The Big MOVE to Arizona!

This was the last picture we took in front of one of our favorite homes in Henderson.  We moved out July 19th.  We had only moved in Nov. 30th of the year before- so about 8 months in to our two-year lease we up and left!  I loved what this particular house offered us and I was so, so sad to leave my sister and the wonderful friends that I had made there.  As usual, the Lord had even better plans for us and now we are slowly settling into life in Chandler, Arizona.

Good-Bye Henderson!

Tyler's first day of 1st Grade! 7.22.13 (and first day in a new home in Chandler, Arizona) He has Miss Falconer at Basha Elementary school.

We moved in to our new (rental) home on Sunday July 21.  Sweet Tyler was a trooper and started (year-round) school on July 22nd!  He had only been on Summer break about six weeks most of that was spent packing and cleaning.  I didn't even have time to do anything fancy for his first day of school.  We were just lucky he had clothes on his back and a lunch in his backpack (we still didn't have a fridge at this point!)  The move was horrendous but I will give that it's own blog post sometime.

Ryan had a few days off work to help move us in so he got to walk Tyler to his first day of school.  Tyler was really nervous with all the huge changes going on. Having his big, brave, dad there seemed to help.

Getting situated in his seat.

 Did I mention we moved to Arizona in late July?!  It was HOT!  We were used to heat but it was dry heat.  The week we moved had to have been the most humid week of the Summer with over 40% humidity and rain on and off for days.  It was disgusting and I may have cried at least a little every day wondering why we moved here (don't worry- it's definitely grown on me after making it through the first month or so)

After a HOT day at school and work we had to cool off in the dragon pool.  Even dad go in on the action.  If you look closely you can see the grass and the lake beyond the iron fence.  We have a beautiful view right out onto a neighborhood lake and we see Herons and ducks all the time.

No more than a week or so into living here and we hit another snag.  On August 2nd around 5pm Ryan was out mowing the lawn for the second time since moving in and buying a lawn mower. I was upstairs folding laundry and Tyler came in to call to me that dad needed something.  There was no urgency in Tyler's voice so I finished my folding and went down to see what Ryan needed. I found him lying on his back holding his leg and having a hard time breathing.  Ryan had stepped off the curb wrong (** or got knocked down in the final round of the cage fight...whichever story you prefer**) and broke his ankle.  We did the usual rest, ice, compression, elevation- but it was NOT getting any better.  Without knowing a single soul to watch the kids we all packed up and went to the closest urgent care we found on google. Thankfully the urgent care center was nice, clean, and empty so we got right in.  It was confirmed that Ryan broke his right ankle and most likely tore some ligaments.  Weeks later, doctors visits later, crutches, walking boot, MRIs later we found out that he had broken both the tibia and fibula as well as completely severed two of the three main ligaments in his ankle.  We ended up scheduling surgery for August 28th and we just finished PT last week (December 17th or so)  It has been a HUGE challenge but we have learned a lot along the way.  I will have to do an entire post on this opportunity we had to learn and grow and have faith.  Thankfully, Ryan can walk again but not like he used to and there is still some residual pain to deal with.

Daddy getting love from his most concerned little boys.  These boys worried about their daddy so much as he was going through the surgery and healing process of this dang broken ankle.  I am thankful they had a chance to learn compassion and service.

Big man has wanted to play baseball for quite some time.  This is right before his first game.  His first two at-bats were a grand slam and a home run!  The rest of the season was pretty great too.

