summer birthday celebration...a little early

i was up late thursday evening
making these adorable jello sailboat cups
for scout's kindergarten class.

seriously, they make me smile.
{i have a thing for sailboats and for jello}

so why was i up way too late on a week night cutting out sails?
it was my little way to let scout know he is special and loved
as he shared these with his class for his b-day celebration.

his thoughtful teachers decided to hold a celebration for all
those children with summer birthdays. scout was so excited
since his birthday is july 6th.

unfortunately, i couldn't get away from work
but christopher was able to be there.  he said the sailboats were a hit!
from this picture he snapped, it appears that way.

i plan on making more of these treats this summer.
i might even include a swedish fish or two in the jello.
{because the boys really need more sugar} *grin*

BUT

with a pool and warmer weather, the boys are more active than ever.
i came home from work one day this week to lots of noise coming from
the backyard.  i walk out the sliding door and find my two boys in their
full wetsuits {when the sun goes down, it's cool by the coast}.
scout was SUPing with a broomstick as his paddle,
and older brother was trying to knock him off from underneath.

i wish i had thought about snapping a photo.
{someday i will learn to reach for my phone}

going commando

tonight's post title isn't about the 1985 movie starring arnold schwarzenegger.
going commando refers to the practice of guys not wearing underwear.
{i first heard it when i was in high school}

so why this topic?

well we have a 5 year old in the house who prefers 'going commando' all the time.
i think it started this past summer when he basically lived in boardshorts {i.e. swimshorts}.
my hope was the time school rolled around, he'd be back in skivvies.
i was wrong.

since i helped dress him for his first day of school, i can safely say he had underwear on,
but since then, he more or less dresses himself, and with no one standing there telling him
to wear them, he's been choosing to just skip them.

last night i was gently teasing him about it and said  "i'm not sure kids are allowed to
go without underwear at explorer, it might be part of the school rules".

finn, our always logical child responded,
"i don't think there's a RULE against that mom. no one ever tells anyone if they
aren't wearing underwear and no ones check.  it's not a policy....at least not yet".
{those were his words exactly...gosh finn oliver just kills me}.

i laughed out-loud, and said you're right finn.

gosh, the conversations that take place in our home most evenings are so funny.
there's very little reason to turn on a television for entertainment. i have boys.

i'm not sure how long this phase of scoutie's will last, but i've decided not to fight him on it.
there are more important things to worry about than a little boy going commando. *wink*

~ on a different note, last weekend scout brought him a stuffed fox named zorro.
this fox belongs to his kindergarten class, and like finn's ellie the elephant,
he goes home with a different student every week.

per the instructions, scout had to do something fun or special with zorro and
then write or draw a photo in the zorro class journal.  this little red fox joined the
family for our sunday fun day at belmont park.  he rode the carousel,
played arcade games and later that night, had a story read to him by scoutie.

dreaming of riding the wooden coaster {background}

first day of school: 2012

we officially have a kindergartener and a 3rd grader in the house!

the boys started back to school on monday and the transition for scoutie

couldn't have gone better{and i didn't do too bad either}. i was so excited

at drop off, knowing he couldn't have been more ready.

it was on my drive to work that my eyes got a little watery as i realized that

his preschool days are over and that my baby was officially a gradeschooler.
 

finn was dropped off first and he practically shooed us out of the room,

as he caught up with his friends and started an assignment that was on his desk.

scoutie stuck close to our legs as he greeted his new teachers, mrs. lim and miss casey,

but then grabbed a book and sat at the carpet at the prompting of his teachers.
we left him like this, engaged in a book.
{with a little nod reminder from c, i didn't hover and stay too long}

i planted a kiss on his cheek, gave him a squeeze and was on my way.

finn {8} and scoutie {5}, 1st day of school

 

because of the chaos of parents dropping off their kids, 

it was near impossible to get a good photograph inside so i'll wait until next to get

a photo of the boys and their sweet teachers.

here's to a GREAT school year!

