Kindergarten Promotion

If anyone has spent any time with me this year I'm sure I've talked about how worried I was about all the things that Connor needed to accomplish this year to pass Kindergarten.  Well, Connor not only met all the standards but exceeded several.  He also got the most improved award this year!  I was so proud of him.  It was so much work, but it has all paid off and he will be going to 1st grade next year.  He is so excited.  Next year will be even more pressure with all the grades!  But for now we will enjoy the summer...and we will keep reading!!!!

Pushed to the Limit

Yesterday was a day let me tell you.  When moving to this house I was really excited about having a pool.  We didn't just get a pool, but a fenced pool!  So I was really happy about that.  Once those 100 degree days come it's great for all of us to get some outside time and exercise by going swimming.  The boys have been anticipating the day where we said, "YES!  You can SWIM!"  

I decided to try and put the pool cover on to see if we could swim a bit earlier this year.  We also have a lot of shade on our pool, so it really never got too comfortable for me (I know I'm a wimp).  That was the key. As soon as we had a week in the high 80's the pool was ready, and my kids have been swimming every day since.

Thankfully we haven't had any close calls in the pool.  Connor learned to swim last year, and he still can!  So happy about that!!  Aaron is getting close, and loves to swim without his floaties with us.

Yesterday I took off the pool cover, and it was as warm as ever!  The only problem was there was a HUGE BUG floating on the top of the water.  Both boys let out a high pitch SHRIEK.  I told them the bug wasn't going to get them and I got the net.  After scooping up the bug, Connor jumped in.  Aaron asked me to clean an area for him, so I came over to him and cleaned it up.  He then jumped in.  

I continued to clean the area, and then I quickly realized after hearing some splashing and yelping that with the commotion of the bug we forgot to put Aaron's floaties on!!  I jumped into the pool and grabbed him up.  Thankfully he learned a little treading, and it was only seconds that he was in the pool he didn't even cough.  He was pretty shaken up though.

Maya had been sleeping, and she woke up from her nap.  So the boys got out of the pool and I went up and got her.  When I got down I let the boys go back in the pool.  Aaron decided to cocoon his legs inside his shirt stretching it to the limit.  He had done this yesterday which caused him to float on his back which he thoroughly enjoyed.  Next thing I knew I heard him yelping again!  The feet inside his shirt trapped him and he flipped to where he was stuck under the water.  

His face had turned red, and luckily he was within arms distance.  I had to put Maya halfway on the ground to grab him out of the water.

At this point I was sobbing in dis-belief.

How could I let Aaron have not just one but TWO near death experiences in one day?!?  Especially since we had never even had a close call up until this point.  Needless to say I was pushed to the limit, and it was time for the boys to get out.

We took a break from swimming today, and I have to get the courage to try swimming again.  You realize when things like this happen how precious life is, and to never take any moment for granted.  

The (almost) Perfect Mother's Day

Mother's Day started off GREAT!  My mom was actually visiting, so I got to be with her for a little bit in the morning before they had to head off back to Arizona.  We baptized Maya on Saturday, so it worked out great!

Connor was so excited to show me what he made me at school.  It was a beautiful handprint with his fingers as the flowers.  I loved it.  Brian helped the boys make me bracelets which I wore proudly.  The boys made me feel very special.

After Church we had a BBQ at Brian's Mom's house, and it was delish let me tell you!  Brian made Crab & Shrimp salad, and chocolate covered strawberries.

After a great day of playing nicely - which is the only thing I really wanted on Mother's day of course - the boys were literally a different color.  They were playing cars in the cul-de-sac and had a layer of black grime all over their legs.

So Dad gave them a bath.  EVEN MAYA!  Thanks Dad!  Next thing I heard from downstairs was a scream!  Then I heard a loud SLAP!!  I booked it upstairs and see Connor bauling, blood trickling out of his mouth.  I turn to Aaron and see a red hand print on his back.  Aaron had thrown a toy at Connor which made him slap Aaron with all his might. 

Connor was so shaken up, he cried for so long.  He said he wished he could have good dreams again like when he was a little kid.  He said all he has is bad dreams about being eaten, and Broady (our dog) getting cracked because Baily (our other dog) pushed him through a window!