This is a very, very, brief synopsis of what has happened in the past 5 months or so.  I wish I would have been better at writing.  To be honest, I didn't write for the longest time because I didn't have one single positive thing to say.  Only too late have I realized that those challenging times are when we learn what we are truly made of and we are able to look back and see what lessons we learned and what kind of people we are.  We have had an abundance of challenges since moving to Arizona, however, we have also been abundantly blessed with amazing people ALL around us.  I look forward to documenting our life a LOT better and catching up over the next few weeks.

a MAJOR catch up is under way- Tyler Turns 6! 6/13/13

Our Firstborn celebrated his 6th birthday just one month before moving from Henderson to Arizona. We started the morning with donuts and chocolate milk.  We had to settle for grocery store donuts because our favorite donut store, Friendly's, was closed!  Nobody seemed to mind once they were eating ;)

Tyler had been asking about going to the circus again.  The Wringling Brothers circus happened to be opening in town exactly on his birthday!  We were so lucky to get to go.  The boys worked hard and earned their tickets through a reading program at our public library. It made for a very special birthday for our big 6-year-old Tyler!

Moving day is around the corner

I just wanted to take a quick minute.  I'm not sure for what.  As Moving Day actually gets closer it becomes more and more tense around the house.  I am sad to leave the friends that I haven't seen in over 2 weeks. I am anxious to move into our beautiful but not-quite-what-we-were-looking-for rental. I can't wait to be a real family again with a mom AND dad (Ryan has been on business or working in Phoenix since June 14th!)

I am also excited to see what lies ahead and here is why... Our rental search began probably the day after Ryan started at Drive Time (in April) and we heard Phoenix was a possibility.  We were told to not bother searching for a place until 2 weeks out...BIG mistake.  But, that didn't really matter because Ryan wasn't available to even look until about 2 weeks before.  Ryan was in Dallas, Texas for training for two weeks and didn't get back until June 29th- then he started work in AZ on July 1st and that is when the hunt began!  He saw about 15 houses, together over the 4th we saw about 7 more and we thought we found THE one.  We put in an application and we waited.  I called at least once a day. We sent in supporting documents. We were promised the house time and time again.  Even as of noon on Monday we were told we were just waiting final approval from the owner!  We had even gone to what would be our "new" ward on Sunday just to meet people.  Well, Monday a little before 5pm the call came on my home phone. The gal on the other end said, "well, we had two applications on the place..." my heart sank a little bit then, but they told us just at noon we had the place...but then, we didn't.  I was so devastated.  We had spent the weekend driving around the surrounding areas so I'd have an idea of where gas stations and grocery stores are..all for nothing.  I was so sad.  This little neighborhood had felt like home from the beginning.  I was also so angry because all that promising led us to believe we were set so Ryan and I didn't look at more homes for back-ups while I was in AZ with him for the weekend.  Now, it was all on Ryan who had just started a new job, in a new place, with new people to manage.  I felt so guilty for not being there with him to carry this burden.

Ryan carried on the house hunt while I cried and packed for a "fun" family reunion...even though I couldn't eat or sleep and we were picking up a moving truck in 11 days with no where to call home.  The boys and I made to the reunion which was actually a pretty good distraction...most of the time.  Ryan searched and searched and had to deal with realtor's schedules not lining up with his, being stood up by appointments, trying with and without a realtor... it was so tiring for both of us.  Ryan put in another application on Wednesday for a beautiful home that was 45 minutes from work- but if we got this place he could still have come home for the weekend.  Well, 24 hours later, we had been fully checked out, passed all the necessary background checks, credit checks, rental history...and this owner had a conscious and said he needed to wait just a few more days to let the first applicants get their info together...talk about ironic!  Both times the people went out of their way to say what a great application we had but they just had to give it to someone else.

We are now only 7 days from moving day and we still have NOTHING.  I'm in bed with my kids at 8:30 just crying and trying to get some sleep to stop stressing about the whole thing.  Then my angel sister reached out to a friend of hers in the area who happened to know of someone who knew someone trying to get out of their lease.  Ryan got to go see the place, talk to the tenants, and submit and application...thank goodness.  The only bummer is that we didn't get to have him home with us for the weekend- but by 11am on Sunday we heard back...we FINALLY have a home and not a day too soon!  We found our new rental in Chandler only 5 days before we are scheduled to pick up our moving truck.  Not only that- but we can't even move in until Sunday...and then we learned that school starts on Monday!