holiday parties

the boys' end of the year holiday parties were held last week and
they were both themed around COOKIES!  not a bad thing right?! *wink*
the kids were asked to bring in 3 dozen of any kind of cookies to share and
a container of some type to carry a variety of goodies home.

i baked premade snickerdoodles from a package found in the freezer section of
my local grocery store.  you see, these cookies won a contest a few weeks ago
at my work when i baked them for a fundraiser.  employees voted and mine
tied for FIRST place.  i couldn't believe it - storebought cookies! *grin*
it would have been crazy not to throw them in the oven for the boys' parties.

i did bake from scratch too. my sweet friend jen shared an easy chocolate peppermint
cookie recipe with me and these were a hit with everyone too - adults and kids.
if you want the recipe, just email and I'll share. (thx a million jen)

scoutie (3) and mom

finn and his girl, elizabeth

c and i with our big 1st grader



i attended a holiday party on saturday night and took the boys to see

santa at the pb recreation center for their annual 'breakfast with santa' event. 

pictures to come!

for now, i better jump in bed and get some sleep. i've been up late helping

christopher prepare to take the boys to utah tomorrow for a few days to visit

their cousins maya and isaac. he is leaving before sunrise.

i will miss my boys, but while they are having fun tubing and sledding in the snow,

i'll be at work during the days (no more vacation days for me after last month), and

tying up loose ends at home in the evening to prepare for christmas morning. 

goodnight!

ellie the elephant

ellie is finn's kindergarten class elephant (a stuffed toy).
i first learned of her when finn told me he "was sad he couldn't bring her home."
he explained that she goes home with a different student in his class every friday for the weekend.
i assured him his name would eventually come up and he'd get to bring her home.

it did.

ellie came home with finn just before christmas break and he was thrilled.
we had a conversation that went something like this:

finn: i'm 'supposed' to take her somewhere special mom
me:  really? what did you have in mind?
finn: the science museum.  ellie will love it and i haven't been there in a long time
me: *grin* ok buddy, i think we can make a visit there this weekend
finn: YAY.  oh and you are supposed to take pictures of her so i can put in the journal.
me: um, ok, i can take some photos of her.

next he showed me the journal that came home with ellie.
there were simple notes written by kids and some hand-drawn pictures.
a few entries even had a photo. so very cute.

finn got his special day out with ellie the elephant and had a great time.
i'm guessing we spent a good 3.5  hours at the museum (much too long for me)
and even still it was tough getting him to leave.

he loves that place and is totally obsessed with science right now.
so much that i felt it necessary to get season passes for the family and the summer nanny
which we will need when school is out this summer.
{christi, are you interested in coming back to san diego?}

here is a picture of finn and ellie - taken outside the museum.
he included this photo in the ellie journal with a handwritten note about their day.
i'm bummed i forgot to photograph his entry - it was precious.

i sure love this little boy.

finn's kindergarten class

finn's assistant teacher, miss casey,
presented this adorable drawing as a gift to all her students just before winter break. 

it was so cute, i just had to scan and save digitally since i can't possibly save hard copies of everything. finn's keepsake bin is already full and he's only been in kindergarten for 4 months!
 (i must admit that more than half the contents are from his preschool years).
at this rate though, i can see this is going to be a problem.
i'm going to get a bigger bin soon and eventually a bigger house! *laugh*

note: finn recently told me he was going to marry elizabeth (2nd row from top, 4th from left).
he said "we discussed it mommy and she agreed." he has a crush on this little girl and made me reassure him i would send her an invitation to his upcoming birthday party. so cute!