Luckily Dad was there and he calmly said, "Connor dreams aren't real, you wake up and it's over.  It's just a dream"

He always knows what to say.  Thanks Dad.  That really seemed to calm Connor down  and I layed with him until he fell asleep. 

As a Mom I wish I could protect my kids from everything, even bad dreams.  Even though it was an abrupt ending to the day, both boys apologized and they went to bed easily.

I love my kids more than I ever could have possibly imagined...even when we have a "hiccup" in the day.

Attempting the Impossible

So maybe I am sometimes a little more ambitious than I ought to be.  Like when I decided it was a good idea to bring our 2 week old hiking.  After the 10th person asked how old she was, I started to get a little embarrassed that we brought her out so early.  Some don't even take their child outside the house until they're over a month and here I am hiking a child up a mountain!

Anyway, if you've ever visited or lived in the desert you know that the Fall and Spring time are the most beautiful seasons you could imagine here.  You have to savor them - especially in the Spring - because you know the heat will be here and that's it.  You're not outside unless you're in the water.

One thing I really loved about this house was how close it was to Connor's elementary school.  I imagined walking him to school, and that has only happened a handful of times.  I've had a pretty good excuse of being pregnant up until this point.

I decided that this morning was a good time to try and get the kids to walk to school.  The weather has been beautiful and it's such a shame to drive when we have such little time before this weather is over.

To achieve my goal, I dug out the double stroller.  Even though Maya is only 2 months old, she can hold her head up really well and I knew she was ready for the 5 point harness.  So I strapped her in, and Aaron excitedly climbed into the other seat.  Connor just couldn't stop giggling at the view we had of their heads bobbing back and forth as we walked.  His smile was glued on his face almost the entire walk to school.

Everything was going smoothly, and it seemed like everyone was happy!  I started to really enjoy my morning and was happy that this could work out to be a pretty normal routine.

About halfway to school Connor decided that he was getting the short end of the stick though.  He started to complain about walking and how his feet were really tired.  He wanted a turn in the stroller.  I thought it was a fair request, so I asked Aaron to hoof it for a while.  Aaron reluctantly got out of the stroller and decided that if he had to get out of the stroller he would rocket his way to school.

He looked back for a second and said, "I'm so much faster than you!!!"  and he jetted off down the sidewalk.

Just because it's a jogging stroller doesn't mean you can run as fast as a 3 year old.  I quickly realized that Connor was more interested in touching Maya then taking a break and relaxing.  He began to do his normal touching of her head and getting his finger dangerously close to her eyes.  Eventually she couldn't take it anymore and she began to scream.  I noticed we were coming up to a road, and besides being embarrassed about me not being able to control my kids I was worried that my quick 3 year old was going to bolt into the street before I could stop him.

I started to run.

As I was running I was telling Connor to stop touching his sister (I hate doing that because I know he's doing it out of love, but come on!  I can't handle this on top of what's going on).  As I'm running I'm screaming Aaron's name to stop.  Finally he hears me and turns to acknowledge that I exist.  Thank goodness.  I wasn't so lucky a couple of months ago with my Dad and the Power Wheels.  He kept driving with no regard for anyone - even when Connor used his body as a traffic cone he ran right over him.

So Aaron stopped and waited for us to catch up, but Maya didn't stop.  Her scream became unbearable.  I started trying to force the pacifier in her mouth as I'm pushing them down the street.  Finally I couldn't take the humiliation.  I picked her up and took her in my arms.

She was silent instantly.

Aaron saw his opportunity and he took the vacant seat.  This jogging stroller that I have is not easy to control with two hands, but when I have a 6 and 3 year old in it while holding a 2 month old....now that's really impossible.  I literally had crossing guards helping me push my stroller across the street.  I jokingly was saying maybe I shouldn't have attempted this when she was so young, and the crossing guard quickly agreed that she was too young.  He said, "She misses the warmth of your arms". OK...

Then I got smart...I told Connor to get out and walk.  That helped a lot.  When we finally arrived at his playground I stuck it out and watched him play.  We were 20 minutes later than normal and he only had 5 minutes of recess left anyway.

Maya had tired herself out so I put her back into the stroller.  I put the blanket under her head which helped her to fall asleep quickly.

As we were walking back home things were a little less crazy.  Things were actually quiet & calm.

Aaron said, "Mom, I can hear birds in the trees!"

Yes, that is what I was hoping for on this simple walk to school.