It has been long, it has been hard, it has been stressful...but, as I said, I am excited to see what lies ahead.  We feel that Heavenly Father had a very specific place for us and we just had to do it His way in His time and have a little faith.  I am excited to see who Heavenly Father will place in our path, who He will ask us to befriend and serve, and who will become our new family away from family.

I can't wait to get there though so my heart will stop aching about leaving this place where so much life has happened.

Change is the only constant.

Our little family has been going through a few changes lately.

One of the biggest has been Ryan leaving CarMax and starting work at Drive Time.  April 17th was Ryan's last day at CarMax.  We really enjoyed what the company was on paper, however reality was quite different.  Our biggest concern was Ryan being stuck at night.  Our family needed Ryan to be home and be part of the boys' lives.  I was doing the best I could but sometimes it become obvious that the boys just need the influence and role model of their amazing father.  I was having to spend so much time keeping the boys quiet so Ryan could sleep during the day and we were missing out on so much time with him as Ryan attempted to switch to being awake with us on the weekends only to end up causing more fatigue for his body and immune system.  Long story short- we all wanted Ryan back and CarMax just wasn't willing to give up having someone trust-worthy and hard working at nights....so we made the decision for them.

Ryan had his feelers out for awhile and applied to Drive Time way back in late Jan/early Feb.  He put in his application on a Saturday night and was called first thing Monday morning.  We were excited but then the interviews (there ended up being 5 of them) took sooo long!  Ryan was even flown out to Phoenix to the company headquarters for his final interview.  We finally heard back on my birthday, April 2nd, that they wanted to extend a job offer to him.  We knew that training would be about 6 months- 1 year and then we'd have to move and we decided that we were okay with that change if it meant our family could be together.  The day before Ryan started he talked to his new boss who asked what Ryan thought of speeding up training to only 90 days.  3 months?!  That was unexpected but it looks like that is how it is going to be.  As of right now there are still a lot of unknowns, but we know that we are being asked to move to Phoenix pretty much ASAP.

Part of me is sad to move, AGAIN. Part of me is sad to leave the new friends I have made and my amazing sister but part of me is so excited for Ryan!  In a way this will be what we have always thought would be a perfect fit.  Ryan will be solely in charge of the Inspection Center as the General Manager.  He will get to kind of be his own boss...but (this is the part I always worried about) with a steady paycheck, benefits, and even paid time off and bonuses!

I am a planner at heart so this much change with so little lead time stresses me out some, but I am oddly at peace knowing that things always work out.  We will find a new home, we will make new friends, and we will get to see our daddy by 3pm every afternoon!  We have already been enjoying dinner time together, afternoons at the park, swimming with daddy whenever we want, and playing more UNO than we ever thought we would ;)

We can't wait to see what comes next.

Mother's Day 2013

The words of a song from Alice in Wonderland came to my head as I re-read this post. "I give myself some very good advice, but I very seldom follow it."

http://www.ryanandlauracrooks.blogspot.com/2012/05/mothers-day-2012.html

I got to talk with my brother, Ben, for a brief moment this evening After a quick, "happy mother's day" he admitted he had to give a talk at church today and he used part of a post from last mother's day in his talk. I laughed at first because I can't remember anything I write but the fact that he used it in a talk it had to be really good or really bad...right?

I really enjoyed reading through my feelings on being a mother from last year and all I need to add this year is an AMEN!  I am no longer as eloquent due to another year of limited sleep and increased stress- but I am grateful still for the opportunity to be a mother.  I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who gets me more than he knows and three of the sweetest boys around.  Underneath all the obnoxiousness they really are big sweethearts who really just want to make me happy, and for that, I am grateful.

I just hope I can re-read my good advice more often.  My goal as a mother for this year is to focus more on what I am doing Right and less on what I am doing wrong, or not doing at all.  I hope all of us mothers can cut ourselves a little slack and enjoy the hard work of rearing righteous children.

