This girl is growing up. Her second grade year is underway, and she seems even more independent and confident than ever before. She is starting to take on more responsibility and every day she amazes me with her courage and her creativity.

Tim and I have an understanding. You see, when I was a child, people thought it was fun to tickle me. I was small and had a hard time fighting back, and people didn’t know when to quit. It didn’t take long for me to despise being tickled, but since you can’t help but laugh when someone tickles you, no one would take it seriously. I asked them to stop, but they wouldn’t. When Tim and I started dating, he learned quickly that I hated being tickled, and to his credit, he wouldn’t do it. And even after we were married, we made a deal that he wouldn’t tickle me unless I said it was ok (which I likely never would.) But he doesn’t mind being tickled, so I could tickle him with little fear of retaliation. For the most part we have stuck to that deal, and I have been incredibly grateful.

As my children have grown, we have been very careful to respect their wishes when it comes to getting tickled. They enjoy it, but the second they say “stop,” we immediately stop. It was especially important to me that my children know that when they set a boundary for themselves and their bodies, that it is immediately respected. Of course, tickling is a silly thing, but if they learn early that their boundaries are important during the silly times, then they will know that they are even more important during the serious times.

With that said, we were all in a pretty goofy mood this afternoon, and we quickly devolved into a game of tickle hide and seek, where we alternated between tickling each other and hiding from each other. There was a lot of screaming and a ton of laughing. So much so, that it really wore us all out. Everyone pretty much ganged up on Tim, so he definitely got the brunt of the tickles, and the kids laughed so hard. As we ran and screamed from one corner of the house to the other (sorry, dear neighbors!!) I couldn’t help but try to absorb all the happiness that was bouncing around my house. Great belly laughs filled the air, and the squeals and giggles were pretty contagious. After a long week of the kids doing a good job at school, I think they really needed the release, and honestly so did Tim and I. We so easily get bogged down with our everyday lives, we often forget to take the time to be silly and fun with our kids. I want them to have memories of us laughing hard, being silly, and having good time. I want them to grow up and say, “Remember how mom and dad used to play hide and seek with us?” or “remember how we used have tickle fights and we laughed so hard that our sides hurt!” Those are the kind of memories I want for my kids, so I need to better engage with my children in a way that brings those moments about. We can’t make them happen, but we can create an environment that makes them more likely.

Today was Baby E’s first day at Mom’s Morning Out. It’s a pre-school program offered by our church for 2-4 year olds. Both of the big kids participated when they were younger, and now it is Baby E’s turn. I told him last night that he would be starting today and he was so incredibly excited. When he woke up this morning he insisted on wearing his backpack and carrying his lunchbox all around the house. He even joined the big kids at the bus stop all decked out for school. But when I finally got him to the church he got pretty nervous and took a little while to warm up to the whole idea. I got him into his room and he began playing with a few of the toys, he seemed ready for me to leave. From what I heard he had a fabulous time!! 🙂

The first week of school is nearly over, and so far it has been going very well. The kids seem to really like their teachers, and they are making lots of friends. Big E fills me in on all the important details of his day and says he can’t wait to go back. C is enjoying it as well. This evening I decided to take them to the beach for awhile. The weather was nice and some neighbors met us down there, so the kids had a blast playing in the water. Big E face planted into the water a few times, but he seems no worse for wear. The kids got to bed late, but hopefully they will sleep well tonight!

Behind every back to school picture is a dark secret that no one talks about. I’m sure some people know about it, but it isn’t acknowledged much in broad daylight. Perhaps it’s whispered about in the PTA, but it’s certainly not mentioned in any of the paperwork that your child brings home in their backpack.

But I’m here to tell you the honest truth…

The happy go lucky children you put on the bus in the morning, are NOT the same that you retrieve in the evening. Not even close. In the morning they are bouncy, excited, and full of energy, By the time you get them again, they are hungry, grumpy, and completely incapable of following even the simplest instructions.

For instance, at 5:45 this morning (yes, 5:45 A.M.!) the boys were in my room ready to face the day. They got dressed without commotion. They hurried downstairs for breakfast. There was nothing but smiles and pleasantries.

But then this evening came. I picked them all up and it is as if someone replaced my good natured, sweet children with hungry-tired-angry- balls of pure adrenaline and tragic emotion, that lack even the most basic expressions of self-control (as in for the love of all things holy, PLEASE STOP TOUCHING YOUR SIBLINGS!!) 

Maybe I’m wrong… maybe this is just in our house.

But I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m not.

I’m going to claim the First Day of School a complete success for our family! I stayed up super late last night picking out their clothes, packing their lunch boxes, and making sure that everything was in order. When the alarm went off this morning, we hit the ground running. The kids were very excited about school and wasted no time getting dressed and down for breakfast. Baby E kept begging to ride the school bus and go to school, so he had a few meltdowns that he wouldn’t be going.

Once we got the kids outside, we took pictures, and they spent time with their friends until the bus arrived. I expected Big E to be nervous or maybe a bit weepy, but he did amazing! I was so proud of the way he handled the entire morning. When the bus finally arrived, he got on with his sister and shared a seat with her and a neighbor.

Baby E was surprisingly happy to wave goodbye to his siblings and NOT get on the bus, which was a huge relief. Crisis averted! I spent the rest of the day worried they would get on the wrong bus this afternoon, but they did great and arrived at their daycare with no problem. When I picked them up this evening they both shared quite a few stories from their first day. They saw or made friends, enjoyed their classrooms, and liked their teachers. I’m grateful that today was such a success.

