Meeting Mrs. R

I can't believe it's been almost a month already since we had kindergarten orientation.  That Tuesday morning, we loaded up his supplies into his back pack and headed off to meet Gavin's teacher and see his new classroom.  He got to stay in the classroom with his teacher and a few of his new friends while Jarrod and I went down to a meeting with the principal to learn the basics of being a kindergarten parent. 

I'm not sure who was more excited to see his new room...Gavin or Riley.  She wrote all over the paper left out for Chloe.  That's our girl!

He left feeling better about his new adventure, but after just an hour of getting a tour of the school and doing a few things in his classroom, he was exhausted!  I kept warning him that it was nothing compared to what a real day at school would be like! :)

Happy Birthday, Riley!

So much is going on that I need to blog about, so it's not an option anymore.  This week is all about catching up!  

I am still pretty much in shock that our baby girl is 2!  It seems completely impossible.  I still remember that Thanksgiving morning when we found out we were expecting.  Crazy how fast time flies...and to think that she's most likely our last has me filled with mixed feelings.

 We spent her actual birthday getting ready for her party the next day.  A few decorations and a pedicure were in order!

We just had a small group of friends over to celebrate Riley's birthday with some play time, a cookout, and of course, delicious cake from Mara!  Between our amazing family sending gifts from Ohio to her closest friends, our little lady sure got spoiled!

 

Mara, as usual, came through with a gorgeous cake.  If you're local, you HAVE to try her masterpieces! They're so beautiful and delicious.

The birthday girl really enjoyed the attention!

We lucked out with a gorgeous day!  I can't believe for the end of July it was only in the low 80s and we were able to enjoy some outside time.  Harper and Riley really had fun together!

Family photo opportunity!

Some of the favorites among her new gifts: Minnie Mouse tea party set, dress up clothes, and a new stroller for her babies - which I've already had to sew because a 'baby' named Riley won't stop sitting in it!  

With turning two came even more tantrums, the purchase of a new discipline book, and lots and lots of headaches for Mommy and Daddy! 

Happy birthday, Riley Savannah!

Independence Day

Here we are over a month later, but I finally have some time to blog our 4th of July pictures!

We got all ready in our red, white and blue to head to Adam's house.

We spent ALL day watching Mr. Adam and Daddy set off fireworks.  What fun watching money literally get blown!

 

Eventually, they started to get too loud for Gavin, and Riley...well, Riley just got mad about stuff.

We did take breaks from the fireworks to play Cornhole.  So fun!

 My most favorite part of the night came when the sun was starting to go down, and the lightning bugs started to come out.  Such a simple joy of childhood that I have so many fond memories of, but my children have never experienced.  I honestly didn't think lightning bugs were even around here!  Why?  Well, honestly, my kids are usually asleep before the sun goes down in the summer.  But, we also live in an area without many trees or bushes, so we just don't see them!  

So, needless to say, when I saw them coming out, it was like I was a child all over again.  We ran around like crazy kids chasing and trying to catch lightning bugs. Hands down, one of the best memories I've had with my kids in a long time.

We didn't leave Adam's until almost 9:30, and they were both clearly exhausted...

The drive home was beyond beautiful.  With fireworks being legal here, everyone goes all out for the holiday, and the drive from Adam's to our house was just filled with gorgeous firework displays.  Continuous explosions of color, and it was magnificent.  

When we got home, we carried the kids to bed and it wasn't long before Jarrod was also knocked out.  So, I went and sat in our backyard and watched our neighborhood display by myself.  So peaceful and gorgeous. 

 

Right now...

I have to catch up on July photos, and I will...but for now, I want to capture some things that are going on right now.  Our world is about to be rocked!  Kindergarten begins in just 2 days.  TWO!

We went shopping for supplies a couple weeks ago, and he was excited to pick out what he needed.  It hit me when we were into the grocery department of Walmart and I got teary eyed...my little boy had just picked out supplies for his classroom!  Crazy.  Still...I was ok.  He was excited, and I was excited for him.

Last week, I had a rough night.  I couldn't fall asleep and started thinking about how in just a week's time, my first baby was beginning kindergarten and my second baby was turning two.  Way too much for one week!  I was ok still...made it through the weekend and Riley's party.  

Yesterday hit, and Gavin started complaining his belly was hurting.  Jarrod was sure he had a bug, but I knew better.  I knew he was starting to get nervous.  And it came out at bedtime.  We all had a good cry (including a tear from Jarrod) and talked about things he could expect, read a book, and them moved on to finding Waldo.  :)  I turned off his light and rubbed his back, and he asked me if I could stay with him at his orientation which was this morning.  Sweet boy.  

Today, he woke up telling me he felt much better.  We went to Kindergarten Orientation and met his teacher.  He got to put his supplies in his cubby and do a worksheet (on which he said he'd take Riley with him if he was going on a pirate adventure...) and then he got to spend some time with a few new friends and his teacher while we went to a meeting with the principal.  He was definitely ready to leave when it was over, because according to him, he was tired from all that walking (on his tour)...we gotta work on his stamina! Lol.

We came home and he had his lunch today that I packed him.  Jarrod came up with the idea of doing that so that he could practice using all the containers and opening them.  It went really well and I could see how proud he was of himself when figured out how to open some of them.  I keep imagining him sitting at a big table in a big lunchroom...  He's still so little!  {So little, in fact, that the teacher had to move his cubby because he couldn't reach his!} 

So, we'll see how Thursday goes.  We're going to read The Kissing Hand again tonight, and tomorrow he gets a special lunch at McDonald's.  We're going to order pizza on Thursday to celebrate the first day - his choice!  And, I'm going to surprise him with freshly baked cookies when he gets home.  Hoping all these memories we're making will last forever...

Final pics

Here we are at the end of July {Riley's birthday, to be exact!} and I still have June pics to post.  So...prepare for a photo dump from the photos from when my parents were here.  These were all on the last day, when we were just hanging out and enjoying them before they left.

You can tell how thrilled Gavin is these days to get his picture taken... 

'No flash photography!' ~Gavin

I love these pictures...especially the first one.

And a mix of iPhone pics from the whole week...

 

Yay!  Caught up on vacation pictures now.  :)  Up next, 4th of July and celebrating Riley's birthday!  Woohoo!