We have a 4 Year Old in the house!

Jacob Boyd turned 4 years old today...or as he says, "sore" (his "f" sounds are "s" sounds right now)

I wish I could write a million things about this boy but my brain is numb from fatigue and we had an awesome day celebrating.

This was Jacob's year for a birthday party and he kept asking for a Bounce U party.  We were able to find a killer deal on a party for his actual birthday and we let him invite a few buddies from school and church (and family) and we had a blast. He specifically asked for Angry Birds cupcakes from a store with those rings on top so everyone could have a ring to take home.  Jacob definitely has his opinions about how things should be done ;)

A few little things about my Jacob:

Cutest little blond-haired, blue-eyed, boy you ever did meet.

Still struggles with preschool most days but goes because it's almost over

Wants attention so bad, but then when he's the center of attention (like at his party today) he kinda shuts down.

He loves singing "ABCs" and "Twinkle, Twinkle" to his little brother at night.

Jacob HATES to wash his hair (just one sign of his stubborn streak)

He is incredibly oppositional...he'll pretty much do/say the opposite of whatever I want him to.

He still likes to frequently remind me that he "wuz" me

Jacob really wants to be in school with Tyler- at his school.

Jacob is good at building awesome and creative train tracks. He often will come up with ideas that I think will never work- and then he has them done and working all on his own.

He also likes to take out all of his cars and line them up for a parking lot.

His latest is making "me" crafts at preschool then coming home and making me guess what colors are on them without letting me look.

Jacob is the most artsy of the kids yet.  He loves to just doodle.

And as a last little tidbit an experience I had and I really hope to never forget.  Jacob is my most stubborn child (so far) and he can push me to my wits end faster and more completely than any other human being I have ever met.  It kills me that he is so difficult during the day and so sweet when we are alone at night.  One exceptionally rough day I went in to say prayers with him at night and I was impressed to pray more specifically about my second born.  I don't remember the exact words but I will never forget the feeling.  I believe it was a gentle reminder from our Heavenly Father that this sweet boy is doing his best with the position he is in.  Jacob is stuck in the middle and he is expected to be a great big brother and a great little brother.  He is expected to take direction and be proactive. He is expected to do what he's told and not what he sees (oops!).  He is an amazing kid with bright eyes and a sweet heart and I get to be his mother. My mind was opened to his world for a brief second and I hope I can do a better job each day by him.

I love this boy and all the challenge and growth he has brought into my life.  I love when he drops the sassy, talking-back and talks to me in a normal voice about normal things.  I love it when he takes the time to tell me stories.  I love it when he isn't afraid to try.

Love my scooby-doo, jakey-boo, little man, stinker-pot-pie.

Happy Birthday my Jacob.

Trying something new

Instead of wasting my nights away looking at other people's facebook updates or other people's blog entries or pinning a million ingenious ideas that I will most likely NEVER get to on pinterest, I thought I should try something revolutionary and actually write down what is going on in MY life.

I had to laugh when I looked back over the number of posts from past years.  I posted a lot with one kid, a little less with two kids, and then posting (like picture-taking) pretty much stopped once my little Adam rolled around.  This makes me sad because I want to remember just how crazy these days are and what lessons I learned.

I think the way technology is now it is way to easy to get sucked into everyone else's "best" when I'm trying to let my mind be numb and escape my "worst".  We inadvertently slip into a mild depression when it seems that everyone and everything is doing better than me on one front or another.  Yup...it happens.  I'm not talking go-jump-of-a-cliff-depressed but more along the lines of why-should-I-try-so-hard kind of depressed.

