Two packages arrived via the postal service today. It seems Nolan’s birthday week is still going strong! We sat out back as he opened them. Once again, Lincoln was his trusty helper. Then, we were surprised by a visit from Aunt Larissa. She came bearing two more presents for the big little guy to open. What a lucky kid! We now have both a doctor and a fire fighter in the house should anyone need their services.
Today was Nolan’s last day of preschool. I can hardly believe his first year of school is now finished. He has grown and changed so much over the school year. We are so proud of all that he has learned, tried, and done. I know the success of this past year is due in large part to the wonderful teachers he had. He came home with a DVD full of pictures from the year along with a memory book – such a wonderful way to get a snapshot of the year (no pun intended :))
In the evening, Jake decided to have the boys plant our garden. Once again, we’re giving it a go. We planted corn, sunflowers, cucumbers, spinach, peppers, tomatoes & pumpkins. We’ll see what pops up (and what we end up being able to eat!)
One of the boys’ favorite things to drink is chocolate milk, or “chaco milk” as Lincoln calls it. We were out of the “regular” stuff, so I pulled out two of my Tupperware shaker/mixer containers and added Hershey’s syrup to white milk. The kids loved making their own chocolate milk. Having their own personal containers to pour it from was just about as exciting as the milk itself.
As an end of the year outing, the preschool takes a trip to a local farm. This year, I was able to go along as a chaperone. 🙂 We boarded the bus in the morning and headed beyond the city limits. The great thing about the farm we visited was that we were the only group there. Once we all de-bussed, the kids split into two groups – one went on the “trolley” ride behind the tractor first, the other went to look at the animals. Then they switched. The farm even had a huge fenced in play are for the kids to explore. After the complete tour, everyone ate lunch and then we loaded onto the bus for the return trip home.
I think Nolan enjoyed himself. He wasn’t too keen on trying to feed the animals by himself, but he did let me hold my hand under his so that the goats could eat the alfalfa pellets. Not surprisingly, he liked the cats the best – probably because those were the animals he was most familiar with. The trolley ride was a big hit with him too because we got to see the farm’s “pirate ship” that is open for play during the fall. We may have to make a return trip later in the year…
The boys were by the dining room table and Nolan said to me (while I was in the kitchen,) “Mom, take a picture of us!” Well who can resist that? I know I need to take advantage of their willingness to be photographed, because I’m sure when they are teenagers, the opportunities may not be as frequent. And yes, that’s half of an plastic Easter egg on Nolan’s head. (The main reason he wanted his picture taken.)
We took the kids to the local indoor playground to celebrate Nolan’s birthday. This was his request. He and Lincoln had a pretty good time. Afterward, we asked what the birthday boy wanted to eat for lunch and he decided on pancakes. We headed over to IHOP and stuffed our tummys. When we returned home, we let Nolan (with Lincoln’s help, of course) open his birthday presents. It was a laid back, family-filled, fun day!
Today, our bigger little man turns 4! I can hardly believe it! I’ve already spent some time reflecting back on the events of the day he came into the world 4 years ago. It was pretty crazy. My water broke as I drove to work, I ended up driving myself to the hospital (something Jake made me promise would never happen again,) I couldn’t find the admitting desk at the hospital and the volunteer at the front door was no help, and Jake couldn’t find me for at least 45 minutes once I was settled in the evaluation area. However, once we were situated in our hospital room and I had my epidural, everything else was smooth sailing. Nolan arrived in the early evening and I was instantly in love. But enough with the sappy reminiscing. 🙂
It’s been a fun 4 years, Nolan! Your daddy and I love you so much and are so proud of who you are becoming!
Nolan and Papa (my dad) have been going to Lowe’s nearly every other Saturday morning to complete a project. He’s made everything from a jewelry holder (for Valentine’s Day), to a mini basketball hoop, baseball field, and kaleidoscope. They really get to build some neat things! Today’s project was for Mother’s Day. It is a mini trellis. The kids were also able to go to the Lowe’s garden center to pick out a plant and decorate the outside of the plastic pot. The final project really turned out great! And he is so proud of what he builds, which is even more cute to see 🙂
Today is Jake’s birthday.
10 years ago, we celebrated by going out for pie after I returned from a trip to Arkansas to visit grandparents. That pie date was the start of our now decade-long relationship. I think we both can agree that it’s been quite a ride – full of all kinds of ups and downs, but we’ve faced them together. There’s no one I’d rather navigate through life with than him. He is my best friend, my constant support, and the love of my life.
In honor of Mother’s Day, Nolan’s preschool has a special “Muffins with Mom” event. We arrived at the preschool room and were serenaded with “skid-a-marink-” and then given a paper basket bouquet and flower seeds. Then we dined on muffins and punch. It was really sweet.