I wish this evening had been easier, as we were all tired, hungry, and cranky. I got them to bed a little early in hopes we can stay ahead of the exhaustion just a little bit! I’ve filled out a mountain of paperwork (because the parents get all the homework the first few days!!) and I’m going to straighten up a little. Then I’ll be heading to bed soon myself. Tomorrow morning will be coming way too soon!

Dear Big E,

Tomorrow you start kindergarten and I have a confession, I’m pretty nervous. You’ve been doing pretty well holding it together, and in the past 48 hours you actually seemed really excited about starting school. You got to meet your teacher, see your classroom, and ride a bus. Yesterday we met up with one of your new classmates at the park and you guys played for a couple of hours. This evening you marveled at your new school supplies and you got a hair cut. When I went in your room earlier to pick out your school clothes, you were sitting up in bed with your eyes closed. I laid you back down and gave you a kiss. I hope your dreams are happy and you get lots of rest, because I’m pretty sure I’m going to be a mess most of the night. I felt like this when C started school, but I thought this time it would be easier… It’s not. You’re my boy… my handsome pants, and I can’t believe you are hitting this milestone already! I’m praying you have a good first day and that it cements a love of school in you right off the bat. I’m praying you make friends, and that God calms your nerves and gives you confidence. You are easily the sweetest boy I have ever met and I’m praying your new friends and teachers see that as well. We love you sweet boy, and we are so very, very proud of you!

Love, Mommy

 

Dear C,

Wow, second grade already?!? Tonight you said you wouldn’t sleep at all because you were so excited about school starting, but I checked on you a few minutes ago and you were sound asleep. I took you for some last minute school supply shopping this afternoon and you talked me into getting you a new backpack and lunch box, (I had planned to reuse your ones from last year), we went to Starbucks to get me coffee, and 7-11 to get you Cheetos. Our quick outing made my day and I enjoyed spending a little extra time with my girl. I know that you are going to do great this year. You have a real love for learning and you soak it all up. You are smart and talented, and have proven yourself to be a good friend and classmate. I pray you will continue to be kind, show compassion to others, and look out for your little brother. I pray your love of Jesus and your family is evident in your life and that you would not be swayed by peer pressure and pettiness. You are my sweet girl, my bug, and we couldn’t be prouder of you. We love you to the moon and back!

Love, Mommy

 

Baby E,

It’s easy to overlook you when talking about the first day of school because you won’t be going. But the truth is, you are about to experience a huge transition as well. You have never known extended periods of time without your siblings, especially Big E, so I know that it is going to be a shock and you will have to adjust as well. You’ve been begging to ride the bus for the past week, so I know you will be very disappointed when they get on and you don’t. I’m sorry that you are going to be sad and that you might feel like they have left you behind, but I pray that you will enjoy the time you have with your friends at daycare and that your face will light up when you see C and Big E get off the bus each day. You are a dear boy whom we love immensely. It’s all going to be ok, and your day will come soon enough!!

Love, Mommy

 

 

 

Big E is my texture kid… he loves feeling my hair, my earlobes, etc. He loves to cuddle and hug whenever he can.

The other I turned around to see him sifting through the pile of things that had come out of the dryer.

“What’s this?” he said holding up a drying mat.

“It’s a drying mat for when I wash dishes.”

“It’s so soft.” He stood there holding it in his hands, turning it around, completely fascinated by it.

A few hours later, when it was nap time he came into his bedroom with the drying mat tucked under his arm. He crawled into bed and curled up with it. “Is it ok if I sleep with it in my bed during my nap?” Hey, he’s a worried little boy about to start kindergarten in a few days, and if clinging onto a nice, cushy drying mat while he is asleep is comforting to him, then who am I to say no? I smiled and told him that was fine. So, while most kids have stuffed animals or comfort blankets, my kid is sleeping with a drying mat right now.

It’s moments like these that make me love being a parent! 🙂

 

School starts on Tuesday, but today was the meet and greet at the school. Big E’s was at 9 am and C’s was at 2pm. I dropped C and Baby E off at the sitter this morning and we headed to the school. I could tell that Big E was nervous. He held my hand, let me take pictures, and sat on my lap during the introduction. Then he took off with his class. When we finally met up in his classroom, he was sitting at his desk.

It takes Big E a little while to get comfortable in a place and with new people, and I could tell that he definitely felt out of his element. There were a lot of people in the room, and I’m sure that he was overwhelmed. After some time in the classroom, he took a short ride around the parking lot in a school bus. By that time most of the people had left and I decided to take him back to his classroom for one more visit. My hope was that if he had a chance to familiarize himself with the room while there weren’t a lot of people there, then Tuesday wouldn’t seem quite as daunting. My plan seemed to work. When got to his classroom there were only a few people there, so we walked around until he came to the science corner and immersed himself in some of the toys and experiments. Then he found a box of cars. His teacher was in the room the whole time and by the time we left he gave her hug! I let him play on the playground for a little while with a new friend. All in all, I would call it a successful meet and greet!

I dropped him off with the sitter and headed to Walmart to get the dreaded supplies. I filled my cart with gluesticks, number 2 pencils, and composition notebooks. After my school shopping spree, I picked up C and took her to her meet and greet, which was drastically different. Because she is going into the second grade and school is old hat for her, we just had to find her classroom and meet her teacher. It took less than ten minutes. Then we wandered around saying hi to her old teachers before heading to the playground and then to get the boys.

The rest of the day was spent at the beach and at the farmers market. We were all so exhausted when we got home, but we ended our day with netflix and popcorn. Now everyone is camped out on our bedroom floor, excited that Daddy came home tonight! I’m looking forward to the long last weekend of summer with my sweet family!