike riding with their backpacks on, parents with coffee in hand, strollers being pushed....it's just something to see. It's been almost a year that I've been a part of this public school system but it STILL is hard for me to get used to. I have an almost six year old...an almost first grader...who's asking for ears pierced and "how old do I have to be to walk by myself?"

Surreal, I say.
In the meantime, I'm stopping to smell the lilacs.

Boy oh Boy....

What a great Mother's Day! Thanks for making me a mom, Luce and Tomma. Boy, I love you. Boy oh Boy.....
Love, Me

When I'm a Teenager...

Tommy has been talking a LOT about when he is a TEENAGER. He likes the word (I think he just figured out what it means), and he likes to think about all the things he will do when he is THAT big and strong.

"When I am a teenager, I will play basketball, football and baseball. Oh, and soccer."

I can already picture Tommy as the teenager. He learns quickly (like his dad), he's good at sports and is always pleasant to be around. He's a "good guy." He is a typical boy who likes typical boy things - but also has this sensitive thing going that makes him likable and able to hop into any situation with anyone and hold his own. This kid is going places. This kid, I never, ever worry about.

This is not to say I really "worry" about Lucy as a teenager....and maybe it's because he's a boy, but I just feel like things will be easy for him because of his temperament. It is not mine, maybe not even his dad's. I think it is a combo of the two grandfathers he was named after - Thomas and Daniel.

This morning he had a playdate with his best buddy, Scotty Millman. The conversation in the back of the car went like this....

Tommy: "Scotty? When I am a teenager, I am going to walk to high school with you every day." (Incidentally, Scotty lives just two blocks away so this could totally happen).

Scotty: "Yeah! And Tommy? We are going to be on the SAME basketball team, o.k?"

Tommy: "Yes! Umm...I think we are going to be the red team, o.k?"

Scotty: "O.k."

I didn't have the heart to tell him our school colors are blue and maize. But they'll figure that out...when they're teenagers.