I had a busy day being a mom today- just like I'm sure a lot of dads had a busy day at the office.  Let's break it down a little. Woke up right before 6am, on Jacob's floor (because that's his new favorite place to sleep and he still comes to get me every night between 11pm and 1am) and I hear Adam start to cry for me. I go in to find him crying, saying "ouchie" and grabbing his ear which has something oozing out of it.  Yay- the day has officially begun ;)  This poor boy is just getting over a nasty yeast infection and now this.  I was guessing it was a ruptured ear drum from the ooze but he hadn't even been fevered or pulling on his ear- nothing.  Oh well.  So he got medicine and some essential oils and a phone call to the Dr. once they were open about an hour later.

In that hour I made breakfast for 3 crazy boys, cleaned up spilled milk twice, wiped off counters, helped Tyler put the finishing touches on his project for school today, made sure Jacob took off his pull-up (still?!), reminded Tyler he had to fast until his dentist appointment that afternoon for a filling, and built a train track with Jacob.

I made the phone call to the doc hoping for an opening and there was one, in 20 minutes.  Quick phone call to the wonderful gal we carpool with and  a little switcheroo and Tyler was on his way to school, Jacob was finally in real clothes instead of jammies and the little boys and I were headed to the Doc 20 minutes away...in rain.

Sweet Adam and Jacob were nuts, as usual, at the doctor.  My kids are the ones who will not leave the door shut.  Adam was the one today who would not sit still to be weighed and screamed bloody-murder for his mommy when I was standing a half an inch away.  While we waited for the busy Doctor (who is actually just the nice old PA in the office) I had to keep the boys entertained.  We played eye spy for about 30 second intervals, looked through the magazines for pictures of anything the boys would be distracted by, stood in the doorway and explained what each person was doing, what their job was, and why it was important for us to stay out of the way.  After too long we get seen, handed a script for a double ear infection and headed out to get the obligatory sucker and sticker and head off to the pharmacy.

We stop by our Target pharmacy on the way home and grab a snack for my tired and hungry boys.  The pharmacy was actually super fast and efficient so we didn't even get to eat the snack I bought the boys.  Yay for nice people at the start of a hectic day though.  They really made my day.

We head home- but now it's too late to lay Adam down for a nap because I have to go pick up Tyler in about 20 minutes anyway.  We kill a few minutes at home, charge my phone before it dies completely, and beg Heather to let us come over early to lay Adam down there for his nap.  This was very generous considering Adam threw a rock at Jason's head on Saturday and made it split open. Oops!  Glad we're related or I'm pretty sure they wouldn't invite us over again.  :)

Adam is down for a nap at Heather's, Jacob said good-bye to me about a million times before he would let me leave and now I'm running late to pick up Tyler from school before we hit that funny time when they won't let you take them out early because it's too close to being the end of the day (dumb rules).

I grab Tyler from class and head to the dentist for Tyler's first filling.  I think I was actually more nervous than Tyler was.  I was convinced to use the laughing gas and I guess I'm glad I did.  The whole thing happened so fast that it probably wasn't necessary but Tyler did awesome.  He just watched a Wreck It Ralph on the ceiling and let the good dentist do his work.  The dentist accidentally did a while filling instead of silver though- but was kind enough to just charge me for a silver one (another nice surprise on this busy day).  The dentist was so efficient we made it out in enough time to grab a smoothie and a sandwich for Tyler and I to share on the way to pick up the other boys.

We get to Heather's and of course Tyler wants to play with his adorable cousin Maddy and Adam was still snoozing so we hang out for a few. Then we have weeping and wailing as I say we have to go because my visiting teachers are coming over.  I got new visiting teachers and they are awesome.  It was so fun to have people in my home and I love the extra noise and laughter...but that woke up Ryan...oops.

Ryan got to go to the gym, the girls and I got to finish visiting and the boys ran amuck with an extra buddy over.  We hurry to clean up the natural disaster that was my living room (which I was completely embarrassed to show anyone- but what can you do when your company gets there before you?! oh well) and get dinner started.

