Owen’s First Day of Pre-K

Owen attends Holy Cross Preschool.  Right down the street from us.  I did my preschool search not by it’s credentials, but within a one mile radius of my house!  (Owen’s holding a picture he drew for his teacher.)

I was not about to drive 20 minutes each way when he’s only there 3 hours. Luckily for us Holy Cross is a fabulous school and he loves it.

Well he likes it.  If you know Owen, you know he’d rather stay home if given the choice, but since he’s not given the choice, he goes without a fight.  And the teachers love him. 

I get the sense he’s one of the spunkier kids in the class.

They always have funny stories about him leading kids through pirate ships and explorations around the classroom and outside.  Singing songs and making boobie traps.

He says his favorite friend at school is Christopher and he talks an awful lot about a girl named Amy.  His favorite thing to play at school is “get the girls”.  (Good Lord)

They have a “Question of the Day” that Owen cannot wait to get to school and answer.  He tries to guess what it is on the way every morning.

Pre-K is a lot more structured than last year.  They have centers and writing corners and very little free play.  Which I like.  Owen needs structure and his writing could certainly use some structure. 

Can you believe he’ll be in REAL school next year?  Big school? Kindergarten?  How does that happen!?!

Here’s to a good year!

Soak it up buddy!

Another Day at the Beach {Santa Cruz}

Matt and I have decided that a beach trip really makes the weekend feel like a weekend.

We went down to Santa Cruz and decided to stay the WHOLE day.  We brought our little Ikea igloo tent and Nathan and Matt napped in it while Owen and I rode rides.

It truly is a mini vacation.

And who doesn’t love a vacation?

Cycle Cert.

I had an EIGHT hour indoor cycle certification.  Eight hours of riding a stationary bike.

So the boys were left to their own devices for a full Sunday.  Nana and Poppy were in town so they headed over their for dinner.

Which apparently Nathan fully enjoyed.

Looks like they had a grand ol’ time.

And I start teaching cycle October 4th!

Truth be told.

If I could move to the beach, I would.

The 6am Project

 

Nathan has always gotten up well before 6am.  It’s early. 

We’ve stopped getting him out of bed before 6am.  It didn’t go so well in the beginning.  Day 1, up and crying from 5:15-6am. Day 2, up and crying from 5:45-6am.  Day 3, up and crying from 4:30-6am.

Day 4, up but no crying at 5:30am.

Every day since, the same: still up before 6am, but not crying so we get to sleep, or at least rest until 6am or later. 

Nathan, you’re cute, but so much cuter after 6am!

A ball and a boy!

We find it pretty impressive that the boy can throw and catch with accuracy, at 21 months!

Classic Owen

So today, I had to yank Owen out of bed from his nap, throw him in the car and hustle him to swim class.  I knew he'd be starving, so I bought him a bag of cookies at the gym.  He ate a few and then we had to save the rest for after class. 

The classic faces of my two boys.

 After class, he's eating his cookies while I get him dressed.  A little boy from his class is also changing and telling his mother that he'd like some cookies too. 

I go around the corner to drop our towels in the hamper and I hear the following conversation:
Owen (sweetly): Would you like some cookies?
Little Boy (also sweetly): Yes, please!

At this point I pause around the corner because I'm so proud that Owen is offering to share, I don't want to interrupt. 

The conversation continues:
Owen: Ok, go down this hallway and out the door.  There's a big machine right there.  Have your mom put in some money and go buy your own!

My jaw drops, I sprint around the corner, apologize, humiliatedly (if it's not a word, it should be) and hurry ourselves right out the door.

Classic Owen!  The kid is one of a kind!

Naptime

When you are with your children all day, every day, you really treasure naptime.  I treasure it.  I adore it.  I plan my entire life around it.  I want it in my life forever.

Nathan is up before 6am, every day.  Owen isn’t far behind.  My day starts early.  My day isn’t relaxing.  Owen talks, nonstop.  The kid does not leave my side and does not stop talking.  All day.

Neither stop moving; they run, they climb, they craft, they cook, they learn, they fight, they tickle, they laugh, they cry.  They’re busy.

I’m tired by nap time.  I want quiet.  I want to pee.  I want to tidy up the house.  I want to stare blankly at the internet and not think for a minute.

It’s the only time I’m alone And while I’m confined to the house, it’s the only time I can do what I want without being questioned or accompanied.

And a nap on the train, screws up a nap at home.  Because instead of napping right now, Nathan is throwing books out of his crib and saying “bye, book, see you soon” with each toss.

I should have tried to keep him awake, but he was too cute!

By the way, Nathan loved the train ride.  LOVED it.  Every time it would stop at a station, he’d put his little finger up and say “one more time, one more time.”