  

drawing: casey swangren

kindergarten calls

today was the day - the day finn started 'big school'.
i'm happy to report there were no tears - and i mean from me! *laugh*
i knew finn would have no problems, but i wasn't sure how i would do.
some girlfriends had warned me that i should be prepared for the worst -
to bring lots of kleenex because it can be very emotional and bring tears.
it was emotional for me - but not in that way.

i found myself just really excited - almost giddy.
i might have felt different had he never been to preschool,
or if i was home with him all day, but since this wasn't our situation,
it was simply exhilarating.
now i can't say i'll feel the same way the first day i drop off
scoutie at kindergarten since he's our last.
but that's still a few years away. *sigh*

the morning of, we had a nice breakfast together then all of us (scout included),
took finn to school and walked to room number 3, finn's classroom.
we greeted his teacher, ms hawke, and said hi to the parents and kids we knew,
then finn took off to a table crowded with kids playing with legos.

if c and i had walked out the door right then,
i don't think he would have noticed.
we had to call him over for a quick kiss and goodbye hug.
he said "bye mom and dad", turned around and didn't look back.
it was almost too easy. his confidence is such a wonderful thing to see
it's one of his best traits and one i hope doesn't ever go away.

today is a beginning for finn, but at the same time, an ending for us.
our 5 yr old is entering a new phase and more of his time will be taken
up with school activities and new friends.

even though we will be central to his life,
we will slowly stop being the center of his life.
luckily it doesn't happen overnight. as bittersweet as this is,
i will enjoy this next phase of our life together.


 

finn's first day of kindergarten







pretty sunflower mural hanging in the hall

(painted by explorer kids)



    









finn 'signs in' every morning finding his namecard and
placing it in a plastic sleeve alongside his classmates



  

i should mention that christopher is in minnesota for a few days and i'm doing the 'morning routine'.
luckily, some moms are helping me by picking up finn in the afternoon, so that's one less thing to coordinate.

i don't know how c does it every morning. he's told me once he "runs a tight ship" and he wasn't kidding!! somehow he gets up at 6:30am every morning and in one (1 hour), has both boys dressed
(always before breakfast), fed, teeth brushed, himself dressed and they are out the door at 7:30am.

he drops off scoutie at preschool and then takes finn to school. i'm guessing there's no time for starbucks anymore - a good thing since scout can already identify their logo and asks to go everytime we drive by our neighborhood shop.

the morning schedule is a bit too much for me so i'm feeling rather grateful and fortunate tonight for a hubby who is so very hands on. since my job is full of deadlines, i wouldn't do well with stress in the mornings before i got to work. i feel pretty lucky to have the arrangement we have.

c, i'm missing you - come home soon if you are reading. xo

feelings of awe

when i approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments;
tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become.
- louis pasteur

finn oliver, 5 yrs.

i can't think of more appropriate words to describe how i am feeling about finn right now.
he is still my little boy in so many ways - crawling up in my lap to snuggle on occasion and
still asking for back rubs and a song before bed.
in these moments, i'm reminded of my baby boy.

when i watch him play with scoutie,
my heart is full of joy as he can be the sweetest big brother in the world.
he speaks calmly and respectfully to him (most of the time at least),
enouraging him along as he plays and discovers.
in these moments he is much older.

though there are remnants of my baby boy left,
there is a big boy surfacing now and today was a reminder of this.
christopher and i joined him for kindergarten orientation today at explorer elementary.
it finally hit me that i have a child starting school. i wasn't overwhelmed with sadness,
as i am really excited about this next step, but i have been reflective all day...
on these past 5 years of his life and my life as his mother.

at the school, we were introduced to the director (explorer doesn't use the term principal),
as well as the 3 kindergarten teachers and their partner teachers.
they were all so warm and seemed to truly enjoy teaching and children. it felt good.

although we won't find out for another few days what teacher finn will be assigned to,
i mentioned to c that i don't think we could go wrong with any of them. he agreed.
finn (and parents) left excited as ever and ready to start this new adventure.

august 31st is the big day!!

i truly am in awe of this beautiful little boy who is growing up so fast.

finn's kindergarten class

finn's assistant teacher, miss casey, sketched out caricature-like images of the entire class and gave to each student as a christmas gift. it was so cute i wanted to post so i can look back on someday. (i can't keep everything you know).

note: elizabeth is the little girl finn said he is going to marry someday. he said "we've already discussed it and she agreed mommy." *grin*