Ryan came home from the gym, helped throw some chicken on the BBQ and we worked as a family to get dinner on the table.  The boys even got to play some more, say good-bye to daddy as he headed off to work and they even got cookies and milk!  Everyone was in melt-down mode so we headed right up stairs to get ready for bed.

After more fighting and wailing we got every one's teeth brushed, little ones who claimed their legs and backs couldn't move anymore were miraculously healed and changed into their jammies, and we all gathered around Adam's rocking chair and read their books (each boy picks one).  The big boys sing Adam a song, say good night and go continue fighting in another room (not kidding...unfortunately). I finish tucking in Adam with prayers and a song- but now he has learned to whine for me while I tuck the big boys in.  One song each and a promise to return to check on them and the big boys are out for the night. The only problem is Adam starts screaming again and while calming him down my sweet Tyler passes out from the events of the day and yet again, the obedient one misses out on his mommy time at the end of the day.  Whew.

As hectic as the night routine is, it is my favorite time of the day because I get just a tiny bit of one-on-one time with each boy to review their day and say what we can try harder at tomorrow.  Even my extremely stubborn Jacob turns into a sweetheart at night when he knows that it will be just him and me for a few minutes.

I had to document this part especially because I won't be doing it alone for much longer.  Last week on my birthday (when I turned 21...again) Ryan finally got the job offer we had been waiting over 2 months for!  Ryan has had 5 interviews with this new company and was even flown out to Phoenix to interview with their executive team.  We knew the offer was coming we just didn't know when.  Well, the offer was spot on what we said our minimum would be to accept the offer and the schedule and other perks are pretty awesome too.  We thought we should wait a little bit to give a two-weeks notice at Ryan's current work just to be sure.  But then Thursday night rolled around and Ryan had printed out a notice letter "just in case" he ran into his boss. Sure enough there were rude, presumptuous emails waiting for him when he got in to work so he found his boss and gave his notice.  Now everything is very real.  Once Thursday rolls around we'll be unemployed (although very briefly) and we'll be on the road to some big change.

We will get to stay in town for the next 6 months- 1year but then we can be sent anywhere in the US for this new job. It will be an adventure- for sure.  Moving far away is something that neither one of us have ever done.  We will have to just enjoy being our little family unit and enjoy the schedule of the new job that will allow us to have our daddy back as part of our life. We are beyond excited to have him back and the boys need him so terribly right now that we just can't wait.  Don't get me wrong- we are also terrified to learn what it is really like to live so far away from family that we could go visit on a whim, but we can do it- if it means getting to have Ryan be around to raise the boys with me- what a concept!  We feel very blessed to have found a job that appears to have such a great work-life balance.  Now we'll just have to survive 2 months without insurance (cross your fingers) and see where this new journey takes us.

Ahh- now that feels better.  See- real life.  That's what happens when no one is watching or listening or asking.  That is why there are so few posts and pictures because we have been very busy living life and I don't think I'd change a thing....okay, maybe a few (hundred) things...but that will have to be discussed some other time.

And to all- Good Night.

My baby turns 2!

Adam Richard made quite the dramatic entrance into the world about 2 years ago.  We are so glad that he is part of our family. I need to sit down and do some blogging to catch up but for now I wanted to get his 2 year stats down from our appointment today.

Adam @ 2 Years
35 inches 50-75%
27 lbs 25-50%

just a tad smaller that his two big brothers were at this point.

More to come...

Way back in November...

We played outside, with oobleck (corn starch and water) at our old house.  A lot has happened since then but I thought I'd do an experiment and see if Blogger has decided to let me post pictures again.

Family Pictures Oct 2012

After an inexplicably long absence here are pictures to feast your eyes on. Tired, cranky, curious little boys and a new museum and this is what you get for photos ;)

First Day of Preschool September 11, 2012

I officially feel old now that I have two kids in some sort of school.  Tyler is in Kindergarten and last week Jacob started preschool T/Th with his buddy Christopher.  We have Jacob in the same program that Tyler did at the local Rec Center last year.  Jacob still struggles with nursery each Sunday so we were nervous how this whole preschool thing would go- especially when he joined up in the carpool and was dropped off by someone else.  So far- he has been EXCELLENT!  We are so proud of him!  These rare moments give my heart a little hug- when I see and hear from others that my boys are doing good things; following rules, cleaning up, sharing, being kind, working hard, etc...because heaven knows they don't do that at home ;)  At least they are learning something with all my efforts!  Jake was like Tyler and just wanted our carpool friends to take him the first day.  Well, I ended up taking both him and his buddy because the older brother was sick.  We drop off for Kindergarten right around 8 but preschool didn't start until 9.  Of course we had to do something fun to calm the nerves so we stopped by our favorite donut store and bought some donut holes with the change I had in my car (because they only take cash) and played at the park right by preschool. It was a great start to a great day.  We miss the extra noise (a teeny-tiny bit) and we are always happy to have everyone home :)

Jacob went to stand for his first day of school picture then Adam and Tyler decided to get in on the action too. Two peas in a pod! Our little twins.  Still would have never guessed I'd have two blondies.

Jacob sporting his new shirt that he picked out just for his first day of school!  Jake and Ryan went on a special date to find Jacob a few new shirts just for preschool.  Jacob loved it (the date with dad and the shirts)

My three boys :)  Goofballs- as usual.

Jacob's super cool dog backpack he picked out with his great-grandma Anita about a month ago.  He couldn't wait to take his very own backpack to school.

Jake and his buddy Christopher.  They were both a little nervous for the first day and helped distract each other.  We gave Jacob some silly bands of awesome super-heroes to remind him how brave he could be at school.  We decided to share some with Christopher too so both boys would be brave and strong for their first day.  It *kinda* worked.

All lined up and ready for class to start.  Adam was sad to see his play- mate go but we made the best of it.

Finally a smile from our buddy!  

Sometimes...

sometimes Adam is too cute for words.

sometimes Jacob helps scrub outside...in just his underwear while giving an adorable, crooked, smile.

sometimes Adam gets new teeth and doesn't feel very well, so he cuddles daddy and watches football.

sometimes he smiles with his chubby cheeks anway.

sometimes Tyler has to have a "power breakfast" because the life of a five-year-old is just too hectic to stop for a real meal.

and sometimes Jacob copies Tyler because that's what little brothers do.

First Day of Kindergarten Aug. 27, 2012

When did Tyler get old enough to be in Kindergarten?  I had such mixed emotions leading up to the day- but Tyler was so excited about starting school that it was hard to be sad. In fact, Tyler was so excited that he just wanted the gal we're carpooling with to take him the first day!  I talked him out of it and he allowed me to take him to his first day of Kindergarten.  Sunday night Ryan gave him a father's blessing and Monday morning we had some family time before we headed off.  We were even able to start the day with a family prayer (which, unfortunately isn't as common as it should be)

Tyler did great getting out of the car and only looked back once, for a second.  It was Jacob and Adam who were crying when we dropped off Tyler at school.  I can tell they both miss him.  I am so grateful for the good example Tyler is and how much all the boys love each other.  

Tyler's 1st day of Kindergarten at Pinecrest Academy of Nevada.  His teacher is Mrs. Hunt

Tyler and daddy had some special moments before Tyler headed off to school.  Tyler likes wearing his uniform like daddy wears for work.  Tyler can hardly wait to get dressed for school each day.

One last picture right before Tyler hopped out of the car for his first day (don't report me  to anyone- the car seats were still in Ryan's truck from the day before...which he had with him at the dentist when it was time to go...oops!)

Tyler is lucky to have his cousin, Maddy, and a friend from church, Jack, in his class.  He has come home excited each day (all 3 of 'em) and is still loving it!  So glad my sweet, oldest, son is doing so well.  I'm glad he's only gone 3 hours because we all kinda miss the kid :)

Saturday: A Day in the Pool